The Doc Replies

I am a woman aged 71 and have been taking Adcal tablets (750mg twice a day) and one Amitriptyline (10mg) per day for migraines for a few years. I’m not so sure about taking these long-term and would like your opinion on their use.

The Adcal is a calcium and Vitamin D replacement. This reduces the risk of osteoporosis, and has few side effects or long term risks. Amitriptyline (10 mgs) is an antidepressant which is often used to prevent migraines from occurring. If you stop this medication it may be that your migraines could well return. If you are keen to come off this medication you could try a period without it. I have terrible wind, but have been told yoghurts, like Yakult, may help. Is there any evidence this is true?

Sometimes after bad infections or a lot of antibiotics, the bacterial growth in our gut – which we normally have – is affected. There is evidence that for some patients this balance can be improved by using natural yoghurts. However, there isn’t a great deal of evidence these yoghurts are needed to improve bowel symptoms. Can you contract salmonella from pets? I have a pet tortoise and my doctor told me it may have been the source of a recent bug I caught.

The simple answer to your question is yes. It is possible to get salmonella from the tortoise. It is a bug that tends to affect reptiles and tortoise is in the reptile family. It doesn’t usually cause much bother to the pet itself, but it can cause a significant infection in humans.