Posted by eoflaherty on June 24, 2001, at 17:24:15
I first got interested in this subject when I read in the May 99 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry that omega-3 fish oil helped in bipolar disorder/manic depression.I have read as much as I could on the subject since and have used it successfully to treat several other conditions including OCD,agoraphobia,anxiety,depression,Schizophrenia (about 25% improvement,to reduce benzodiazepine and methadone dosages,insomnia,Meniere`s Disease,Tinnitus.pre-menstrual tension and various skin conditions.In fact I try it now on almost every psychiaric patient as well as prescribing regular medication.In that way I found out myself that it helped to reduce smoking,drinking,benzodiazepine and methadone needs and it worked in several bad OCD cases.It does not work in every case but it does in a significant number of cases.
Our ancestors lived in the sea and 20% of the human brain is omega-3 fish oil or fatty acids.You can buy it in a drug-store without a prescription but it is cheaper in Walmart.
The dose required varies but the FDA has determined that it is safe to take 3g daily,except for those with blood disorders or blood thinners.Do not stop your regular medication without asking your physician.You should see results within a week if it is going to help but if you have a serious problem it might be worth trying for several weeks.Relapse within a few days is likely if you stop the fish oil.The capsules are usually 1000mg but the active components,EPA nad DHA typically make up only 30% of that.A reasonable starting dose is about 1.5g of active medication,increasing weekly if necessary.Doses of up to 10g daily have been used in severe cases.
Among the cases I have seen respond is a 25-year old woman who washed her hands frequently,could not change her baby`s diaper and could only leave her apartment with her partner.In 3 days everyhing settled.Two schizophrenics who had not worked for over 10 years went out and got jobs within a month of starting omega-3.Two alcoholics who drank more than a bottle of wine daily now consume only 2-3 glasses.A lady who needed benzodiazepines to sleep and had panic attacks no longer needs them and has no panic attacks.Another intersting fact is that sometimes everybody in the family starts taking omega-3 when they see how much better form the patient is in.It seems to reduce the stress of everyday life for many of them.
poster:eoflaherty
thread:67716
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010618/msgs/67716.html