# Why do antacids normally come in bottles of 96? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 19, 2022, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-antacids-normally-come-in-bottles-of-96/966467 "2022-06-19T20:16:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2022, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-antacids-normally-come-in-bottles-of-96/966467/21 "2022-06-21T02:14:55Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > My understanding is that the quantity dates back to Mount Sinai, and Moses. Originally it was two tablets, but inflation has just been an unmitigated bitch. > > 96 was subsequently sanctified a number of centuries later at the Diet of Tums. There was no unanimity in the decision. In fact, some say it left a bitter taste in their mouths, generally chalked up to sour grapes. > > Austria is slated to host the next Edict of Gerd in 2032. The quantity is expected to be among the agenda items. This shall not go unapplauded. Bravo good Sir! You win the thread. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2022, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-antacids-normally-come-in-bottles-of-96/966467/22 "2022-06-23T18:23:49Z")
I just so happen to have polished off a bottle. 160. (Which hasn’t been reported yet.) Hmm. I get even multiples of 12 or even multiples of 25 but this is different. I think someone thought 120+40 sounded like a good amount. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-antacids-normally-come-in-bottles-of-96/966467/23 "2022-06-27T15:08:18Z")
Superb! ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-antacids-normally-come-in-bottles-of-96/966467/24 "2022-06-27T16:12:43Z")
I’m in a pharmacy-adjacent business and have many friends who are pharmacists. I was going to suggest “ask a pharmacist” because they have many relics of their dark arts (mcg? Really? I absolutely refuse to use that; and I still see grains now and then). But apparently that’s not it. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-antacids-normally-come-in-bottles-of-96/966467/25 "2022-06-27T16:37:12Z")
Why is this thread focusing on antacids? Have none of you noticed that almost ALL medicines are sold this way? I went to the pharmacy just the other day, and my choices of a certain medication were a pack of 24 or of 36. To demonstrate my point, I just went to Amazon to survey the bottle sizes of Tylenol. To my surprise, the choices were 100, 250, 225, and similar quantities. But I suspect that a big factor was the lack of any packages smaller than 100. So I tried Claritin, and Amazon sells it in packages of 70, 80, 30, 45 tablets. Then I tried Immodium, which is the one I mentioned in the above paragraph; Amazon seems to sell it only in packs of 12 and 24. My guess is that the smaller the package, the more likely it will be a multiple of 12. And the larger the package, the more likely it will be a multiple of 10 or 25. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-antacids-normally-come-in-bottles-of-96/966467.md?page=1)