# Supplement question **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 29, 2024, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supplement-question/999540 "2024-03-29T01:48:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supplement-question/999540/41 "2024-03-31T00:53:56Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > If you are okay with the cheaper caddies, good for you. Just make sure they are the LOCKING kind. You might have to shop around but it will be worth your while. The locks are nothing fancy (no key or combination, LOL), but once you drop a “regular” caddy on the floor and a gazillion pills go dancing everywhere, you will know what I mean. I have a caddy which holds a week’s worth of pills, with two compartments for each day. The compartments just snap closed, which is fine when I’m carrying them in my pocket. On one trip all of the compartments popped open while the caddy was in my suitcase, and I had to empty the suitcase to collect all the spilled pills. Ever since, the caddy travels inside a ziplock bag so if this happens again at least the pills will be easier to find. Of course, it hasn’t happened since that time. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supplement-question/999540/42 "2024-03-31T01:08:24Z")
I keep my pills in the original bottles. I can’t tell the difference from many of them. Then I have injectables. And the supplements. Supplies. The inhalers. Glucose rescue pens. Testing supplies. And devices. The notebook explaining everything. All in a box. In an emergency it’ll be the first thing I grab. Then my phones. (Ivy don’t fit in the box, I kinda need her too) ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supplement-question/999540/43 "2024-03-31T01:41:22Z")
Because I have ADHD, I have a hard time remembering to take my pills. So I got a pillbox that beeps at me when it’s time to take my meds. And again every half hour until I hit the button. It has separate containers for each dose that lock tight, with the holder that has the timer. I’ve dropped the holder several times and the containers fall out but stay closed. Phew ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supplement-question/999540/44 "2024-03-31T22:08:52Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I have prescriptions for Esomeprazole and ibuprofin, both of which can be purchased otc. They are for higher doses than the OTC formulation. (Or in the case of Esomeprazole, for more doses. It’s cheaper to buy 180 capsules at a time than to buy lots of little bottles, but you need a prescription to do it.) My husband and I both take proton pump inhibitors. The higher doses are prescription. You could accomplish the same thing by taking two (or whatever) of the OTC version, but it may be cheaper out of pocket to get the prescription version. I’ve been given prescriptions for higher-dose ibuprofen, a few times (800 mg, 3x a day) but I always decline to fill it, and just take multiples of the OTC version. Usually I’ll take 3 200mg tablets, 4 times a day - same net dosage. Since it’s OTC, we always have a bottle around, and this way I’m not wasting the high-dose ones (as it’s unlikely I’d use the entire prescription). > [@VOW](#): > > If you are okay with the cheaper caddies, good for you. Just make sure they are the LOCKING kind. You might have to shop around but it will be worth your while. The locks are nothing fancy (no key or combination, LOL), but once you drop a “regular” caddy on the floor and a gazillion pills go dancing everywhere, you will know what I mean. Oooooh yeah. I have the locking organizers for my AM and PM pills. The “lock” is a spring-loaded lever that I press with one hand, while opening the relevant section(s) with the other. I like to keep those in a zipper pouch in my purse when we’re out and about. I suspect it has saved quite a few messes. Even if it’s sitting on my desk at home, drops happen. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supplement-question/999540/45 "2024-03-31T23:42:39Z")
I have an air-tight pill caddy. I don’t think I’ve ever dropped it, but the latch would probably keep it closed if I did. I don’t like standard caddies because they expose the pills to the environment too much. With standard caddies I have noticed that by the time I reach the last day, the pills have been noticably affected by the moisture in the air. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supplement-question/999540/46 "2024-04-01T04:29:31Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > My husband and I both take proton pump inhibitors. The higher doses are prescription. Mine is the same dose as the OTC version. It’s just that the OTC ones say “don’t take for more than 10 days without seeing a doctor”, or something like that, and come in small packages. With a prescription, i can buy 180 of them in a single bottle. But in extremis, I’ve popped into a drug store and bought the OTC version. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supplement-question/999540/47 "2024-04-01T05:11:15Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Doctor called about another _new_ pill I’ve been on. So I threw in why so much vitamin d2. He said I was really low and it was easier and faster to get it back to normal this way and after the bottle is empty I can go on OTC d3. Oddly, that is what I was going to suggest- take the prescription, then go to OTC vit D. Americans _mostly_ get enough (see I wrote “enough” not “enuf”) vitamins in their diet. However, Vit D is now the vitamin that more Americans are deficient in, followed by Magnesium, Potassium, and B12. So the old Multivite is not such a bad idea. Does everyone need one? I will let our actual medical professional speak to that. Yeah, I know there was some debunking of taking vitamins and having “expensive urine.” But as we see here, some vitamins do need supplementing. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > I have prescriptions for Esomeprazole and ibuprofin, both of which can be purchased otc. Yes, I have 800 mg _ibuprofen_ for my arthritis. It seems to work better than 4x 200mg otc pills, and my doctor says that seems to be the case for many people. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supplement-question/999540/48 "2024-04-01T05:30:10Z")
I don’t pee out vitamins. My food restrictions and the limited amount I can eat at a time causes my need for supplements. I’m clearly not a normal patient. Follow your doctor or nutritionists advice. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supplement-question/999540/49 "2024-04-01T07:50:47Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > It’s available over the counter, quite cheaply. I talke D3 as a liquid, with a dropper. Compared to the prescription bottle, the OTC liquid has a smaller dropper, and a smaller bottle, so I have to fill the dropper twice, and buy it more often. And insurance only covers the prescription. If I buy it OTC, insurance doesn’t cover it. I’m not in the US, and I found it quite odd that D3 is almost always provided as a liquid with a dropper. But it means that the prescribed amount is much more precise. ---
**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 1, 2024, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supplement-question/999540/50 "2024-04-01T11:28:19Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yeah, I know there was some debunking of taking vitamins and having “expensive urine.” But as we see here, some vitamins do need supplementing. Well, sure. _Ideally_ one’s vitamins and supplements should be based on actual medical testing/knowledge. I suspect that as people get older there’s more need for that just because nothing works as well as it used to and past a certain age people start eating less and less, making optimal nutrition from diet alone more difficult. That said, MOST people can (and should) get their vitamins and minerals from a good diet. The next problem being getting a good diet. For MOST people an inexpensive daily mutli-vitamin is probably harmless at worst. The problem is when people start throwing money at supplements rather than good food, or start taking handfuls of vitamins/supplements without an actual medical reason. ---
**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 1, 2024, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supplement-question/999540/51 "2024-04-01T16:14:41Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > However, Vit D is now the vitamin that more Americans are deficient in, followed by Magnesium, Potassium, and B12. So the old Multivite is not such a bad idea. Does everyone need one? I will let our actual medical professional speak to that. I’ve also heard the “most people don’t need them” and “expensive pee”, and the argument “couldn’t hurt” getting “yeah, maybe it could” response. Me, I take a multivitamin, iron and/or calcium+D most days (when I remember the scheduling), and magnesium (as soon as I find the bottle, which got misplaced during some carpentry a couple weeks ago); in my case, between PPI-induced malabsorption, diagnosed osteopenia, borderline-to-low iron-related levels, and confirmed low magnesium, I’m pretty comfortable taking those supplements. I got curious and looked up my lab results; my vitamin D levels are low-normal so I’m comfortable taking the reasonable supplement quantity; my B12 is just fine. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supplement-question/999540.md?page=2)