Danceofmasks: Personally, I can't be bothered with potions 'cos they're too time consuming.
(yes, I play insane mode)
Same here. The game almost inadvertantly forces you NOT to use potions. I'm playing on normal currently, so they're not really needed. But having to meditate to use them is a deal-breaker for me. Yeah, I know it's that way in the Book, but this ain't a book, it's a computer game.
I'm especially peeved that you can't heal during combat with Boss fights. Because of the looooong cutscenes before the fight, any potion you take has worn off already (timers during cutscenes???).
So I've used the occassional Gadwall (because I had to) and Mongoose (because I thought I had to) and Cat and Swallow. But for the most part, I don't use any.
After they fix the ability for using potions anytime in game, then they need to fix the Alchemy screen for making potions. Maybe then I'll start using potions.