# For those over 50, how many prescription drugs do you take? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 10, 2020, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674 "2020-10-10T23:52:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/61 "2020-10-11T21:34:35Z")
I’m a wee bit hesitant to bring this up, but for all of those who take Metformin … have you all heard about, and looked into, this ? > **[FDA Updates and Press Announcements on NDMA in Metformin](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-and-press-announcements-ndma-metformin)** > > FDA Updates and Press Announcements on NDMA in Metformin It may or may not apply to you, individually, but it seems prudent to check. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/62 "2020-10-11T21:36:48Z")
Nearly 60 - 1 pill each day. Plus a couple of allergy inhalers I take seasonally or as needed. Reviewing medical records, I’m often astonished at the numbers of meds some folk are on. Once a med is prescribed, it seems rare for doctors to see if any existing meds ought to be discontinued. I’ve often suggested (only somewhat in jest) there should be a max number of prescriptions any 1 person should be on. Maybe 10 or 12. After that, if any doctor wants to add another, 1 has to be eliminated! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/63 "2020-10-11T21:44:09Z")
Metropolol (high blood pressure) Clopidogrel (blood thinner) Famotidine (acid reflex) Metformin (sugar) Atorvastatin (cholesterol) Sertraline (anger/moods since the stroke) OTC Baby aspirin Stool softener Fiber pills Melatonin (for sleeping) EDIT: 58 years old. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/64 "2020-10-11T21:44:41Z")
51 years old. 4 scrips daily for ticker, blood pressure, cholesteral and to combat gout. I haven’t had an issue with gout in a long old time, so I don’t mind being a pill popper. It’s far better than being a shovel weilding foot chopper offer. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/65 "2020-10-11T22:45:22Z")
If I find myself to be too comfortable and/or happy, I will take a bit of cannabis, as needed, to raise my anxiety and self-loathing to the required levels. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/66 "2020-10-11T22:47:30Z")
Looking at the other responses, I’m either really lucky (and healthy), or I need to go to the doctor more often… ---
**Author:** ![Newtosite](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/newtosite/32/8623_2.png) [@Newtosite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Newtosite)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/67 "2020-10-12T00:39:34Z")
Thanks for all the responses! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/68 "2020-10-12T01:36:06Z")
Yes, thanks. It’s for extended release. Fortunately, I neither use ER nor those brands. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/69 "2020-10-12T05:19:06Z")
I’m 60, and I take nothing. I will, of course, if a medical or dental professional prescribes it, in which case, I will take it until it runs out (my dentist is fond of prescribing a course of penicillin for a few days after I’ve had a tooth extracted), but then I carry along as normal, without prescriptions. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/70 "2020-10-12T10:54:34Z")
Six daily, one as needed for sinus issues. Plus vitamins. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/71 "2020-10-12T14:58:52Z")
I’m 59 - I take Estradiol (HRT). I’ve taken it for many years for menopause related irritants. I’m supposed to wean myself off of it now, but I just feel so much better when I take it. So I’ve been taking only half of 0.5 mg pill per day. I don’t think my doc will renew my prescription when I go for my next physical in March. But I’ve outsmarted her - since I’m only taking a 1/2 pill per day, I’ll still have a year’s worth! That’s about it. I do take an OTC (generic Claritin) for seasonal allergies (Apr-Nov). ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/72 "2020-10-12T15:32:58Z")
I am 53 and have been taking a low-dose statin for the past couple years for borderline high cholesterol. That is my first, and only, daily prescription drug to date (and I am working to get off it). I have taken prescription drugs for acute gout since I was 40, but have been able to manage it without drugs for the past 5 years. I do not take any allergy meds, nor vitamins or supplements. ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/73 "2020-10-12T15:57:22Z")
I’m 56. Since a myocardial infarction leading to VFib four years ago, I’ve been on clopidogrel (blood thinner), atorvastatin, and lisinopril (ACE inhibitor). When I ask why a statin and ACE inhibitor, given that they found no plaque and my blood pressure is normal or low, they mumble about “protocol”. They did finally stop the beta blocker when my heart rate started running in the 30s (still does sometimes, but I’ve been bradycardic since I was a teenager). I’m not interested in developing clots around the stents, so I do what they tell me, but that doesn’t stop me from pressing them to (try to) explain. I’ve been on low dose testosterone for a couple of decades since developing osteoporosis after whacking my (helmeted) head in a couple of bike accidents (damage to pituitary leads to secondary hypogonadism). Lumbar T-score has gone from -3.6 to basically zero; my endocrinologist says that never happens and they usually just hope for nothing to get worse. In the early years, I took fosamax, but we stopped it ages ago when it didn’t do anything but the testosterone did. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/74 "2020-10-12T16:17:40Z")
> [@abcdefghij](#): > > When I ask why a statin and ACE inhibitor, given that they found no plaque and my blood pressure is normal or low, they mumble about “protocol”. After my coronary artery stent was placed I was started on a statin, despite the fact that my cholesterol HDL, LDL, etc were all excellent. I questioned the statin and my cardiologist told me that survival times for the first year were improved when the patient took a statin, regardless of the numbers. I took the statin for a year, during which I had leg cramps nearly every night. I dreaded falling asleep, knowing that the odds were good I’d wake up in horrible pain at least once. On the one year anniversary of my stent I stopped taking the statin and went back to eating grapefruits. ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/75 "2020-10-12T18:27:24Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I took the statin for a year, during which I had leg cramps nearly every night. I dreaded falling asleep, knowing that the odds were good I’d wake up in horrible pain at least once. > > On the one year anniversary of my stent I stopped taking the statin and went back to eating grapefruits. I, fortunately, haven’t had any adverse symptoms from the statins. FWIW, my cardiologist said the risk from grapefruit was overblown. He was kind enough to approve the occasional Brown Derby. My understanding is that grapefruit amplifies the effect of a bunch of drugs, so if statins were already giving you cramps, maybe it makes that worse? I’m not (that kind of) a doctor. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/76 "2020-10-12T18:31:34Z")
1. Plus 3 kinds of eye drops. ---
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/77 "2020-10-12T22:50:21Z")
69 and a thyroid cancer survivor. One synthroid pill a day, and one half of a blood pressure pill, which is the lowest dosage of my blood pressure medicine manufactured. I collapsed getting out of bed from low blood pressure when I was taking the whole BP pill and there was no lower dose, so it’s only half a pill a day and it’s fine now. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/78 "2020-10-12T22:53:59Z")
Two for blood pressure, two for cholesterol (one is a statin, one isn’t), one for sugar and one blood thinner. I’m 83. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/79 "2020-10-13T00:42:44Z")
I’m 60. 61 in a couple of weeks. No prescription medications. I take a multivitamin every day. It probably does nothing (except keep my wife happy). Occasional Advil as needed. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674/80 "2020-10-13T06:33:18Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > As many as possible. Whatcha got? Thank you~I needed that laugh. May I have unlimited refills? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-those-over-50-how-many-prescription-drugs-do-you-take/922674.md?page=5)