# Understanding why fish oils make me anxious



## japhyryder (Oct 21, 2013)

Hi there, new to the forum. I have searched the web high and low and found no convincing explanation why fish oils should worsen my anxiety. But I am keen to know so if anyone understands brain chemistry, please share!

I took EPA fish oil, felt good for about 6 hours, then very anxious indeed. I know that EPA is affecting neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, glutamate, and dopamine.

I've been wrestling with this anxiety for 15 years now - it began after a major car accident. If I can understand this, I hope I might zero in on what neurotransmitter is out of whack, and then try more specific supplementation...


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## Romanenko (Oct 14, 2013)

It's more complicated than what supplement affects what neurotransmittors. Those chemicals in your brain work in concert with one another. It might be several neurotransmittors or even specific subtypes of one. Don't mean to be a buzz kill but I'd want to be awared, too.


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## japhyryder (Oct 21, 2013)

Understood. Still, it would be nice to understand the basic chemistry by which EPA = anxiety.


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## stewartoo7 (Mar 6, 2013)

i had the same issue some years ago but if fish oils are not working for you just stop taking them and try something else like a good multi vit


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## japhyryder (Oct 21, 2013)

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I have stopped taking them but it's annoying because EPAs are incredibly strong anti-inflammatorys amongst other things. Mainly, I am keen to understand what's going on here, after 15 years of chronic anxiety I am having to get deeper and deeper into this to see what the cause might be. Have posted this in several places and no one seems to have the knowledge. Perhaps brain chemistry is simply not understood that well yet?


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## Kakumbus (Mar 27, 2012)

Who knows man, Vitamin D pills gives me arthritis and knee pains yet all I could google was how it relieve it not trigger it. L-Gltathione give me chest pain 5 hours later. Green tea makes me starve like I haven't eaten in days and if I don't I feel I'll throw up yet everyone says it suppress appetite. Weed gives me mad cramps now so I can't have it, yet internet say it help relieving them and more.

Sometime our bodies just have odd unexplained reactions and its unique to us. If you want omega 3 try chia seeds, they are really good.

As far as chemistry i am no epert but from my experience what Romanenko said is right. It could be something you take that affect your reaction to the fish oil and not the fish oil itself, so instead of the fish oil giving you what it should another supplement could alter the effect of fish oil when you take it. So you think it's the fish oil but it's really something else, yeah all those things become almost impossible to answer at some point.


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## Romanenko (Oct 14, 2013)

Look into DHA oil. Research shows the human body utilizes DHA over EPA more effectively so that might help your anxiety. I buy it from amazon.com


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## Romanenko (Oct 14, 2013)

By the way I've suffered from chronic social anxiety for about 10 years now. I'm starting to gain momentum againts it though. So PM me and we'll talk.


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## japhyryder (Oct 21, 2013)

Thanks for your replies, appreciated. I'm not really taking anything else apart from strong probiotics, digestive enzymes, and zinc so I think interaction is unlikely. I'm recently taking Evening Primrose, too, which is tolerated fine but obviously there's no EPA in there. And thanks Romanenko, will pm.


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## SadMel (May 21, 2013)

Is the fish oil you take tested for mercury content?


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