Bestest Friend and I are doing a blog project. Each day we will write a blog post on a pre-determined theme chosen by a random noun generator. The theme for the fifteenth day of the month is "Volume."
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Allison wrote a post all about how she's vaguely embarrassed by the way her medications were arranged and stored. She also seemed vaguely embarrassed by the sheer number of pills, too, but maybe I'm reading into that. Look, sometimes human bodies don't do what they're supposed to do and if supplements and pharmaceuticals can help, I'm all for it!
This inspired me to write about my own medications.
Every morning and every night I take two Citracal calcium + Vit D. I do this because when I broke my leg horrifically more than a decade ago, the doctor said my bones were "spongy" and that surprised him because I was physically active. My bone density tests have always been normal, but I still take these. The Vitamin D helps your body absorb the calcium better. Also, most people who live in northern climates are Vitamin D deficient for most of the year (not enough sun), but not me! (Daily count: 4 pills)
Every morning I take two fish oil pills because a long time ago a doctor told me that there was some evidence that it would help prevent kidney stones. That has since been debunked, but they're still good for preventing heart disease, lowering blood pressure, and helping joint health, so why not? (Daily count: 6 pills)
Every morning I take one magnesium pill and a Vitamin B supplement. I do this because there's a lot of data to suggest it helps with headaches. Perhaps it is the placebo effect, but I have definitely had a lot fewer headaches since I started taking these a couple years ago. (Daily count: 8 pills)
Every morning I take one multivitamin. Honestly, I just do this because it seems like something adults should do. I do eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, but it's amazing what minerals my diet lacks. (Daily count: 9 pills)
Every morning before bed, I take a Zyrtec because I am allergic to the world, including my own pets. I take this year-round and every so often I switch to Claritin and when that stops working, I switch back to Zyrtec. (Daily count: 10 pills)
Every morning before bed, I also take a hormonal birth control pill. I feel like the reasons for this should be apparent. (Daily count: 11 pills)
What do you think, folks? Too many? Too few? Are you a person who takes lots of pills and other supplements?
Challenging myself to be open. 10 mg Lexapro every evening, a multivitamin daily, and two L-Tyrosine every morning. Apparently L-Tyrosine helps with moods? I don't even know, I know I bought it after reading about it in one of the books.
ReplyDeleteI bought it after reading about it in one of the books! LOL! We are the same person, clearly.
DeleteI take supplements in the morning. Aside from flax, recommended for dry eyes, and D, I figure that my diet isn’t always the best, and I figure that they MIGHT help.
ReplyDeleteRight? My father-in-law, a retired physician, points out that most of the supplements we take are flushed out through our urine. However, I think it can't hurt.
DeleteI am not good about sticking to taking supplements, as you have likely gathered from my blog. Actually, saying I'm "not good" is a bit like saying a tidal wave is a bit damp. I'm terrible about taking medications. So I don't take ANYTHING daily. I'm so sporadic with Vitamin D (like I might take it 20 times a year so really, why bother?), but maybe this post will kick me in the butt to get better about that. Unlikely, but a girl can hope. I used to take fish oil for my eye health and heart health but hated the taste and stopped. Should restart this.
ReplyDeleteI take magnesium citrate a few times a week (Natural Calm brand). I *should* take iron everyday (Feramax brand; I mention the brand because iron supplements are not all created equal and in case someone reads this and struggles with low iron, Feramax is MUCH easier on the stomach).
I have some allergies, so take antihistamines as needed; also, keeping it real, if I can't get to sleep, I'll take a drowsy antihistamine even if I don't need it because it knocks me out.
I take CBD oil 3-4 times a week for general health, and also *cue gasp - I'm Baptist after all* take a tiny bit of THC oil a few times a week. I use cannabis products for mental health. I think they help? I have struggled with mood issues for years, finally tried Lexapro for 3 weeks in January 2022 and it was terrible. I had such a bad reaction, and at that point decided I just don't respond well to traditional pharmaceuticals. The way you so nonchalantly mention taking hormonal BC is foreign to me because I spent 20 years trying different forms of hormonal BC to help with my period issues and had awful reactions every. single. time! I mean, my body actually expelled my IUD at one point (my doctor and OB/GYN said they had read about this in books but not a single patient of theirs had ever had this happen; does that make me special?). That's how much my body hates the stuff.
That's a lot of words to say: I take things every week but horrifically unpredictably and currently no prescriptions.
My life is very regimented, so taking pills every day is easy for me. I take some with breakfast and some when I brush my teeth at night. If my life were more chaotic, I think this would be a challenge.
DeleteI've literally been on hormonal BC for more than half my life. The few times in my adult life when I've been off it for one reason or another have been miserable. I honestly don't know how women did/do it without BC. I've switched to various kinds over the years, but I have been relatively lucky that BC has been a good thing for my health and problems I've had with it have had easy fixes. Again, this is sheer luck on my part, but since my genetics have not given me a lot of breaks, so I'll take this one!
Who was it who said, "Better living through chemistry"? If you need medicine legitimately, then take it.
ReplyDeleteI have been on a migraine preventative for about 17 years, and the dose is 3 pills twice a day. After a major Vitamin D deficiency put me into bad health several years ago, I'm on a lifetime dosage of 1000mg daily. My migraine meds also deplete my B12, so I have to supplement that three times a week. And I take a multivitamin every day.
Vitamin D is SO HARD for people who don't get a lot of sunlight. I'm happy that the medications you're on help you to keep those medical conditions under control.
DeleteI take two multivitamins every day that also include minerals (iron and calcium and some other stuff). This is an "active women's formula" and although I feel like I have a well balanced diet, I am plant-based, which naturally limits my intake of certain things. So I feel like that helps. On top of that I take a Vitamin D supplement - in the winter, I take two. I also take biotin, vegan glucosamine (for joints), and Nutrafol (for my hair loss). I don't take anything else regularly but I do think people should take what they need and never feel shame about it.
ReplyDeleteI agree that people should never feel shame about it. Sometimes it feels like 2023 is not the best time in history to be alive, but then when I think about what it would have been like without modern pharmacology and I realize that I would have such a decreased quality of life without it in a different time period.
DeleteLove this point by Nicole! There can be SO much shame attached to certain medications which is so sad.
DeleteI take a supplement called "Vegan Osteo" for bone density issues. It's basically everything you could possibly imagine for bone health, plus B12. That is NINE PILLS A DAY. Three with breakfast, three with lunch, and three in the evening. I also take an extra vitamin D because there's not enough in the Vegan Osteo to keep my levels up. And on top of all that I take a natural thyroid medication, which is one pill in the morning and one at lunch. Sheesh. That seems like a lot. I'm getting another bone density scan soon, and if things haven't improved after taking nine pills a day for two years, I will be livid.
ReplyDeleteOof. Fingers crossed for your next bone density scan!
Delete11 pills sounds about average!
ReplyDeleteMy morning roster is birth control, multi vit, 3x fish oil for dry eye, lunch is 2x vitamin D, and one iron tab at night. 8 pills for me, though at least the BC and D are tiny.
Does the iron tab upset your stomach? I have heard mixed things about iron supplements. I've never been anemic (knock on wood), but it seems like the kind of thing that can be so hard to treat in a way where the cure isn't worse than the disease.
DeleteWow! I try to take nothing. But now I'm on effexor - so 1, hopefully down to 0 soon again.
ReplyDeleteHey, if the Effexor works for you, don't stop!
DeleteOh my gosh, I am on so many pills and it varies by day. I have a days of the week pillbox with am/pm boxes because I can not keep it straight and might not remember whether I took the pills already! I'm trying to count my pills - I won't list the meds and bore you to death but between am/pm I take 6 + 2 + 1 + 1.5 + 1, so 11.5 but on Mondays I take 10 additional pills, split between morning and night, so 21.5!! And then every other Monday I give myself an injection. It is intense over here in my house, let me tell you. That 10 additional pills has shifted continuously over the spring as we've tried to find a drug combo that controls my RA. it is a PAIN IN THE A. And I am envious of my husband who doesn't take a dang pill.
ReplyDeleteUgh! I remember when I was going through a health crisis and having to have a calendar for my pills. It wasn't quite as extreme as remembering every other Monday (!), but I remember it sort of taking over my life. I'm so sorry you have to deal with this! I hope you find a drug combo that works for you SOON!
DeleteI don't believe there is such a thing as too many or too few. Each of us has our own method of caring for our human suit.🖤
ReplyDeleteExactly! Our bodies are all different and need different things!
DeleteOh goodness, could I go on and on about this! For the general category, I take a multivitamin, calcium (I like the chewable ones, a little easier/more fun), and magnesium (for headaches), as well as Flonase nasal spray for allergies. I tried fish oil but couldn't stand it. Then there are prescriptions: one I take in the morning, 2 at night, and one when I wake up in the night to go to the bathroom (seriously, eff a medication that I'm not supposed to eat for an hour before or after). For my recent sinus/fluid thing, I'm on another pill and another nasal spray, but I'm hoping those will not be long-term additions.
ReplyDeleteOh, and the depo shot for period control, but that may be coming to an end. Given that I turn 55 this fall, the need for it had better come to an end!
I swear, if you met me, your first thought would not be wow, this woman is in terrible health. And yet. Better living through pharmaceuticals!
Hey, you do your own body. Thank goodness we live in a time and place where we have access to those pharmaceuticals!
DeleteLike you, I think a person should take what they need to take and that's good! I take a daily BCP, a daily antihistamine, sometimes a Tums or two, often a handful of Advil throughout the day. I have an anti-anxiety medication I take on airplanes. That's it -- I am very fortunate. My husband takes an acid controller and THAT'S IT. Wild!
ReplyDeleteMy husband also only takes a PPI! One pill! That seems shocking to me somehow.
DeleteI don't think I'm embarrassed about the number of medications anymore - more like there's a ghost of the time I would have been left over, or a recognition that some people would think I should be embarrassed. I think it's all to the good if modern medicine can help with things our bodies lack.
ReplyDeleteI just heard that fish oil might help with dry eyes, so I'm thinking I might try adding that. My new pill holders are making my pill set-up much more pleasant and efficient.
I'm so happy the pill-holders are a system that works for you. Yay!
DeleteFish oil can be challenging. You definitely need to get the anti-burp ones because some of them can taste really gross!
I take my medications pretty religiously, but supplements I tend to buy and forget about. I take a natural thyroid pill in the early morning, and I take allergy pills in the evening. I take Minocycline 3x a week for my Rheumatoid arthritis, and probiotics to balance out my gut from that. I sometimes take Milk Thistle for my liver, since the Minocycline can cause issues. I buy fish oil, vitamin C and D, and a multivitamin, and I forget to take those. Often when I take supplements I feel gross later, which tends to dampen my enthusiasm in that area. I think I'm going to go eat a couple of bites of kimchi (supposed to be a good natural probiotic).
ReplyDeleteHa! I like that you buy them and forget them. It's hard to build a habit to just take them regularly, that's for sure.
DeleteOoh, this is fun! I only do pills in the morning, so I take: Lexapro, vitamin D, a probiotic, multivitamin, and magnesium glycinate. Sometimes I'll do melatonin at night if I feel I need some help sleeping. And I have hydroxyzine on hand for anxiety emergencies (must be taken at night).
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying everyone listing out their medications. It's making me wonder if I should add some of them to my daily routine. Ha!
DeleteI take vitamin D over winter, since I found I was deficient. Our GP friend thinks everyone in Melbourne should take vitamin D over winter because there's little chance to get the daily requirement. I'm not taking it while I'm in Noosa because I'm getting plenty of sun. I also take a Magnesium tablet to help settle my muscles down and sleep better at night. Other than that I take an anti-histamine when I feel like I need it.
ReplyDeleteYES! Most people should take Vit D in winter. It's crazy how many people are deficient and don't know it!
DeleteI currently don't take anything. I don't need any medication (which believe me, I am thankful for. My new PCP was "shocked" to hear I wasn't on anything. I have taken iron supplements in the past (for iron-deficieny anemia) and I have occasionally taken supplements like collagen, turmeric, and folic acid.
ReplyDeleteIt is like a unicorn when you run into someone who doesn't take anything. I honestly think I could probably let everything go except the birth control and multivitamin and I'd never notice the difference, but I'm not willing to risk it.
DeleteNot overkill at all! I know we're supposed to get everything from a good diet, but I always think adding a supplement won't hurt. Right? I take quite a few and I'm not even a little bit embarrassed. I also just started taking Magnesium as I've read it has so many benefits.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm pretty sure my diet just isn't good enough to get everything I need. I'm pretty sure none of these supplements can hurt!
DeleteI don't even know how many I take and like Lisa, it varies day to day. I have multiple prescriptions (none of which seem to do anything) and a bunch of supplements (effect questionable). I did stop one on the recommendation of one of my docs in the last year, so yay, I dropped 2 pills a day. Then added 2 supplements. Sigh. :) Let's just say, we all take what we need to, and think we need, and whatever that turns out to be? is right for you. IF it's working for you. And if not, then time to revisit!
ReplyDelete