Hi,
I was taking fish oil pills until about two months ago when I gave up on my vits and supplements -- too much trouble. Maybe I'll go back to them. I did not notice improvement necessarily but I think they can't hurt. They are probably good for things other than mood too -- like smooth skin. . . .
I eat very little fish -- another good reason to take the pills.
Dr. Phelps has lots of good info and many links on his page. He mentions that we have more studies on EPA than on DHA and considers that we might need
about a gram a day of EPA.
http://www.psycheducation.org/depres...ds/Omega-3.htm
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Update 2006: Now six years after the Stoll study I'm still talking about fish oil with my patients but still not very convinced it has great value as a mood stabilizer. However, as an add-on tool for depression, I think that's where it may indeed be useful.
I've probably not been using large enough doses. The dose in the new Frangou study, 2006, is the equivalent in EPA of seven pills of the type I've been recommending -- because it's the cheapest, with no greater risk -- where I've generally had people taking 4 pills per day.
I'll definitely be trying a higher dose when I talk with patients now, and looking for a cheap route to 1 gram of EPA
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Conclusions (reviewed as of 3/2006; still seem to hold):
--the evidence is piling up that omega-3 fatty acids do something, at least in some people;
--the dose to use is not at all clear, as some studies suggest you can go too high and lose benefits (Nevets, Sagduyu), whereas many of the individual glowing results come with the higher doses;
--even at higher doses, the risks seem minimal, and there may actually be additional benefits (on cholesterol, perhaps arthritis);
--however, it's a large number of pills, though a minimal-moderate expense;
--fish burps can be managed easily
--it's not clear how long you have to wait to see benefits, but especially with the smaller doses they may take 1-2 months to show up, so if you take them, prepare yourself for a period of taking a lot of pills with no benefits.
Do I recommend them to my patients? Yes, rather commonly, especially when we're looking for all possible anti-depression tools to use, rather than have to use a typical antidepressant.
I still have yet to see a clear-cut stunning improvement like those case reports in the table above, but because the risk appears to be so minimal, in many cases it seems like it's worth a try.
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