Who takes fish oil supplements?

[TKay]

And why?

I'm curious, because I had a conversation with a friend about the supplement's great health benefits. After doing a bit of research online, it sounds like these are wonder pills.

Anyone try them? What do you take them for specifically? Are you seeing any kind positive results?

TIA.

[wallycat]

Depends what you want them to do....
do you have pre-existing heart conditions, lipid issues, dry eye, joint pain, etc...
My DH takes them because he has bad joint pain. But he takes glucosamine/chondr. and ibuprofin so not sure which is helping what.

[lsdesign]

Me!

I'm taking cod liver fish oil. I'm not a supplement kind of person but a coworker convinced me it was the least I could do for my body. I cannot tell you exactly what the benefit is however, I will say that I am more regular even if I don't consume massive amounts of veggies.

[TKay]

Depends what you want them to do....
do you have pre-existing heart conditions, lipid issues, dry eye, joint pain, etc...

We'd been talking about the mood issues related to being in peri-menopause. That's how we initially got on the topic. But I do have degenerative disc disease and arthritis (with constant grinding) in my neck. I'm sure I have a few other chronic ailments, but they escape me at the moment. Gee, maybe memory loss is one of them.

[KValley]

Tkay,

I swallow a TBL of Carlson's Lemon-Infused Cod Liver Oil before dinner every night. I've been doing this since May, at the request/advice of my physician. It was recommended to me primarily for the DHA, the Vitamin D and the omega-3s. I take no other supplement. I take the cod liver over fish oil because cod liver has Vitamin D, of which, like many northern residents, I have a deficiency.

My overall health has improved significantly since May, for a variety of reasons- one of which I do believe is the daily dose. I've got a follow-up appt in a couple of weeks- we're taking a hormone/vitamin panel on me-so I'll be to see what, if any, differences have emerged.

I take the oil straight, no chaser- just a glutton for punishment, I guess. Really, it's not bad at all, especially the lemon stuff. Oftentimes I just pour it on my salad or veggies.

[Hoodone]

Well, I take them. It seems like the kind of supplement that can only be good for you. Is that true? Everything I've read is that they are a magic bullet.

Initially I started taking them because they were supposed to be good for dry skin. I can't say they solve that.

[fldivegirl]

Tkay,

I swallow a TBL of Carlson's Lemon-Infused Cod Liver Oil before dinner every night. I've been doing this since May, at the request/advice of my physician. It was recommended to me primarily for the DHA, the Vitamin D and the omega-3s. I take no other supplement. I take the cod liver over fish oil because cod liver has Vitamin D, of which, like many northern residents, I have a deficiency.

My overall health has improved significantly since May, for a variety of reasons- one of which I do believe is the daily dose. I've got a follow-up appt in a couple of weeks- we're taking a hormone/vitamin panel on me-so I'll be to see what, if any, differences have emerged.

I take the oil straight, no chaser- just a glutton for punishment, I guess. Really, it's not bad at all, especially the lemon stuff. Oftentimes I just pour it on my salad or veggies.

Where do you find this?

[KValley]

Where do you find this?

I buy this at PCC Natural Markets, which is a Seattle-based/located grocer (and my employer). That doesn't help you, does it? But here is Carlson's website Carlson Laboratories, which has a store locator. I imagine their products are available at many natural foods or health foods stores or pharmacies or grocers with a broad range of health supplements.

[gigicancook]

My husband takes them for dry eyes, our optometrist told him to take them. He also has very dry skin on his legs, but does not seem to be helping with that.

[Libra20]

I take Omega 3 capsules.

[Valerie226]

I take fish oil occasionally, for the omega 3's. I try to do it daily but forget pretty often. DH won't eat fish and I don't get much either.

[Kahlico]

I started taking them for their supposed benefit to my nails and skin, but I didn't see any improvement. I'm sure they worked wonders on my heart.

I stopped taking them on a regular basis because the after effects did not taste great at 9:00 in the morning, if you catch my drift.

I know they make odorless pills, but they have so much added junk to them, I hesitate. I also have a bottle of flax seed oil in my fridge I need to do something with, perhaps soak my fingernails since it's not going into my morning oatmeal like I had intended.

[JanetB]

We take Cod liver oil in our house for a variety of reasons. My son takes it for hyperactivity issues - and we have seen great results.

Our holistic gave us two brands that she said is checked regularly for mercury and other heavy metals - which is a concern for oils from larger fish. They are Carlson and Nordic Naturals. We use Nordic Naturals.

[bobmark226]

Like Julie, I took a lemon-flavored liquid for a while, but the problem was remembering to take it several times during the day as instructed. I now take a single capsule because even though my cholesterol is normal, the doctor feels I should elevate the good cholesterol more than average (age, weight), and I don't eat fish at all, excepting the high cholesterol ones like shrimp.

I also take cinnamon capsules for glucose control and 20 grams of 70% dark chocolate a week to help lower c-reactive proteins in my blood.

Bob

[LakeMartinGal]

DH and I (and one of the dogs) take them. DH was prescribed them by his cardiologist, and he (the dr. and mine as well) said that I should take them, too, as a preventative to heart problems. The dog takes them for the same reason. DH and I take 1 capsule twice a day. The dog only gets it once a day... but he weighs 100+ pounds less than we do!

I haven't noticed any effect from it, but then, I wasn't looking, either. Just one of those things you do, because.

[wallycat]

Like Julie, I took a lemon-flavored liquid for a while, but the problem was remembering to take it several times during the day as instructed. I now take a single capsule because even though my cholesterol is normal, the doctor feels I should elevate the good cholesterol more than average (age, weight), and I don't eat fish at all, excepting the high cholesterol ones like shrimp.

I also take cinnamon capsules for glucose control and 20 grams of 70% dark chocolate a week to help lower c-reactive proteins in my blood.

Bob

LOL!!

Be careful with cod liver oil...it contains vitamin A. Over 5,000 IU and bones become brittle.

[Kahlico]

I also take cinnamon capsules for glucose control and 20 grams of 70% dark chocolate a week to help lower c-reactive proteins in my blood.

Bob

I regularly take my dark chocolate supplements and I have found that it has a much better taste during and after than the fish oil supplements.

I should finish off the huge bottle of fish oil supplements hang the after effects.

[EllenL]

I take fish oil (the odorless ones, although when I was very upset a couple of months ago about the stock market, my GI system was in an uproar---I know, TMI!) for heart health as well as all the wondrous stuff it can supposedly do. So far I haven't heard anything negatives---possibly the worst is that we are just wasting our money if the omega 3s aren't as good as what you get from foods like walnuts and fish.

Being a vegetarian, I don't like the idea of taking fish oil (the gelatin coating on them and other pills also means I am ingesting some animal products----I know a vegan who claimed that she peeled the coating off, which almost doesn't seem possible and would then mean she wasn't taking the exact full dose since she would obviously be peeling away some of the actual vitamins/medication!). And PETA didn't help my guilt any now that they are calling fish "kittens of the sea!" But I will continue taking fish oil for the time being....

[kwormann]

I do, either those or flax capsules. I have genetic high cholesterol and we are trying to help control is as long as possible sans lowering drugs.

[DmOrtega]

Be careful with cod liver oil...it contains vitamin A. Over 5,000 IU and bones become brittle.

How do you know how much Vit A is in the oil? I was looking at this, http://www.carlsonlabs.com/product_d...6&categid=03a9, and wasn't able to find any information regarding vit A in the oil.

[Beatrix]

I take one 1000mg pill a day. I've been taking the pills for about a month. I'm hoping that they'll help with a dry eye problem I have. I can't say that they've cured me yet, but I'll probably keep taking them even if my dry eye doesn't get better.

By the way, I take the pill at night right before I go to bed. If I take the pill too early I get fishy burps--yuck! But I either don't get the fishy burps or I don't notice them when I'm sleeping.

[LakeMartinGal]

Do those of you who get 'feedback' from the fish oil take a capsule or a liquid? I have been taking the capsule for several years, and never get feedback...

[fldivegirl]

I buy this at PCC Natural Markets, which is a Seattle-based/located grocer (and my employer). That doesn't help you, does it? But here is Carlson's website Carlson Laboratories, which has a store locator. I imagine their products are available at many natural foods or health foods stores or pharmacies or grocers with a broad range of health supplements.

Thank you!

[TKay]

Do those of you who get 'feedback' from the fish oil take a capsule or a liquid? I have been taking the capsule for several years, and never get feedback...

I just started taking them, and the directions say to take one capsule three times a day with meals. The label says they are 1000mg concentrated fish oil with 300 mg Omega-3 fatty acids. I get no feedback with mine. Also, the directions suggest taking with a full glass of water.

[sparrowgrass]

If you have trouble with fishy burps, try the enteric coated capsules. Enteric means that they don't dissolve in the stomach, they dissolve in the intestines, so burp problems.

WalMart carries them--the brand is Spring Valley.

[foodfiend]

My naturopath recommends the Nutra Sea brand, which is high quality herring oil (I think). It was a lemony flavour. It's good for the complexion and helps manage moods, esp. depression. (This I read in CL. Fish oil has been proven effective with hard to treat depression)

[Goldie]

I have been taking 3000 mg per day for the last 6 months or so.

Wow I wish wish wish they would help my dry eye problem, but not.

However, this is the first year in many years that I have not had problems with dry skin on my shins during the winter. Normally it is so itchy and dry that I go nuts. Nothing at all this year, so I really have to attribute that to the salmon oil.

So it's helping some things, but not others. I am just taking the capsules so far though - maybe if I try the Carlson's liquid I will get some eye relief too.

[TKay]

I wanted to follow up on this. I've been taking the supplements for almost a month now (and almost always as directed, the three capsules per day). I gotta say, I feel good. Granted, this is not a double-blind study. I've also, in that time, gotten back into working out regularly and have adjusted my diet to be healthier. So the change isn't necessarily the pills. But I would swear I started sleeping better the first night I took them (and this is before the exercising began). I also seem to have a bit more patience and a happier outlook. Sure, that could be the exercise. Whatever. I'm continuing what I'm doing because it seems to be working.