# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/61 "2010-04-29T01:54:35Z")
I don’t take any on a _regular_ basis, although if I’m having a bad week for allergies of course the number goes up, but that’s strictly “as needed”. If I don’t need them I don’t take them. I’m hoping to be like my dad, who is 80+ years old and doesn’t take any regularly scheduled medication either. That’s the kind of old I want to be. This is in contrast to my mother, who I think was taking 25 or more per day, for close to 200 a week, maybe actually more than that, before she died. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/62 "2010-04-29T02:55:08Z")
I voted 21-30, and always take at least 21, in the form of one multivitamin, and two Vitamin D tablets, (which is the serving, I’m not doubling up) daily. On a bad allergy day, there will be two or three pills in there for that, too. ---
**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:** [April 29, 2010, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/63 "2010-04-29T03:07:48Z")
None. Apart from the occasional aspirin/painkiller, which is around two or three a month, at most, I am medication-free. I often reflect on how grateful I am to be in that state. Who knows what my future holds, though. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/64 "2010-04-29T03:13:58Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > About 140 per week (20 per day). All are non-prescription vitamins or supplements. I don’t know exactly what they are because I don’t really care, except I know that some of them are vitamin C and some are multi-minerals. > > In my marriage it’s one of the battles I choose not to fight. Oh, I should add that I’ve been keeping track of any side effects. Negatives - none noticed so far. Positives - I grew 1cm taller this year (I’m 40 y/o), lost 8 kgms (84kg down to 76kg at 5 foot 11 inches) and my vision improved from 1.5 to 1.8 in both eyes. I have no idea whether it’s related to the supplements though. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![horsetech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dec6dc/32.png) [@horsetech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/horsetech)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/65 "2010-04-29T09:43:33Z")
That’s all well and good until the third ear starts sprouting in the middle of your back. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/66 "2010-04-29T13:09:46Z")
Zero. If my back plays up I take some difenne and pain killers but I wouldn’t class that as a regular thing as it maybe happens once every few months. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/67 "2010-04-29T17:40:44Z")
1. I am on 2 medications, one dose per day each. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/68 "2010-04-29T19:09:58Z")
Vitamins only, 3 x calcium, 1 vit. D, 1 multivitamin. 35 per wk. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/69 "2010-04-29T20:48:33Z")
I said 56 but I should have said 49. I forgot I really take half one pill at bedtime and morning. So 7 a day plus a Scooby doo gummi vitamin. Depression, insomnia, high blood pressure, allergies. I don’t even care anymore. Give me more pills - they just go in the box. I can swallow all of them at once so it’s no big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/70 "2010-04-30T09:09:00Z")
None, and I don’t mean to sound crass, but I seriously wonder if the 2 200+ responses were serious. That’s about 30 pills per day on average. I’m probably just ignorant, but surely even HIV cocktails don’t involve that many pills? ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/71 "2010-04-30T16:43:37Z")
When you factor in that often a single medication requires multiple pills (either to get the correct dose or because it needs to be repeated throughout the day) and also factor in vitamins/supplements, it’s pretty easy to imagine 30/day for me. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/72 "2010-04-30T17:52:00Z")
Minimum (at present), 4 in the morning and 5 at night so that’s 9 (x7 = 63), plus an extra of one med on Saturdays, plus roughly 4 Tylenol every day so that’s another 28… though the Tylenol will be able to be decreased… I hope… Egad. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/73 "2010-04-30T17:59:21Z")
I’m not American so I take no pills. Nor have a therapist. Sorry I couldn’t resist a little dig. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/74 "2010-04-30T20:50:04Z")
None ever. It’s been years since I took as much as a sinus medication. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Poster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Happy\_Poster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Poster)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/75 "2010-05-02T17:10:42Z")
I voted 200+ for a laugh and to make up for not being american, but in reality none at all. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/76 "2010-05-02T17:31:56Z")
I am 47yrs old and take a multi-vitamin, a calcium, and a glucosamine/chondroitin every damn day - have never thought of these as “pills” though, more like “supplements”. I might take a few ibuprofin here-and-there too, it varies. So, since we seem to be considering vitamins and such, pills… that puts me in the 21/30 category - same as the age range of the women I prefer to date. Of course, they don’t see it that way. (If they did, I would be with the girl from the local Taco Bell right this very moment.) ---
**Author:** ![ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryan)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/77 "2010-05-02T18:08:32Z")
I take a minimum of 11 pills per day. One pill twice daily for diabetes and neuropathic pain, one pill per day for high blood pressure, low thyroid, asthma, and depression and thrice daily for back pain caused by a degenerative disk. Add to that seasonal allergy, cold, decongestants and lots of ibuprophen. Oh, and although it’s not specifically asked, I also inject insulin 4 times per day. I’m a mess… ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2010, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/78 "2010-05-03T03:51:43Z")
I don’t know if this counts, but I voted 21-30 even though they’re not “pills”. I have a lot of respiratory issues and they’re inhaler doses. I’ve been fighting chronic bronchitis and some weird type of asthma for going on two years now, and have been through a number of different medical courses. This one seems to finally be working, so supposedly I only have to take one more course after this one (about another 2 months) and it’ll be gone. I occasionally take ambien, at the rate of 2-10 times per month. ---
**Author:** ![breezman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@breezman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/breezman)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2010, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/79 "2010-05-03T03:58:23Z")
My regular meds involve 20 and a half pills per day, plus one per week. Add in an occasional claritin or sudafed, and I’m at roughly 145 to 150 per week. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2010, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604/80 "2010-05-03T04:55:10Z")
3 OTC migraine pills per week [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/per-week-how-many-pills-do-you-take-regularly/537604.md?page=3)