Posted by karaS on October 3, 2004, at 0:41:35
In reply to Re: Fish oil » karaS, posted by JLx on October 2, 2004, at 18:20:49
> I don't mean to suggest that it should necessarily work for you because maybe it just doesn't for some, but have you tried experimenting with the DHA or EPA ratios?
>
> I'm not sure fish oil is doing much for me either really because I haven't isolated it from other stuff. But I thought I did notice a (negative) difference when I took a DHA dominant formula a few times. Could have been something else, I'm not sure. But the studies I've seen referenced were that sometimes EPA was effective, sometimes not, sometimes the DHA was effective, sometimes not. I wonder if each is maybe indicated especially for certain types of depression, the other for other types. If you've always taken the EPA, might be worth a trial with DHA. (And when you say "1 gram" do you mean 1 gram over all, or 1 gm of EPA or DHA?) I think I may have not taken enough when I first started taking it, but then later I also may have taken too much since that one study someone referenced recently said that 4 grams was too much. But that was 4 grams of EPA I believe, which I haven't come close to with my puny 180 EPA/120 DHA capsules.
>
> I wonder too if the ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 is important. Should we take more fish oil if we eat a lot of Omega-6 type fats?
>
> This fish oil stuff is so promising, especially when you read about the essential fatty acids and how the brain is 20% EFAs, but then it's also so confusing.
>
> I'm taking 6 capsules a day of a cheap store brand, which is 1080 mg of EPA and 720 of DHA. I have NO idea if this is a good amount or not!
>
> JL
JL,My current regimen includes 1 gram total of DHA and EPA. I have tried different brands and different amounts. I'm not sure about the ratios I've taken in the past though. At one point, a holistic doctor had me on a lot of it - and high quailty stuff. It seems to give me acne problems as well (even though I take evening primrose oil). I just don't get the gut feeling that this is something that is going to work for me.
Now I take a high quality brand that at the dose of 1 gram isn't giving me bad acne. (I think it's important to get a good brand. I worry that the cheap stuff could have contaminants.) I take it just to ensure that I have enough of it in my system. I don't expect any miraculous results but I do feel that if I were deficient, that I'd probably have worse problems.
There are other posts to research here about dosages. Maybe that can help you decide how much is right for you. I don't think it could hurt to eat more of the right type of fish either.
I'm going to be starting the antidepressant, Cymbalta, soon so I'm not going to experiment with any supplements for a while. I want to make sure that I know how that is effecting me. I prefer alternative methods but I'm really under the gun here and I need to get functional soon. I'll probably hang out more on the main board for a while because of that.
Take care,
Kara
poster:karaS
thread:398076
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20040928/msgs/398433.html