I think he is a bit nutty, but he will greatly advance the longevity field.
Move along, nothing to see here.
Unless something bad happens. He is way past pushing the envelope if he is really doing all that stuff.
That is a great question. Since I don’t know what is safe (interactions mostly but also big doses), I think I should have some guardrails to keep me from gradually doing more and more every time a new paper comes out saying xyz extends mouse lifespan (or whatever) by 1%.
What is that sane amount?
Maybe only count pharmaceuticals and supplements with supra physiological doses?
Perhaps water soluble supplements just get peed out?
What constitutes a risky supplement?
Ray Kurzweil takes somewhere around 200 pills a day.
The way AI is moving, Kurzweil has more credence than most.
My goal is always take less. I fail at that often.
I have lots of bottles of once touted and then discredited supplements.
I’m embarrassed to say I take about 45 pills per day. I cant say that something less than 45 is the sane amount. Since despite having boxes full of “once touted and then discredited” bottles of supplements the evidence is usually conflicting and so the total amount never seems to get any smaller.
The multiple prescription drugs are what I mostly worry about. My dosages are conservative so if there are unfavorable interactions I expect it wont be a dramatic effect. As long as my blood markers continue to move in the right direction I will conclude that 45 pills is the sane amount.
could you give us a rundown of what are you taking and why? I would be delighted to find out what you consider is worthy of health span or otherwise. I think I am taking 15: half are maintenance meds and half are supplements.
I dont think my pill regimen is anything of general interest, but since you asked, FWIW, here is a list of my prescriptions with simplified rationales.
| P R E S C R I P T I O N | |
|---|---|
| acarbose | Glucose, lifespan |
| alfuzosin | BPH |
| bempedoic acid | LDL cholesterol |
| dasatinib | Senolytic cocktail w fisetin |
| empagliflozin | Glucose, healthspan, brain aging |
| ezetimibe | ApoB, LDL |
| finasteride | BPH |
| ketoconazole | CYP3A4 inhibitor being discontinued |
| metformin | HbA1c |
| rapamycin | Lifespan, healthspan |
| rosuvastatin | lipids |
| tadalafil | cardiovascular |
| telmisartan | Blood pressure |
Respectfully, this is the wrong question.
It’s not how many pills you take, but what’s in them, and does it work or seem to? What about b-complex, something many people take, that has in it some 5-10 different forms of vitamin B?
It’s not the number of pills, but what’s in them. Form, quality, dose, frequency, pulse. How do they co- or complete with each other? Synergy or dysynergy?
I take a lot of things in powder form. I also open capsules to obtain grains of many substances, which is far more annoying than swallowing something whole, but my system can’t handle many substances in “normal” amounts, so I have to take less.
I don’t care how many pills I take, or how many quarter teaspoons i measure out, or how many capsules I carefully open to get a few grains into my mouth. I care how I feel.
Move along, nothing to see here.
Nothing to do with effect, just wondering where (count-wise) and why the discomfort sets in as the number increases.
Triggered by the count… I see. So you’re asking, on an individual basis, how many is too much to swallow? 
I’d change the question: how many pills would be too much for you, if those pills kept you healthy and alive?
I know my answer. 
I am with @sol on this. It is a question of inputs and outputs. Some things i take as pills, some things i drink, some things i breathe, some things i eat that are not pills. Additionally i do things. The substances matter, the quantities matter and the timing matters. Doing it to the best effect is complex, but in the end the number of capsules is not an issue of much import.
Agreed its not the number of pills that is important, but what you are taking and how much.
OTOH, it could be helpful for people who might be asking themselves “am I crazy to take all this stuff?”, or “what am I missing that I’m taking so few pills compared to what others are taking” .
Its comforting, though not necessarily deservedly, to know you’re in the ball park and that others face the same dilemma. Its heuristic to discover that you’re outside the norm and might need more information.
My motto is starting to change to “whatever it takes” tbh.
I just heard Sandra Kaufmann say she takes 68 “agents” a day. This is from a video posted a year ago. She was explaining that her chocolate donuts for breakfast habit was offset by her aggressive health protocol.
Were you able to give any of them health credits through blood pressure assessments, or other tests?