Omega 3 Oils for mood

[MissAnonymous]

My partner has severe mood swings associated with Borderline PD and possible Bi-polar, though its thought the intense mood swings could be due to a very severe case of the PD.

She has significant issues with overdosing on her medication that leads to hospital admissions every 2-3 months and due to the risk, which is very high, another medication wouldn't be a good idea, because of this risk.

Her mood swings have been a problem for as long as she can remember, initially it was thought she had rapid cycling Bipolar 1 because of their severity, duration and the fact she was so young when they began [14].

I have wondered if, in addition to the medication she is on, a daily dose of Omega 3 oils, in particular EPA and DHA with a ratio of 60% to 40%, and a total of 1g of the EPA per day, would help.

Has anyone ever tried this, been advised to try it or similar?

I know it is not a strong agent, but if anything could help lift her mood, as she is mainly depressed, then it would be welcome. Her swings now are very very rapid, too rapid to be likely as a result of Bipolar, but she also has longer term mood swings, though these are less marked than years ago.

Thankyou for reading

[Ballerina123]

What about depot injections to reduce the OD risk?

I take omega 3 every day. I think I help my concentration and my mood a little bit. EPA omega is the best. However it is no replacement for my psych meds.

[random.swirls]

I was on a medication trial that looked at folic acid in conjuction of other medication.

http://www.cequel.org/ is the trial!

[MissAnonymous]

The problem is that Olanzapine and Respiridal gave her too many side effects and caused her to gain a huge amount of weight. They also did not provide foolproof cover over the psychosis. She is now on Quetiapine and and it's worked for the last 3 years, she's not had a huge psychotic episode for a long time now.

I personally would prefer her to be on a depo, but she'd OD on something else if she didn't have her normal meds. Also, she is reluctant to ask for a meds reveiw because of the worry they'll decide to take away the medication, that for the last few years has helped.

I am looking for something that does not need a prescription, is safe, and wont interact with her current meds. I'll have a look at the folic acid trial, thankyou Cam :)

Kate, its good to hear you have found it to be somewhat beneficial. We are under no illusion that it will dramatically change things, its hopefully going to be a little help towards stability.

[makedamnsure]

I've heard good things about omega 3 and mental health. I think depression specifically but it can't hurt to try it.