# Per week, how many pills do you take regularly? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 28, 2010, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604 "2010-04-28T03:54:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/1 "2010-04-28T03:54:46Z")
Including OTC and prescription medications as well as vitamins/supplements, how many individual pills do you take every week on a regular basis? (I chose weekly instead of daily since there are many things one may only take a few times a week, and probably not all that many that get taken regularly-but-less-often-than-a-week) Note this doesn’t include things like “I take ibuprofen when I have a headache” unless you have a headache on a scheduled basis that can be predicted. This is about things that you would, say, put in a pill box ahead of time, knowing you had to\* take. What are they for? Is this temporary or likely to go up or down? For me it’s 71/week, which is 10 daily pills plus one weekly pill. The weekly pill and two of the daily pills are vitamins/supplements, two are OTC sleep aids, two are Rx sleep aids, two are for acid reflux, and two are mood stabilizers. (Please vote in the poll in addition to posting, so we can see the results in the fancy graph.) \*had to/wanted to/whatever ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/2 "2010-04-28T04:01:48Z")
Eh…I take waaaayyy more than would be my preference. I take 3 pills daily for diabetes control, one fluid pill, two glucosomine, a baby asprin, one for cholestrol, four for arthritus and four vitamin / mineral supplements. Middle age ain’t for sissies! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/3 "2010-04-28T04:36:35Z")
I take 7 pills a week for my birth control. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/4 "2010-04-28T04:55:46Z")
4 pills per day - one 20 mg Lisinopril (blood pressure), one 81 mg baby aspirin, one multi-vitamin and extra vitamin D ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/5 "2010-04-28T05:09:41Z")
I take a mind-blowing twelve prescription pills every day: 3 for cholesterol 1 for hypertension 2 for migraines 2 for GERD 4 for IBS ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/6 "2010-04-28T05:20:30Z")
The only things I take with any frequency are ibuprofen or paracetamol for diverse pains (period, headaches, toothaches) and antihistamines for allergies, but they’re both “as needed”. A week when I have 4 pills is a bad week for me. My mother is on the 70 pills/week range, and that’s counting only those she has to take daily. We call her our “pill popper”. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/7 "2010-04-28T05:46:26Z")
I’ve pared it down to 7 cholesterol pills and 7 birth control pills a week. ---
**Author:** ![Wolverine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba9def/32.png) [@Wolverine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolverine)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/8 "2010-04-28T05:54:35Z")
None, unless you count the chewable vitamin I take each day to encourage my son to take his. If he falls asleep early or is otherwise not able to take one, I don’t take one either. It’s beneficial for me, but not wanted/needed/whatever. It’s more for him. I have trouble taking pills (from the early thread) so I try to avoid them whenever I can. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/9 "2010-04-28T05:56:10Z")
Not a one on a regular schedule, though I probably do take three Tums about once a week for indigestion, and two ibuprofen twice a month for a headache. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/10 "2010-04-28T06:01:14Z")
I have one I’m supposed to take reguarly, and I usually remember. If I don’t, I sure remember the next day! ---
**Author:** ![horsetech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dec6dc/32.png) [@horsetech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/horsetech)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/11 "2010-04-28T06:01:37Z")
6/day. 3 pills (2 meds) for depression, 2 for asthma, 1 for GERD. Vitamin I(buprofen) as needed. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/12 "2010-04-28T06:04:10Z")
Once daily anti-histamine and asthma medication, whic totals 14. I take supplements on occasion but I am not very dilligent about those. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_a\_Platypus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d26b3c/32.png) [@Not\_a\_Platypus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_a_Platypus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/13 "2010-04-28T06:15:26Z")
21, all vitamins/supplements. I used to take something for headaches nearly every day, where it may as well have been scheduled, but thankfully that’s gotten better. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/14 "2010-04-28T07:21:10Z")
7 dietary supplements, 2 for arthritis, 2 to try to keep my hormones in check, 11 per day, 77 a week, plus pain pills as needed when things go haywire. ---
**Author:** ![Fugazi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/15 "2010-04-28T09:45:35Z")
I take 101.5 pills a week. Plus 3 injections, which I sure wish were pills instead. It starts to add up when you got MS, high cholesterol, diabetes, & a low thyroid. Amazingly enough, thanks to all these meds my blood work every 6 months comes back awesome & I feel great. Better living through chemicals indeed. What’s really sad is up until 6 years ago, I didn’t take any pills regularly. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/16 "2010-04-28T10:03:53Z")
14 allergy pills a week – specifically, 7 Claritin (generic, of course) and 7 Singular. I don’t have bead seasonal allergies, but I am allergic to cats, and with these I can actually live with them symptom-free (as long as I don’t rub my eyes). ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/17 "2010-04-28T12:38:31Z")
None regularly. In the last year I’ve probably only taken a half dozen aspirins at most. The last time I had a prescription for anything was 27 years ago! ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/18 "2010-04-28T12:50:22Z")
Seven a week- one Proscar a day for BPH. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/19 "2010-04-28T12:58:57Z")
28, 4 every day. 1 prenatal vitamin, 1 colace, 1 zantac (all for pregnancy-related reasons), and one claritin. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/20 "2010-04-28T13:21:24Z")
1. Some of my scrip meds are only available in limited sizes and i need 2 or 3 to equal the mg dose i need, the calcium/mag/zing comes in 3 horse pills =(. I also have one injectable, and i have a couple other meds that are as needed [frova, colchicine and indocin] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604.md?page=2)