# For anyone who tried omega 3 and got nowhere



## clovereater (May 9, 2008)

I had a blood test done recently that showed my omega 3 levels were low. The doctor told me to supplement. I had tried omega 3 in the past and it hadn't done anything for me so I was skeptical it would do anything this time. Eventually I went out any bought some. I tried a different brand this time. The effect has been amazing and I felt it from the very first dose. My anxiety and depression are reduced significantly and I feel more talkative and very relaxed. I feel this within an hour usually of taking this supplement.
I wanted to pass this on as I know many people have tried omega 3 and had disappointing results. The brand is "Holland & Barrett - Omega 3 Triple Strength Fish Oil Capsules (1360mg)". 
When I first tried fish oils a few years ago after reading rave reviews I bough 2 expensive brands that were high in EPA. I was disappointed after taking them for a few months and having no improvement. Ironically this brand I'm using now is about 30% cheaper.
I've been trying to work out why the others failed and this one works and I have a couple of theories but maybe someone else here can shed some light on it. One is that this oil is in the ester form as opposed to the triglyceride for of the ones I had tried before. The vast majority of studies done on fish oils for depression have used the ester form. Maybe for some reason I am able to absorb this better. Another possibility is that this oil is more concentrated than the others I had used. It has 950mg of EPA/DHA per one 1360mg softgel. From what I've read the other fats in these supplements compete with EPA/DHA for absorption. 
Just a note on dosage. I take these on an empty stomach, one softgel at a time 3 or 4 times a day. Strangely if I take more than one at the same time I don't get much of an effect at all. They need to be separated. It has actually been observed in studies that 1 gram works better than 2 grams or more for depression. It's possible that in these studies the subjects on more than 1 gram didn't spread out the doses.
See the quote from this article http://www.mcmanweb.com/omega3.html below:
"A 2001 study of 70 depressed patients who had not responded to other treatments were randomized into three groups taking different doses of refined EPA (one, two, or four grams a day) or a placebo. Six of the 52 patients on the EPA dropped out before 12 weeks. The one gram group did "dramatically better" than the placebo group, but surprisingly the two and four gram groups fared only modestly better than the placebo group. Much higher doses (eight to 10 gm/day) have been found effective in treating bipolar."
Anyway I hope someone else can get the results I have. I had given up on omega 3 and I think sadly many people write it off because they don't take it correctly or try a quality supplement.


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## robertz (Feb 4, 2009)

I feel fish oil (400mg EPA, 200mg DHA) taken twice a day makes me feel more "stable", but I think it is far from being a solution for SA.


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## renski (May 9, 2007)

Krill Oil is the way to go IMO.

Krill are at the bottom of the food chain, so the theory is that there are less toxins then what you will find in fish. It's also high in antioxidants.

I've tried quality fish oil's high in EPA and they've certainly given me a boost (almost like a caffeine hit), but often have caused problems with my sleep.


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## apartment7 (Aug 25, 2007)

Interesting to read the stuff about lower dosages possibly being better. I take a low dose each day - the label says - 300mg of Omega Fish Oil (90mg Total Omega and 78mg EPA/DHA).

I've found it to have amazingly good results so far. 

Obviously there are many factors that could come into play but I believe that the Omega 3 has helped. The feeling is not unlike when I first went onto SSRIs many years ago but without any of the nasty side effects that made me stop taking those. 

The ones I'm taking are bog standard Asda's own brand, Omega 3 Fish Oil & glucosamine.


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## clovereater (May 9, 2008)

That's interesting that you had results with a cheaper brand as well. I'm thinking of trying an even lower dose product from h&b to see if that has a better effect. I want to try find the optimum dose which I may not be at at the moment.


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## renski (May 9, 2007)

Unless your taking 10 of those per day, I highly doubt 78mg EPA/DHA is doing anything noticable.


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## renski (May 9, 2007)

robertz said:


> I feel fish oil (400mg EPA, 200mg DHA) taken twice a day makes me feel more "stable", but I think it is far from being a solution for SA.


It does nothing for SA. It's somewhat helpful for depression, depending on the level of depression you have.


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## Social_butterfly00 (Jan 28, 2008)

I take it every morning... mostly for the external benefits. I can't tell if it is making a difference or not.


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## anon123 (Aug 24, 2010)

Yea it's been helpful for me i been taking 3 perday for the past few months

i also have been working out for the past 8 months and lost over 50 pounds
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/2455/dsc00236lv.jpg

95% muscle on my arms  8 months of working out 

i really do want to make something of my self
just got to lose 15 more pounds then my 6pack would show


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## peaceandlove09 (Aug 10, 2010)

Hey thanks for this man

I am gonna check out this brand that you recommend. I have been taking high EPA fish oil for 3 months, and I have felt little to no benefit from it.

No harm in trying this brand because I plan to continue taking fish oil just for the overall brain benefits (even if it hasnt been effective for me for depression)

Cheers,



clovereater said:


> I had a blood test done recently that showed my omega 3 levels were low. The doctor told me to supplement. I had tried omega 3 in the past and it hadn't done anything for me so I was skeptical it would do anything this time. Eventually I went out any bought some. I tried a different brand this time. The effect has been amazing and I felt it from the very first dose. My anxiety and depression are reduced significantly and I feel more talkative and very relaxed. I feel this within an hour usually of taking this supplement.
> I wanted to pass this on as I know many people have tried omega 3 and had disappointing results. The brand is "Holland & Barrett - Omega 3 Triple Strength Fish Oil Capsules (1360mg)".
> When I first tried fish oils a few years ago after reading rave reviews I bough 2 expensive brands that were high in EPA. I was disappointed after taking them for a few months and having no improvement. Ironically this brand I'm using now is about 30% cheaper.
> I've been trying to work out why the others failed and this one works and I have a couple of theories but maybe someone else here can shed some light on it. One is that this oil is in the ester form as opposed to the triglyceride for of the ones I had tried before. The vast majority of studies done on fish oils for depression have used the ester form. Maybe for some reason I am able to absorb this better. Another possibility is that this oil is more concentrated than the others I had used. It has 950mg of EPA/DHA per one 1360mg softgel. From what I've read the other fats in these supplements compete with EPA/DHA for absorption.
> ...


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