You can include non-psych meds if you want.

Me: 8 -- lexapro, lamictal, adderall xr, gabapentin, seroquel (PRN), latuda, Lipitor, and protonix

[fern46]

2 - Risperdal and Geodon

[Tucson]

Eight for me. I am down to four right now.

[Victoria'smom]

5 now 1.

[*Beth*]

Good question. I'd say...six, at once.

9 base + 3 PRNs (9 of which I labeled purely psych meds). I even remember the doses at its most. My psychiatrist said that only I, and one of his other patients, took that many. What a FINE distinction that is! [Sarcasm] Don't even ask how many different psych meds I've taken over the course of my life. [That's not an order.]

Lithium ER (900 mg), Lamictal (100 mg), Tegretol XR (1400 mg) Geodon (160 mg), Navane (5 mg), Seroquel XR (350 mg), Klonopin (0.5 mg), Synthroid (150 mcg), Propranolol (40 mg)...plus, Ativan, regular Seroquel, and Valtrex as prns

I even took some supplements during that period. It was too much! Later I learned that Lithium was expendable and that increases in my Seroquel XR could eliminate the Geodon and Navane.

Right now I take 5 base plus 3 PRN. I only occasionally take the prns. During my largest cocktail period, I took Ativan a lot.

[neverending]

26. Now I think I am down to 19. But I have a lot of physical reasons for taking multiple meds for multiple conditions. Some of them 3 or 4 of them are prn meds.

[unicornlady]

9, but 3 of those were from diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypothyroid that I got from my psych meds.

[HALLIEBETH87]

10 including psych

[Nammu]

7 or eight I believe, that time of my life was perpetual fog. I was constantly in a dissociative state thanks to the high doses and many psych meds I was on. I'm now on one AP, one sleep med and one non benzo anxiety med. but the sleep med pooped out.

[Wild Coyote]

20. No longer. I won't put up with it!

Crazy doctors. Nobody can predict the side-effects an the interactions of so many drugs!
What were they thinking?

[yellow_fleurs]

Just one at a time for psych medication. Other meds, maybe 4? That was short-term, though.

[Moose72]

Originally Posted by Wild Coyote

20. No longer. I won't put up with it!

Crazy doctors. Nobody can predict the side-effects an the interactions of so many drugs!
What were they thinking?

I take 14 including prn Haldol. So 13 different meds every day. Add in my asthma inhaler that's 14/15.

[Wild Coyote]

Originally Posted by Moose72

I take 14 including prn Haldol. So 13 different meds every day. Add in my asthma inhaler that's 14/15.

It's important that YOU feel comfortable with this. I was not and I could see a lot of redundant meds (meds which did the same thing) and could share the load if others were eliminated.

Because of my many medical conditions, the doctors justify the need for so many meds. I think this might be semi-okay if the patient is in agreement. In my case, I did not agree and have cut my meds significantly. This is not to imply that this will work best for everyone. It has worked well for me.

[fern46]

Originally Posted by Wild Coyote

20. No longer. I won't put up with it!

Crazy doctors. Nobody can predict the side-effects an the interactions of so many drugs!
What were they thinking?

It blows my mind when I see the various cocktails doctors prescribe. They struggle to correctly anticipate the side effects from one drug alone and yet somehow they think they are wise enough to manage the interactions of more. 20 is just pure insanity. I feel like that many drugs completely overwhelms the liver and the other systems of the body. It also obliterates the digestive system causing leaky gut and all kinds of other issues. I see so many people with conditions they never had before they began meds and then they are treated as stand alone conditions to be managed with more meds. This system is BROKEN and prescribing meds like this is like throwing gasoline on a fire.

I feel like it sometimes goes like this: So you experienced depression, let's put you on an AD... Oh wait, now you're a little up, let's add a mood stabilizer. Oh now you're feeling anxious and can't sleep, let's get you some benzos. Now you're a bit delusional, time for an AP. Your cholesterol is too high, let's throw in a pill for that. Oh wait, your blood pressure is high too, we have a pill for that!

Could it be that the antidepressant caused the mania? Did the addition of the mood stabilizer cause anxiety? Did the combination of all that working on the brain cause paranoia and delusions because the med induced fog is too thick to allow for clear thought? And meanwhile did the body start to break down from all of the toxic interactions going on?

On the one hand I guess a person really can suffer from all of those issues individually, but in a lot of cases I feel like doctors cause comorbid conditions with their prescription happy pens. I personally experienced med induced mental illness and my doctor tried to medicate me for it.

[~Christina]

At one point between psych and physical meds I was on 17 ! That’s not including vitamins and supplements. It was insane.

I made a lot of changes and now only take 5. Xanax , Symbicort, atorvostatin, Lyrica and Humira.

[bpcyclist]

Just for psych stuff? 9. Very happy to have simplified my regimen, though it is scary not having anything for sleep (except the 'emergency' Zyprexa that totally does not work anymore).

[Phoenix_1]

11. Lamictal, Risperdal, Klonopin, Buspar, and Seroquel for BP2 and GAD. 2 meds for high blood pressure, 1 for high cholesterol, 2 asthma inhalers, Flonase.
I feel sorry for my poor liver, having to deal with all that every day.