A Dr. has suggested I take 6-10 GRAMS a day. I’m currently taking one.
Your experience?

I used to take it daily but preferred the flax seed and other versions. The problem with the fish oil based stuff is that it can give you “fish breath” (and fishy burps.) There are “denatured” versions that don’t have the smell and taste issues but they cost more. I also understood that you need a balance of Omega 3-6-9. Trader Joe’s (if you have them in your area) has always had fairly priced versions.

I can’t say whether or not taking Omega supplements had any beneficial effects for me or not. I got out of the habit of taking it a couple of years ago but then I already eat a regular diet with pretty good natural sources including cold water fish, canola and flax seed oils, spinach and walnuts. And I don’t have any cardiac problems or hypertension.

Well, 10 grams is not really a lot as a teaspoon of the stuff holds about 14 grams.

Personally I think I’d only take it if I thought my diet was seriously lacking in omega-3 fatty acids. I did try krill oil for a while (about 3 months) but in spite of assurances from a friend that it cut his LDL cholesterol numbers it had no effect on me as a lipid panel showed.

The first thing is probably to make sure that your diet has plenty of food in it that naturally contains omega-3.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/your-omega-3-family-shopping-list

Also make sure you’re getting plenty of exercise.

But, fish oil is relatively inexpensive and I don’t think it can do you any harm. Have your doctor do a blood test, take the increased dose for 3 months, 6 months or whatever, get another blood test and see if there is any improvement.

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor although once in a while I might play one on the internet.

@String said:
A Dr. has suggested I take 6-10 GRAMS a day. I’m currently taking one.
Your experience?

The capsules I have are 1000 mg, which equals one gram. Supposed to take three a day, which equals three grams.
At first I thought 6-10 grams was high, then I read through this: http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil-alpha-linolenic-acid/dosing/hrb-20059372

Different doses for different purposes.

My doctor approved of the fish oil supplement, but told me to stop taking a daily aspirin when using fish oil, so I did. I also use a lot of chia seed in everything, from yogurt to mashed potatoes. Cook with organic canola oil and pretty much eat organic, cooking and baking from scratch.

True, there are Omega-3 fortified products on supermarket shelves, but they also contain chemicals I can’t pronounce so I pass them by. Except for tuna and Lake Superior Whitefish, not fond of fish. So I supplement.

The doc says there is no recorded downside to a higher dose. I have really bad joints so he’s trying to get them lubed.

I’d go for it, String. Six to 10 grams isn’t that high compared to some of those Mayo Clinic listings.

I just scanned the Mayo Clinic article. The Doc I saw works with Olympic caliber athletes so I see where he got that dose.
I’m just an old paddler so I’ll taper into this.Rookie, thanks for posting the article.

um wrong forum? I haven’t thought of fish oil and paddling for a long time! Perhaps its cause I live in lobsterland?

It is the Advice and Suggestions…probably discussion forum would be better. I miss ezwater reminding us all the time. Anyone know how he is doing? I think his handle was g2d or something like that before he changed it.

I eat sardines fairly often.

@castoff said:
It is the Advice and Suggestions…probably discussion forum would be better. I miss ezwater reminding us all the time. Anyone know how he is doing? I think his handle was g2d or something like that before he changed it.

“Advice, Suggestions and General Help” I think String’s question fits in with the general help title.

There was a thread about ezwater a bit before the format switch. I think he was healing from some injury, but not certain about that.

Thanks Rookie.

@String said:
The doc says there is no recorded downside to a higher dose. I have really bad joints so he’s trying to get them lubed.

Have you tried glucosamine chondroitin?

I first tried this stuff about 15 years ago when some serious runners I knew swore by it. It really didn’t do much for me then but I was still working and not doing much running at the time. Now I’m 66 and retired and I run about 3-5 miles every other day. A few weeks ago I was starting to notice some knee and hip pain walking up and down stairs after I had been running and for some reason I pulled out a bottle of G-C pills that my wife had bought a few month back and started taking them. Within a few days the knee and hip pain was gone. I’m not really big on taking any sort of pills but this stuff really seems to work for me now.

Tried G-C some time ago. Not recently. Worth a try.

I’ll give a thumbs up vote for G-C also. I took it for granted for a long time, just including it with other things I take daily (multi-vitamin, B-12 and an occasional pro-biotic) but at least twice I have run out of the G-C and neglected to get more. My joints started to remind me within a week or two that G-C is NOT optional.

I’ll also give props to B-12 supplement. After numerous studies were publicized last year about its apparent efficacy in reducing cognition loss in older people I figured it was worth a shot and added 1000mg a day (a safe level)… http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/06/well/mind/vitamin-b12-as-protection-for-the-aging-brain.html?_r=0

String, My father is 71, has had joint and rotator cuff problems for years. He has run the gamut, of fish oil, various glucosimine & chondroitin formulas. He ate Advil & Aleve like candy, before and after paddling. Last year, his doctor put him on a prescription medication, called Meloxicam (Mobic). It has done wonders for him. He takes one tablet daily, it has taken care of his previous aches and pains. He has totally stopped, all his previous joint meds. He feels much better, and is more active daily. It has extended his paddling range. He is able to do more miles, more comfortably, than he has in years. The generic form, is fairly cheap as well. It maybe worth a try.

Thanks Meda . I’ll ask about that.

My Dad has arthritis in his hands and has taken it for a number of years.

Mobic is an NSAID and isn’t good for your liver or stomach.

Many - if not all - drugs have potential side effects. It’s a matter of managing the risks.

NSAIDs also include such drugs as Aspirin, Advil, Motrin, Nuprin, Midol, Aleve and dozens of others. Discuss Mobic with your doctor before writing it off.