I've been noticing a distinct weight gain on my toon, and have determined it's from all the darned poisons I carry, as well as a surfeit of health potions and the like. So I've gotten into the habit of unloading most on my follower. Well, one day I had a few minor invisibility potions. I rarely use these when with a follower for obvious reasons, but kept one and gave the rest to Iona. Out on the trail, we found something to attack. I always go to sneak mode and grab my bow when I see trouble ahead. All of a sudden I see a transparent liquid pass me that had the shape of Iona! Sure enough, she was invisible, and the mob attacked me instead. But she closed with it and dealt the death blow. A day or two later, Mjoll did the same thing.

I don't know if they use anything else, though. I think I need to keep track of what I give them, or hire Calcelmo to do it. Somehow he noticed I gave Mjoll a dwarven shield, said he wondered how one turned up in Riften!

Yes, they use potions. It's useful to load them with excess health ones to keep them in the fight.

Health potions maybe, but I gave Aela some archery potions while I had her using bow only and she never used any of them.

Argis has only used health potions, despite the fact that I have given him restore stamina, resist Frost, resist Fire, and increase one handed skill potions. He just doesn't use anything but restore health.

One could try to give them self-made potions that heal and fortify (or some other combination).

The only ones my followers use are health potions.

I have not tried health potions, but I have noticed that mine would not use any fortify two-handed potions.

I had no idea they would use health pots. O_O Now I feel terrible for never giving them any.

I'm sure they appreciate all the knee's they've toke because you didn't give them any health pots.

If you give them lockpicks they'll pick locks as well.

they drink them like water!

And they'll use torches too, which I like.

They don't make sensible use of any potions except healing potions. The problem is likely that Bethesda knew they would over-use them if allowed to use them outside life-threatening situations, as they do with, say, summoning staffs.

It would be really cool if, when we get a decent scripting language, somebody set up a "follower control panel" that let you set up triggers for follower actions depending on certain values (follower HP, player HP, level of opposition compared to player level, etc.)

I think if you currently want to make a follower use potions, you maybe could do it through the console. But then you might as well just add the effect directly, and delete the potion.

Also try the wabbajack exploit to scale your follower to your level.