Posted by noa on November 30, 2003, at 12:53:01
In reply to Omega-3 Fatty Acids, posted by sb417 on November 26, 2003, at 0:58:49
One thing I learned early on from Babble is that it is fair to say that some things work for some people and not for others.
I have found fish oil supplements, around 2.5 to 3.5 grams of EPA per day, to help with my depression enough that I was able to lower my Effexor XR dose from 262.5 mg to 225 mg. about a year ago. This was significant enough to make a difference in the akithisia/agitation side effects (although not eliminate them entirely). I'd love to lower my med dose more, but I don't feel confident that the fish oil will compensate quite that much.
FWIW, I believe I had a real deficiency in omega 3's. I had stopped eating fish (and meat and poultry) at the age of 15, and at around age 27 (15 years ago or so) I started having intense cravings for fish. I would then basically have a fish binge for a few weeks each year until the craving died down. This went on for a few years until I realized I liked fish and my body was craving it, so I reintroduced it into my diet at on a more normal basis, rather than binging on it for 2 or 3 weeks every year.
I think I had dramatic effects from the fish oil initially because of that deficiency, and the effects have leveled off somewhat, but have been sufficient in that I've been able to maintain the improvement fairly well.
poster:noa
thread:283914
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20031122/msgs/285252.html