Posted by Larry Hoover on July 14, 2004, at 10:16:48
In reply to How does fish oil compare to traditional meds??, posted by sac on July 12, 2004, at 16:12:05
> I have bipolar II and do not like the side effects I get from the moods stabilizers that I've been on. Mostly, I suffer from depression and I was wondering how fish oils compare to the traditional mood stabilizers. Have there been any studies comparing it with, say, Depakote?
Not that I'm aware of. I believe there is a study like that being conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)(I don't recall if the comparator is valproic acid or not), but it isn't completed yet.
> I'm looking for something that will improve my persistant dysthymia (already on Prozac 20mgs and can't go higher b/c of hypomanic switch). I'm tired of feeling hostile and irritable on Depakote and also if Dep is a mood stablilizer, why do I feel so "moody" on it?
The original work by Dr. Stoll was fish oil as an augmentative in bipolar disorder. It wasn't a substitute, it was an add-on to whatever the subjects were already taking. If I recall correctly, at least one of the subjects was able to stop using their mood stabilizer while using the fish oil.
It's not possible to predict with any certainty what effect fish oil will have on *you*, but it tends to be mood-stabilizing, and calming. I can almost guarantee you that you are deficient in the fatty acids found in fish oil. It does sometimes cause mood problems, though. We humans are weird critters.
You don't need fancy shmancy fish oil, IMHO. The stuff at Sam's Club or Costco, or Walmart is just fine. Always take it with a meal, and the bigger and fattier the meal, the better. You might want to start out with 3 grams per day, dividing the dose between meals, if necessary. Work up gradually to whatever level is tolerable. Stoll's subjects were taking the equivalent of over thirty caps a day, but he was trying to prove the concept in as short a time as possible with as few subjects as possible (funding issues). Make sure you up your vitamin E intake along with the fish oil, no less than 400 IU/day.
Good luck,
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:365401
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20040613/msgs/366032.html