How much is too much?

I take 3 prescribed medications daily

I take 1 multivitimin

1 low dose asprin

1 calcium and extra D 2 X's daily

1 Fish oil/Omega 3 2 X's daily

I will be adding a garlic suppliment to this

I am diabetic, have high blood lipids

I take 6 pills every morning and take 3 pills every night

I don't want to eat a thousand pills each day, there are pills for joint health and for heart health and brain health and on and on..........


The prescribed meds are for........

Estrogen replacement
Cholesteral reducer
Anti Depressant

The Aprin is Dr recommended for heart health
The CAlcium and extra D is because of lack of estrogen
I decided on Fish oil myself
A multi vitimin is just good common sense

because of my cholesteral and family history i will be adding garlic

Any recommendations? Please back them with reasons

Any advice or comments

this whole supplement thing has me really confused.

Have you and your Dr. re visited the estrogen replacement supplements after the latest news-especially since you are worried about family history of heart disease?
I think fish oil is Vit-D. I really thought I felt better when I added oil supplements.
If you have cramping problems make sure you have enough magnesium/potassium. Try
the potassium salt substitute-drops your sodium and adds potassium. I think low carb can be low in Vit-C but multi probably covers your mdr.
Check out info on flax seed-eaten as food or taken as oil for cholesteral issues.

three times a day, plus two more doses on an empty stomach.

Don't worry about the # of pills; worry about whether they're doing you any good. If they are, well, take 'em. If not, you're wasting your money.

I'm taking 10 flax oil caps a day because if I don't, the skin at the end of my fingers splits, and 12 g vitamin c because if I don't, I start bruising spontaneously. (Plus a bunch of other stuff.) I feel better with what I take than when I didn't.

YMMV.

I take 58 pills every day...and only one of them a prescription. I have hypothyroidism, chronic edema (a type of venous insufficiency in my legs), diabetes, asthma, seasonal and perennial allergies, and CTS......and I'm also a cancer survivor. The only prescription I take on a regular basis is for my thyroid. While I do have prescription inhalers as backup (asthma, allergies), everything else I treat naturally....out of necessity.....believe it or not, it is a lot cheaper for me to be healthy this way. My blood sugar is stable and normal because of my LC lifestyle + supplements such as alpha lipoic acid.......My CTS doesn't bother me like it once did, and I averted surgery on both wrists with B vitamins (especially B6)......I weaned myself off prescription diuretic (taken for the edema) by adding 3000mg Taurine, 100 mcg P-5-P (bioavailable B6), and an herbal combination pill....and there's more......

My point in mentioning all this is.....I don't think it matters how many pills you take....if it works, DO IT!!

PS....don't forget to drink full glasses of water with those supplements! This is how I get all my water....as we all know, water is important....

Join the club -- I am in here tonight searching for the skinny on flax oil. I bought the last bottle on the shelf, so I figured it was good for something

Ask the MD about garlic--its a blood thinner. I eat quite a bit of garlic, but the doc's told me to give up the asprin and garlic pills before surgery. I also take Ginkgo Biloba. Its a thinner too.

Hi Mike D!

I read recently that flax oil was not so good for men. In fact, I stopped giving my DH flax oil capsules with his vitamins. Here are 2 links to articles on that subject.

http://www.mercola.com/2004/jul/21/flax_seed_oil.htm

http://www.mercola.com/2001/jul/21/flaxseed.htm

I take about 15 pills a day and consider
it a RED BADGE of Courage. This IS
the 21st Century afterall. The only
thing I fear is the coming insurrection
in the US when the oil runs out and the
grid goes down. That could be rough
for us pill heads.

I just keep chanting,
NOT IN MY LIFETIME!

I have a horrible time with pills and I am also overloaded with them.

I take 4 calcium a day
2 cod liver oil
6 CLA (2 before each meal)
2 CoQ10
3 ALA
3 multivitamins
1 vitamin D
liquid l-Carnitine (because I couldn't stand another pill)

On a regular but not daily basis I take
Vitamin E
Borage Oil
Cranberry
Oil of Oregano
Fiber
Garlic

Once in a while I also take Eccinachea if I feel a cold coming on. I also take motrin during TOM

I also have a prescription for
Glucophage and Aldactone but I don't take either and havent for years.


It doesnt help that I have a very hard time swallowing pills and I gag on them! I take capsules, softgels and small pills and liquid when I can. Tablets make me gag as soon as I start smelling them and the taste of them on my tongue makes me sick.

I am looking for a way to cut down or at least an easier way to take all my pills but I cant think of any. Maybe if I somehow blended them all up in a drink or something but I cant see myself doing that.

I get into the habit of putting all my pills in a bowl. Some I take before meals, some I take during meals, some I take before exercising and some after meals. At least all the pill taking makes sure I get more than enough water in.

People with type 2 diabetes have so many health problems and deficiencies -- I would probably recommend taking higher levels initially and then backing off over the years.

For example, I started out taking 1,000 mcg of chromium and then had to back down to 800 after a couple of years.

I would be more worried about the synthetic prescription drugs than I would the natural supplements. You might talk with your doc about reducing them.

I take more then 58 vitamins, supplements & herbal formula's daily and agree -if it's what works for you then just do it.

And yes, taking all those pills does surely help to get enough water in your system. I know I drink more then my share and it does me good.

AND today after taking all those pills I am prescription medicine FREE!

I control my Diabetes, Asthma, MVP palpatations and whatever else all with my daily dosage of healthier things then Pharma drugs.

I don't know exactly how many pills I take. I know it's close to 50 supplements, some taken at 2 or more pills. I don't care. I have great health and no prescriptions!!! If it works for you, take it!!!

What I do see a lot of people doing is taking a supplement but not taking an adequate dose of it!! It does no good to take 400 IU of vitamin D!!! You need to research what the optimum dose of each supplement is, not the RDA!!! And then you need to be knowledgeable about supplements that are antagonistic and synergistic. Otherwise it's a crapshoot!!

I could bury you in paper with facts studies about supplements I take.

Here are my General Recommendations:


General Supplement Recommendation

Generally for other people I recommend they start with
Take twice a Day
1 Multivitamin with minerals (of a kind that requires 2 pills per dose)
2-12 Vitamin D, 1,000 IU (more in winter or if you have vitamin D deficiency related problems
2-3 Calcium with magnesium combo, 300-600 mg calcium and 150-300 mg magnesium per pill (total 1800 mg calcium and 900-1200 mg magnesium)
2-3 Oregano oil, 150 mg
1 Vitamin C, 1,000 mg
1 Ester C,1000
2-3 Omega oils (contains borage, flax and fish oils)

Once a day
zinc, 50 mg
Vitamin E, 400 IU
Magnesium, 400

If you have diabetes or insulin resistance add twice a day
1 GTF chromium, 200 mcg
2 gymnema sylvestre, 400 mg
2 cinnamon, 375 mg

If you have a family history of heart disease, stroke, or Alzheimer's add twice a day
2 CoQ10, 100 mg
1 alpha lipoic acid, 300 mg
1 L-Carnitine, 500 mg

If you have leaky gut, Crohn’s, or digestive problems add
2 oz. aloe vera juice upon arising and before bed
1-3 peptidase complete with meals
3 alfalfa tablets with meals
Ester C, vitamin C and organic oregano oil at least 8 times a day for two weeks and then 4 times a day

If you have inflammation or immune diseases add every hour for one week, every two hours for the next week and then four times a day thereafter.
1 Ester C and vitamin C
1 organic oregano oil

Hot flashes and estrogen replacement add twice a day
1 red clover blossom, 430 mg

Zule-

What's the difference between vitamin C and Ester C and why take both?

Thanks.

I'm down to five a day.

1 multi
1 low-dose aspirin
3 fish oil

During the winter I add vitamin D so there would be 4 or 5 more then.

Ester C is buffered C, it's easier on your stomach. I take both because the two gives me a higher absorbtion rate than one or the other even taking two together.