I take a lot of pills.  All recommended by my various docs, but “a lot” just about sums it up.  Here’s a week’s worth.

That box is 9x2x1 inches/22.5x5x2.5 cm.  A month’s worth of my meds in four of these boxes fills about a third of a front pannier.

So two questions:  First, take a look at the list of what is in each day’s compartment.

Daily (prescription)

• Allopurinol (for gout)- one 300 mg tablet.
• Atorvastatin (for high cholesterol) – one 20 mg tablet
• Azor (for high blood pressure) – one 10-40mg tablet
• Bystolic (for high blood pressure) – one 5 mg tablet
• Torsemide (for high blood pressure) – one 20 mg tablet
• Dexilant (for acid reflux) – one 60 mg capsule or Famotidine two E40 mg tablets (alternate every 90 days)
• Januvia (for Type 2 diabetes) – one 100 mg tablet
• Invokana (for Type 2 diabetes) – one 300 mg tablet
• Niaspan (for high cholesterol) – one 500 mg ER tablet
• Synthroid (for hypothyroidism)- one 200 mcg tablet
• Fenofibrate (for high triglycerides) – one 160 mg tablet
• Cyanocobalamin (for Vitamin B12 deficiency) – one 1000 mcg tablet

Weekly (prescription)

• Vitamin D (for Vitamin D deficiency) – three 50,000 unit capsules

OTC

• Aspirin – one 325 mg tablet per day
• Glucosamine and Chondroitin – two tablets per day
• Potassium gluconate – one 595 mg tablet
• Vitamin B complex – one tablet per day
• Vitamin E – one 1000 unit capsule every day

I’ll note that my endocrinologist wants me to stop the Invokana when I start the ride, as he doesn’t believe I will need it at that level of activity and he is concerned about its side effect of causing dehydration.  That leaves me on one diabetes med: Januvia.  My GP doc wants me to stop the Torsemide at the same time, based on the same concern about dehydration.

So what about the others?  I trust my docs (and my GP is an avid bike rider), but I doubt either of them is on any of these meds.  Does anyone reading this have any real life experience with taking one or more of these meds and bicycling to excess?  I’d appreciate your feedback.

Question two is: how can I ditch the boxes. I need my meds separated into daily doses, as some of the pills are quite similar in appearance.  I am also concerned about keeping each day separate from a cross-contamination standpoint.  I think it would be a good idea to just handle one day’s worth of pills at a time.

So small zip-loc plastic bags?  Individual daily packets made with a Food Saver heat sealer?

Something proprietary I don’t know about?  Your recommendations are very welcome- thanks in advance.

David Edgren