Posted by Larry Hoover on February 27, 2006, at 9:31:28
In reply to Fish Oil: need cheap high potency » sdb, posted by jedi on February 26, 2006, at 22:42:12
> sdb,
> When I first started taking high doses of EPA and DHA I was still taking 70 to 90mg daily of phenelzine. The omega-3s combined with phenelzine caused some pretty severe insomnia at first. As I weaned off and quit the phenelzine, the insomnia abated. Nardil disrupts REM sleep in almost everybody and really disturbs the sleep architecture. When mixed with the high dose of omega-3 fatty acids my insomnia was compounded. I spread the ten grams of fish oil out during the day. Usually in about three or four doses. For me it was about two months at the high dosage of 2400mg EPA and 2000mg DHA before I could start dropping the Nardil 15mg per week and not have the symptoms of depression return. I still take 1mg of clonazepam daily for the social and generalized anxiety. I have been taking this amount daily for years as it really seems to help me. I may try to wean off this in the near future to see if the fatty acids have helped me in the area of anxiety. It is a little strange being off of Nardil after so many years. I find myself tearing up at emotional things on TV, etc. It is not a depressive sadness, just feeling the emotions that had been cut off for so long. I have taken off ten pounds or so since quitting phenelzine. It is a small start, but it is a start. That med can really pack on the pounds- but for some people, me included, it is a wonder drug. Phenelzine saved my life more than once.
> Take care,
> JediI SO like to hear success stories like yours. When you first started taking the fish oil, I'm certain that you didn't expect to be able to go off the Nardil altogether, right? But, you paid attention to all the information your body made available to your mind, and you intuitively moved ahead. And with great success. Yes!
A couple of thoughts. First, you don't really gain any nutritional advantage from splitting the fish oil up over the course of your day. If you're doing it to minimize side effects (e.g. rancid fish burps), then no biggie. So long as your fish oil is consumed alongside sufficient other fat to trigger the secretion of sufficient bile to emulsify all the fat in your gut, then it really doesn't matter that you split it up. If instead your dietary fat intake varies through the day, your fish oil would best be taken alongside the fattiest foods of that day, or say, split into two intstead of four doses.
Although I don't know that fish oil will really have a tangible effect on your anxiety levels, it is possible that your general resiliency to stress will be so improved that you may find yourself comfortably managing things that might have previously set you off. Anxiety, and other emotions, are to some extent learned responses. Given your experience with safely weaning off Nardil, you may find a similar ability with respect to weaning off anxiolytics.
A word of caution, though. Anxiety and affective state disorders are quite capable of spontaneous remission. Please do not resist too strongly the thought that returning to psych meds might be a wise move, should an acute disturbance come up again. I don't see fish oil as being entirely prophylactic with respect to mood disturbance.
In my case, I medicate when I think an acute disturbance exceeds my "I can handle it" threshold. I treat until I get my feet back on the ground. And then I withdraw from meds again. I'm just too sensitive to meds to remain medicated for one day longer than I need it. But, I do not hesitate to medicate if it is indicated.
Best,
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:608638
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20060130/msgs/613700.html