I randomly found this mod by searching "time" at nexus...

Potions Restore Over Time and No Spamming

http://www.skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/28958

...and thought to myself "instant game changer."

I mean, on any difficulty you can open your menu and gulp a dozen potions to instantly heal, because sky's the limit in Sky-rim potion allowing. Sure, you can use ASIS to let foes have potions too, but I doubt they have a potion AI routine to use them aggressively. Morrow-ver, if I were to use this mod then I predict that it would lead me reducing to Adept Difficulty, especially if my character was a 2h warrior. Oblivion allowed only a certain amount of potion use tied to alchemy skill, and mods like FCOM also thought to enhance the limitation. That's why I couldn't beat Umbra early level on default difficulty, if only I could have used 20 potions at a time like in Skyrim. Potion spam is why you can outlast, say, Karstag in his Arena.

More and more over the years I've begun playing characters who don't use health or magicka restoring potions. They've begun to feel too much like a "cheat" to me. I find that I enjoy the games better if I don't use these two types of potions.

These days I tend to use potions only out of combat, and no health or magicka restoring potions at all. This helps to make potions feel less like a "get-out-of-jail-free-card."

I use "Improved Potion Animation" (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/35572) which forces a 4 second drinking animation (available in both 1st person and third person), thus preventing spamming - and of course, while you're drinking, you're vunerable to attack.

I find that it looks good, makes me play more strategically, and just feels right in my game.

I just use one Ultimate Health Potion, no need to spam potions.

Yep, all you really need is an Ultimate health potion.

Now if you didn't enchant mana reduction to 0, I can see you burning through Ultimate Magicka potions.

I limit the number of potions that the character, carries. None of them carry more than 20 small bottles. I Never use them in the middle of a battle unless the character can run far enough away.

Just because it makes sense to me, if the character gets hit to many times or falls, even if it's not far, all potions get "thrown out" ( meaning put in a dead NPC) cause I think those bottles are glass and if you hit glass it breaks.

I spam potions, but not by consuming them; I usually stick to healing spells for that. I spam potions by making them in ridiculous quantities, then selling them. Once I have the merchant perk, I can bankrupt a couple of towns that way.

Potion spamming does feel like cheating. It's so tempting, though. I am working on making my potion use more strategic. For instance, my character should only chug a potion if there's a lull in the battle- whether she just backpedals, ducks behind a wall, or fully retreats. And only one potion at a time.

I prefer pre-emptive potion usage, with Fortify potions. My last character, a Bosmer hunter, fancied a combination of bee husk, hawk feathers, and bear claws for a combination Sneak/One-Handed/Light Armor potion. Perfect for those touch situations where your bow just isn't enough.

Same, I usually end up having a fortune in value of health potions in my inventory since I feel like a wuss for using them. They're too useful.

dont like it. Would rather have it so each potion are much stronger but also have a cooldown, animation or something between each one.

I don't have a problem with it, although if something where to be implemented like a cooldown, the potions would need to be stronger. A weak potion would need to restore 75-100 HP, instead of 20 with a 10-15 second cooldown.

I would also argue that Dark Souls doesn't have a cooldown on it's potions although you get a limited amount of flasks and it takes a couple seconds to use it.

I don't agree with spamming anything in Skyrim, I feel good preparation for situations is a much more viable tactic and provides a better and more rewarding play style.

Yeah, potion-spamming via the menu is the reason why I don't bother using potions. It's too cheap and easy.

What I believe Bethesda should do next time around is:

1. Add a drinking animation
2. Followed by a short amount of time for the health/stamina/magicka potion to regenerate said attribute
3. Add a cooldown until it is safe to drink another one. Note that I wrote "safe". Drinking potions continuously without waiting the right amount of time should (IMO) lead to harmful consequences.

Maybe they should get rid of health regeneration, then have health potions only cause your health to regenerate after drinking. And you can only drink a certain amount and you have to wait for the cooldown to end like in oblivion with other potions. And as others said, an animation. First and third person ones of course.

I agree. Health regeneration should return only as a special effect that has to be obtained somewhere or a perk rather than have it there by default.

Agreed, I think the way it works in oblivion is far superior.

I never use potions(or stimpaks in Fallout). Pausing combat and healing pretty much trivializes everything unless you are getting 1 shotted. I'm on PS3 with no mod access, so I just got used to dealing without