Dear Ann Landers,
Your column is a valuable tool for getting messages to people everywhere. Please tell them: Always make sure you get prescription drug dosage directions directly from your doctor. I have psoriasis and have tried almost everything to get rid of it. I recently was put on some high-powered drugs. One drug has to be monitored with blood tests and taken exactly as prescribed. My doctor told me to take four pills a week, two on Saturday morning and two Saturday evening. My doctor's handwriting was hard to read, but I took the prescription to my pharmacist, thinking he could surely figure it out. When I picked up the pills, the instructions on the bottle read, "Two pills daily and twice on Saturday." Thank God my doctor had told me what he wanted me to do and not just written it down. If I had not remembered his instructions, I would have been taking 16 pills a week, which could have created some serious problems. I asked the pharmacist to call my doctor's office and straighten it out. He did so at once. Please tell your readers to get it straight from the doctor's mouth. -- Avid Reader in Mesquite, Texas

Dear Avid Reader in Mesquite,
Your letter is yet another excellent example of how my readers help one another through this column. "Getting it straight from the doctor's mouth" is superb advice. Of course, it takes the time of the doctor, but if he is dedicated and caring, he won't mind.