Posted by psychobot5000 on October 17, 2006, at 13:57:20
Hi,
My fish oil experience has been rather strange and interesting, I would say.
I've only been on it about two weeks or so, this time around, but so far I have experienced:
1: Increased feelings of desire and reward in my life. Everything has more consequence and meaning. It's very much a good thing--in my uneducated way, I speculate that it means increased dopamine (or something) in the nucleus accumbens.
2: No mood elevation. In fact, when I briefly switched to taking Jarrow's 'Max DHA,' which allegedly contains 250mg DHA and 36mg EPA per capsule, my mood definitely became worse. The experience was brief, because I couldn't take it for more than 2 days, but I should mention that my sleep was better those nights.
3: Insomnia, partially controlled with many helpful remedies you fine people have suggested. I suspect that the EPA is responsible for this effect.
4: Fuzzy cognition/difficulty concentrating. Possibly the most annoying and difficult side effect was this--despite better feelings of reward and meaning, I have been less able to manage my thoughts or think clearly. I have read some material on the various modulations fish oil makes in the brain, and I can only suspect that it's due to some lowering of dopamine in the prefrontal cortex, even though the (to me) somewhat confusing evidence seems to suggest the opposite is more likely to be true.
This issue is helped somewhat by methylphenidate, but seems, along with sleep (which I perhaps-justly, perhaps unjustly blamed for difficulties concentrating), to be the main problem. It is certainly rather strange and frustrating to me, as I relish whatever aid the fish oil seems to give to my desire/reward system. I have some modest hope that some 'pure EPA' capsules might give me a better experience, but it seems unlikely.
Anyway, that's my experience. It really seems to bad, since EPA is supposed to be good for concentration, but this is the way it is for me. Anyone else have a similar experience, particularly regarding concentration? Also, thanks to those of you who chimed in with insomnia remedies. Any other ideas for making things better are, of course, much appreciated.
Psychbot
poster:psychobot5000
thread:695560
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20061013/msgs/695560.html