The public is invited to a free lecture at the Ocean Point Casino at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 21 given by East Boothbay author Marilyn Beardsley Heise about the serious risks of taking commonly-prescribed antibiotics such as Levaquin and Cipro, which are in a class of drugs called fluoroquinolones. Heise is the author of "Perilous Pills, Protecting Yourself from Fluoroquinolone Injury," available at Sherman’s Books and amazon.com.

“Suffering caused by this class of antibiotics is widespread and ugly,” says the journalist. “Patients’ adverse symptoms can include brain fog, peripheral neuropathy, tinnitus, rapid heart rate, head pressure, inability to walk, nightmares, severe rash, cardiac shock, aortic aneurysm and the most common injury – torn Achilles’ tendons.”

After her adverse event, the author began research that took six years. She discovered that millions of individuals may have been injured unnecessarily because of inappropriate prescriptive practice and that pharmaceutical companies were promoting profit over safety. She found that there was unreliable regulation by the FDA, misuse and overuse in hospitals, and more. All of these factors impact the risks of taking these drugs, she notes.

‘It has become my mission, my passion, to spread awareness about the possible serious consequences that can happen innocently after taking these antibiotics and can cause severe harm, perhaps for life,” she said.

The Ocean Point Casino is located at High and Park Streets at Ocean Point, East Boothbay.