# Am I the only one who does not take any kind of medication? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 24, 2009, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458 "2009-12-24T17:22:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/21 "2009-12-24T22:01:24Z")
MrWhatsit is 44 and doesn’t take anything. He rarely even takes ibuprofen for a headache or whatever. I’m 32 and am on Metformin to control type 2 diabetes. I would like to not be on Metformin someday, although I am not terribly optimistic right now, since I lost 25 pounds this year and it didn’t have any real effect on my blood sugar levels at all. I took Zoloft (antidepressant) for about 8 months after my youngest was born, for post-partum depression. It basically returned me to functional living, whereas prior to medication I only wanted to sit on the couch and wish I were dead. But 8 months of medication combined with therapy was enough to get me back on my feet (I suspect that subsiding hormone levels helped as well) and I no longer take the medication. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/22 "2009-12-24T22:14:59Z")
I take a once-a-week thing that supposedly will help me not to shrink and my keep my bones from crumbling, i.e., Fosamax. That’s it, though. Of course it depends on what you consider medication. Caffeine? I’m medicated. Drink coffee all day long. I will also take allergy pills when necessary in the spring, summer & fall. Advil if I get a headache (which is rare). Chloraseptic if I get a sore throat (even rarer). ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/23 "2009-12-24T22:24:22Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Just because they aren’t necessary for you doesn’t mean the same holds true for everyone. Exactly. My husband was on no meds until he started feeling like crap (worn out) a few years ago. Turns out his BP and cholesterol had gotten pretty high. He was put on a tiny dose of BP meds and told to work on his diet for about 6 months. The diet didn’t do the trick, so now he’s on cholesterol meds too, and feels better. High blood pressure/high cholesterol doesn’t always cause symptoms, so there are plenty of people out there who should be on meds and don’t know anything’s wrong. I used to be on anti-depressants, but then again, I used to think that dying in my sleep rather than waking up in the morning might be just fine. These days I don’t feel like that. I’m on birth control pills but am planning on getting something done to make that no longer necessary. I take meds when I get migraines; my mom has them too so I was probably stuck getting them. By the way, the reason we ask if you’re sure you aren’t on meds isn’t because it’s hugely uncommon. It’s because so many people do take something but don’t think to mention it or pretty much forget it. I can’t think of how many times I’ve asked that question of patients and then later on in the appointment, or even days later when they’re at home and call back, they only then remember “oh yeah, I’m on \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_”. To some people, a daily aspirin for “heart health” doesn’t seem to count when you ask about meds. Some don’t want to mention their erectile dysfunction meds, or their anti-HIV medications, because they’re embarrassed. Some don’t count the OTC pain meds they take for “aches and pains.” And so on. You really do have to prod sometimes to get a full medication report. ---
**Author:** ![Dusty\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ba8739/32.png) [@Dusty\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dusty_Rose)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/24 "2009-12-24T22:31:55Z")
43 female and nothing here, either. I went to a new doctor recently and she, too, was surprised that I wasn’t on anything. Seems everyone I know is on something, but then again, most of my friends are around 10 years older than me. Things seem to be really kicking in for a lot of them. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/25 "2009-12-24T22:57:59Z")
I’m not on any medications and I’m glad for my health. I do have concerns about the number of medications people are taking in the U.S. - and also the secondary effects, because a lot of those drugs end up in the water supply - and some lingering skepticism about brain chemistry as a model for treating depression. It works for some people for certain but I wonder if it’s really the best way for a lot of people. > [@Zeriel](#): > > I wonder if the depression-meds thing will change as more therapies become more commonly used I think that would be a good thing, but I don’t know. That may be here to stay. [Did anyone else read this story in Wired earlier this year?](http://www.wired.com/medtech/drugs/magazine/17-09/ff_placebo_effect?currentPage=all) It appears the placebo effect is growing stronger, and one explanation - certainly one that makes sense to me - is that people increasingly believe in drugs. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/26 "2009-12-24T22:59:11Z")
Female, 45, nothing except a multi-vitamin. 🙂 Hubby is 41, and is on Metformin and something for high blood pressure. ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/27 "2009-12-24T23:52:41Z")
Female, 44 (45 in two months), not on any prescribed medication. Take a multivitamin daily, and OTC painkillers, cold remedies and the like only as needed. The last time I was prescribed anything was last February, when my herniated spinal disk announced its presence and I was put on a muscle relaxant and extra-strong ibuprofen until it settled down. ---
**Author:** ![Audrey\_Levins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/28 "2009-12-25T00:17:23Z")
My mother, who is 55, got the exact same response from her doctor as the OP. She is in overall excellent health and has never been prescribed anything other than antibiotics. She, too, was surprised by how surprised the doctor was. As for me, I’m on the Pill but that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/29 "2009-12-25T00:41:58Z")
I’m 52 and went on my first medication (for blood pressure) about a month ago. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/30 "2009-12-25T02:20:45Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Are all these meds really necessary? It also seems like an inordinate percentage of women are on some kind of anti-depression medication. I’m not exaggerating when I say every woman I know (including my wife) is on them. They are necessary. At least, if you’re the CEO of a pharmaceutical corporation and you want to make large profits, they’re necessary. If you’re a middle-aged woman on anti-depressants, [they probably aren’t necessary](http://www.nybooks.com/articles/22237), and there’s a good chance that your prescription could be traced back to misleading studies, a blizzard of advertising, and perhaps even outright bribes from companies to doctors. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/31 "2009-12-25T03:41:48Z")
Male 48. I’m not on any medication. I don’t own any medication or keep any in my apartment, not even general painkillers like aspirin or paracetamol (which it would be pointless for me to own as they have no effect on me anyway). I’ve also never seen my doctor except to get jabs when travelling to places deemed to be ‘risky’. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/32 "2009-12-25T03:54:37Z")
Apart from very brief periods of minor vitamin deficiency, and the occasional single pain killer, I have never been on any medication. I am currently both mentally and physically healthy, though I expect that won’t last much longer, as age seems to be catching up with me. ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/33 "2009-12-25T04:25:33Z")
Neither I nor my wife take do any form of drugs. Just don’t believe in it. Any headaches, minor illnesses we figure came on naturally and will thus leave just as naturally. We’re raising baby the same way. She was fussy one day and a friend suggested we give her a baby Tylenol. We told her that the only medication she’d ever taken -up to that point- was for the one ear infection she had and the friend couldn’t believe it saying that she and her family literally buy Tylenol in bulk and go through it like water. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/34 "2009-12-25T04:53:28Z")
> [@minlokwat](#): > > she and her family literally buy Tylenol in bulk and go through it like water. I used to do this. I do still keep some around, due to mild migraines, but normal headaches I no longer bother. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/35 "2009-12-25T06:23:00Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Is anyone else seeing an ad for Dianetics on this page? If there’s any group less likely to be susceptible to Scientology, I don’t know what it is. I don’t see the ad, but Scientology as an institution is vociferously against psychiatric medication, so it’s not surprising their ads would show up in this thread. To add another data point, I’m older than the OP and am not currently on meds. The only time I’ve taken prescription medication is for short-term pain relief following surgery. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Mumble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Captain\_Mumble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Mumble)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/36 "2009-12-25T13:28:42Z")
Does caffeine count? How about nicotine? If I miss my daily hits then life just ain’t worth livin’. For the record,I’m in my early 50’s and other than the occasional NSAID for muscle aches due to my physical job I’m medication free - touch wood -Mitch ---
**Author:** ![tetranz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@tetranz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tetranz)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/37 "2009-12-25T13:35:20Z")
I’m 53 and have barely taken anything in my life. If I have a bad cold I might get some DayQuill or NightQuill type stuff but other than that I can’t remember when I last took any sort of meds. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/38 "2009-12-25T16:23:17Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > I wonder if the depression-meds thing will change as more therapies become more commonly used–I was on small doses of anti-depressants for a while, but with some good ol’ CBT I eventually got off of them. I am on no maintenance meds at this point. > [@MsWhatsit](#): > > But 8 months of medication combined with therapy was enough to get me back on my feet (I suspect that subsiding hormone levels helped as well) and I no longer take the medication. I’m currently also on antidepressants and using CBT. I keep getting to a point where I feel like myself again and I can use my CBT techniques and life is fine, so I drop the drugs. But it doesn’t stay good, I always sink back into it. I think that in my case it may be possible that these drugs are really necessary to keeping me in a functional state. And I hate it, because I would really rather not be on medication. I’m not even 30 yet and I’m already on daily meds! But for now, if I want to go to work and be with my family and be at all sociable or productive, I need the help of the Wellbutrin. Otherwise, I’m curled up in bed with dark thoughts. I read comments like these and I’m both optimistic and discouraged. People manage to get off the meds, so there’s hope! But then, I can’t seem to manage it yet. Blah. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/39 "2009-12-25T16:58:12Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > It sometimes seems like it. > > I’m 42. Went to the doctor last week for a routine checkup, and he didn’t believe me at first when I told him I was not on any kind of meds. “Nothing?! Are you sure?” It then dawned on me that just about every person I know in my age group (or older) is on some kind of meds. They’re on anti-anxiety meds, blood pressure meds, anti-depression meds, etc. I feel like I’m in a real minority. > > Are all these meds really necessary? It also seems like an inordinate percentage of women are on some kind of anti-depression medication. I’m not exaggerating when I say every woman I know (including my wife) is on them. 42 y/o white male. Drug free. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458/40 "2009-12-25T23:59:18Z")
Female, 56. Vitamins. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-does-not-take-any-kind-of-medication/522458.md?page=3)