Posted by chemist on May 3, 2004, at 17:58:56
In reply to Re: Oh, what have I done?! » chemist, posted by cherylann on May 3, 2004, at 9:06:58
> If I may ask, what kind of fish oil do you take and what is the ratio? I have a hard time finding good fish oil that has higher epa, which I've heard is the good stuff.
> My main problem, besides the depression/anxiety, is that I cannot sleep. Klonopin works, but only for about a week, then I have to "up" the dose. Something I don't want to do. It's funny, though. When I take the klonopin at night, the next day I have very little depression, and a lot more drive to get things done. I didn't think klonopin itself could act as an AD.
> Thanks for the advice!hello, chemist here...first off, sounds like when you take klonopin at night, the next day you have a bit of a hangover, if you will, so an approach might be to take it in divided doses, early in the day and in the early evening....now, about omega-3: i have read and been told (nutritionist and a friend who is a medicinal chemist) that the opimum ratio of EPA to DHA is 3:2. i want to make it clear that this is not something i follow extensively and have a few references if you need them. i also want to make it clear that i do not have any financial interest (or any other, for that matter) in recommending the following products by name. if you have the money, i believe that Carlson Labs. is the best; second-up would be Spectrum; and third is the one i take, Country Life. the reasoning for stating that one is ``better'' than the other is as follows: the best sources of DHA/EPA are from salmon and tuna, cold-water fish. now, heavy metals (lead, cadmium, mercury, to name a few) partition into the fatty parts of the fish if the pH of the environment (and a few other variables) is not particularly acidic, and fish oil from deep-dwelling fish OR those from places where the shallow aquatic environment will have less contamination, even though acidification during a rainfall event, for instance, might acicify the waters for a time (if the system is not buffered, i.e., not metamorphic/igneous rock vs. carbonates). back to the point: Carlson Labs tells you from whence their fish come - e.g., Norwegian salmon oil - as does Spectrum. Country Life does not, and is cheaper than the other two. the reason - i have been told - is that the cheaper alternatives use discarded parts of the fish and that the fish remains that are used come from different sources, so there might be some nasties lurking in there. then, there is the fact that if you buy an american-made supplement, it is not controlled by the FDA (the DSHEA does not come close to the toughness applied to prescription drugs), so you have to trust that your brand is a good one and performs QA/QC on their products. now, i do not know if this is true in norway, sweden, or anywhere else, for that matter, but Canada does regulate supplements in a manner similar to the FDA. that is why i purchase Natural Factors for MSM and other supplements, as Natural Factors is (one of many) companies based in Canada. sorry for the long story...in summary: i take 6000 mg/day of Country Life Omega-3 Fish Body Oils, with an EPA:DHA of 3:2 and have found it to be of help....all the best, chemist
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