fish oil for adhd

[bluejay003]

has anybody tried omega 3 fish oil supplements for adhd treatment? I just read about it online and was wondering if anyones tried it...my daughter currently takes dexadrine but it just has too many side effects..she's 5 and can now fit back into her size 3 pants and they are too big. She used to wear a size 5. she's losing weight so we've requested numerous blood tests to be done..just looking for something else to try in the meantime..hoping to rule out anything and find out what is really wrong..

[wilson49332]

Hi, I am a licensed child social worker who likes to let parents know to try it and see how it goes. It really depends on the child, some respond to it a little, others dont at all. At the worst, it will be good for her health, and isnt that expensive. I would consult with your doctor on this.

On a side note, I can say that I use it myself for the same reason to help me get through my long classes (I teach as well), and it seems to at least help. But, I am older so thats to be taken with a grain of salt. Hope this helps!

[verylivid]

I have seem Fish Oil in a yogurt type pack. I don't know where you get them but I am sure you could google it. I know a few people that do use it for ADHD, but I am not a Doctor to tell you if it really works or not.

[MotherofActiveOnes]

a lot of time the info given to the medical community is given out by the pharm companies (and BIG $ is spent to get their points across)

I personally find when I take large doses of the omegas I handle life's ups n downs much smoother then when I don't...so IMHO I believe there is something to it...and I also believe it is one of those things that can't hurt...it will either help or have no change...but nothing negative will happen...so give it a whirl :)

[nin713]

I have recently been diagnosed with ADHD at 29. I also work for a supplement company and the research on Omega 3's is astounding. Not only does it help with ADD/ADHD, but depression, high cholestorol, and blood pressure to name a few. My Psychiatrist has also requested blood work to check to see if my Vitamin D3 levels and B12 levels are low...there was a recent study done (and not by the government) that something like 85% of children are low in Vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 can also help with depression, mood, concentration; besides the growth/bone health benefits. If your B12 is low that can also cause low energy levels which could lead to low concentration.

Working for a supplement company I get to work with a lot of healthcare practitioners and I've lost a lot of faith in main stream medicine. May i suggest to those of you who are frustrated with your MD's who just throw drugs at you, try seeing a Naturopathic Physician (ND), or an Osteopathic Doctor (DO). They have the same education and training as MD's, but they focus more on getting to the root cause of the problem than just treating the symptoms. Hope this information helps!

[trina1974]

my son is 9 and been diagnosed adhd since he was 6. They just took him off his adhd meds due to no weight gain in a year. i want to try fish oil how much should i give? he only weighs 52 lbs

[a59yankee]

My 10 yo son and I take Coromega.  It comes in a packet and is somewhat like yogurt.  We get the lemon/lime flavor it also comes in orange, but we both like the lemon/lime much better.  He is combination ADHD and gifted.  His ADHD isn't severe and he is not taking any medication.  I honestly believe the Omega 3 combined with TaeKwonDo has helped (also diet improvements).  I've seen a significant improvement over the past two months since he started martial arts.  I've also gotten positive feedback from his teachers, his piano teacher, his TaeKwonDo teacher, and friends parents.  He's taking a double dose of the Coromega and also double dose of NKO (Crill oil) for thirty days, then will cut down to normal dose.  He also takes @ a tablespoon of fresh ground flax seed every day.  We also shoot for better eating habits (less processed, more organics), including 20 grams of protein at each meal, expecially breakfast and lunch.  

[April2]

It's true that caffeine usually makes an ADHD kid more calm. It's interesting, my 19 year old son says that caffeine makes him calmer and he's never been officially diagnosed with ADD. I wouldn't give it to him after late afternoon, though, or it could make it hard for him to fall asleep.
I also wouldn't spank. It doesn't usually work, especially for hyper kids. It will make them more out of control. What they need is consistency and rules. They thrive on that. Well, all children thrive on that really. It's important that you stay calm so that you can be a good role model for your child. You want to teach him how to act by example. If he sees you getting frustated or losing control, how can he expect to learn self-control? Nobody says it's easy, though! I understand!

Try making a chart for him. For some reason kids love charts! Since he can't read yet use pictures and simple words. Keep it simple, not too many things to start off with. Decide what's the most important to you. You can put something like "use good manners - please and thank you" "Pet the dog/cat nice" "Pick up toys" "Brush teeth" "get dressed", etc. Be creative but don't make too many rules or make it too hard for him to understand. Make it age appropriate. Remember, he's only 3! Every time he does well with one of the rules, he gets a star for the day. When he adds up a certain amount of star then he gets a special treat, like a toy car at the store, or an ice cream at the ice cream shop, or going to the park with Mommy or Daddy. Most kids really just want to spend time with us. They want that quality time. So make sure you are paying attention to him when he's being good and praise him for it. For some reason, we tend to just focus on the bad things our kids are doing! So next time he's playing quietly by himself or he's being helpful to you or doing something without being told, praise him for it! Tell him how proud you are of him! Kids really do crave our approval. The more you do this, the more he will want to be good. If he has ADHD, though, it may be harder for him to control his impulses, so just help him to work on it. If you see that he's trying, try to focus on that, not that he blew it. Tell him "Good try! I know you'll do better next time!" or something like that. Does that all make sense? Try and stay postive. I know they can try our patience big time, but with time, patience and love, we can help shape and mold our children and help them to be good.
Hang in there! Make sure you're getting some alone time too so that you can feel recharged to better handle your son. Best wishes!

[bluejay003]

I'm not sure about the whole coffee thing, but somebody was telling me that chocolate should make my daughter calm but it doesn't. things that usually make us hyper should make adhd patients the opposite, however that isn't the case with my daughter.

[tls83]

do you know of anything i can do for my son. he is 3, he is hiper active and he doesn't listen he wont look at when i talk to him. time outs, spankings nothing works. when it comes to bed time it is a 3-4 hour process. he doesn't talk like a normal 3 year old no one can understand him. he can not sit still. sometimes i feel like i don't know what to do anymore. i read online once that one of the natrual ways to help a child naturly with add or adhd is to give the child coffee no sugar no cream. because the things that would make us hiper would do the oppisite for a child with add or adhd. also i herd zinc is good too....

[freafrom]

Hi, my son has adhd and a speech delay, he is 8 years old and is very smart. I tried children's omega-3 tablets. I gave him two chewable tablets once a week. After about a month of taking the omega-3 's I noticed that he started making loud noises with his throat. He has allergies and always made a little noise because of the irritation but the noises he started making sounded like a trains whistle. His doctor prescribed Depakote to control that and after a week he developed ticks. So that is what we are working on now. Hope this info was helpful. I gave my son the omega-3 tablets to try to improve his memory skills and because he is a picky eater, he would not eat fish. Anyways, I baked salmon and he loved it, so that is how he receives that vitamin. Kids seem to eat anything with ketchup, try it.

[gemstone89]

Omega 3 fish oil can help in small ways, depending on the severity of the ADHD. Ive taken it for a few years now (i started taking them when i was 15, am now 18) n i do find i can concentrate a little easier un-medicated but it doesnt fix all problems. My doctor said it can assist in raising small amounts of dopamine in the brain, which people with ADHD lack. So it wont cure ADHD or ne thin but it cant hurt not taking it, i mean if it can assist in controlling the symptoms, why not! The only issue here would be the fact the tablets r quite huge! my gosh they suck taking them cos of how big they are but oh well,

[rbcf]

My daughter was said to have add and for three years never weighed more than 58- 62 lbs 3rd to 5th grade.  hyper than tired.  her pulse was 130 on concerta and three different med for add and I told the doctor to give her a Thyriod test and they thought Iron disf. , folic acid, or b12.  I called ahead to our main doctor and told her to give her a tyriod test- runs ing the family and sure enough it was.  She has most of the systems which your children have. Some is behavior problems.  Any way she has a cyst on the thyriod and after being on thyriod med she never had Add meds.  again.  The Xray doctor said more kids have thyriod, Diabetis, and MS than ever before and could have Autoimmune disease.  Watch you kids for hyper ,tired, constipation, pulse on the pills. Also the Doctor said to put her on Omega 3 - fish oil.  He Said the kid are really low on this .  My daughter at time just stopped and couldn't get even three problems in an hour or two done and I use to keep trying to get her mind back on it.  Forgot alot of things and lied also and cried at every little thing(still does) She is very picky eater and screams even if she has to just taste any thing she doesn't want. At 11 years old she still breaks every thing she gets throw every thing down and cannot get organize.Than she can clean and work just great for a while/ like a different kid. I notice she didn't take the fish oil the last week and she had trouble with half of it.  

rbcf

[Mish321]

I have 3 children all with ADHD.  My son is on Adderall XR and my daughters are on Focalin.  All 3 of my children take 1000mgs of Omega 3 fatty acids and they have been taking the fish oil for at least a year and I do not see any differnce whatsoever.  I am just giving it to them because it states its good for them and helps with general well being.  Just wanted to let you know.  By the way, they do sell small tablets of the fish oil, I believe they are 500 mgs but the 1000mgs tablets are huge, thankfully for me, they swallow them without an issue.

[DeannaLee]

My son is 11 years old, and he too was diagnosed with adhd and put on meds.  I currently have him taking Omega 3's and I have noticed a small difference at home.  He hasn't been doing it for long, and I've heard it takes a couple of months.  My thougth is it is worth a shot.  They sell children's omega 3 at the vitamin store or health food.  They are smaller in size.  He currently is not on any meds, he had bad side effects.  But he was so small, i needed to put some meat on his bones.  

Good Luck to you.

[April2]

Most doctors think natural products and remedies are a bunch of baloney. That's because they work with the drug companies to push drugs for every ailment and disease. They also don't have much training in natural products unless they are a homeopathic doctor. If you can afford it, I'd say see a homoepathic doctor.

Fish oil is an excelent source of Omega 3's, the good fats we need. Also, Flax Seed Oil is very good for you. Both nurish the brain (which needs fat), helps you to think more clearly, etc. It also nurishes the joints, hair and skin. It's very good for you!
If you or your kids have problems with pills, you can buy fish oil or flax seed oil in liqued form. You have to keep it refridgerated though. Go to your local health food store and talk with someone there and see if you can pick up a book that will help give you the information you are interested in.
I had a friend who was very into natural things and both her boys had ADHD. She didn't want to put them on medication so she gave them Flax Seed Oil every day and swears she saw a difference in them when they were consitantly on it. It does take awile to kick in though, I think, probably at least 6 weeks of taking it every day. Maybe longer. You don't have to take it straight. You can mix it in a smoothie or other foods.

I'm looking into more natural things too since my health hasn't been too good the last couple of years. I'm trying to educate myself now too on all this. I find it all very fascinating. I think our bodies were really meant to be as natural as possibe without all that man made, synthetic or processed stuff. I think it puts a strain on the body and the body can even get overloaded with too much unnatural stuff in us. The body is amazing in that it can usually adapt pretty well, even when we abuse it or damage it, but after awhile it can shut down. I'm talking more diseases and sicknesses than ADHD.
I've heard there is a link between kids who have ADHD and allergies or food sensitivities too, so you might want to get your kids tested for that. Some kids are sensitive to food dyes like red food dye.

The more I lean about this stuff, the more fascinated I am with it all! It's really interesting stuff. I've also heard that a lot of the problems we have is because most of us are difficient in certain minerals, vitamins or the good fats. Just try and educate yourself on all of it. And don't expect your doctor to agree. They make their money of the drug companies too.
One more thing, I read a story of a lady who cured herself of cancer by radically changing her diet. She went all organic and vegetarian. She had been told her cancer was too far advanced and she was desperate. After several months of this way of eating, her cancer went into remission and eventually she became cancer free. I'm telling you, there's something to that! What we put into our bodies really affect us. I think there's a lot we still don't know or understand. I just find it all so interesting. I'm still learning too!
I did talk to my own doctor about whether it was ok to take fish or flax seed oil, probiotics and digestive enzymes along with the medication he prescribed. I'd like to not even use the medication. I was recently diagnosed with Crohns. He said it wouldn't hurt to take these things along with the medication. So it shouldn't hurt to take this along with whatever medication you're currently taking. I hope any of this helps!
I think it's great that you all want to do the best for your kids and check into different things. Like I said, pick up a book and start educating yourself. I think you will find it as interesting as I have. Best wishes to you both! And here's to a happy, healthy new year! :)

[suziq72]

Good question and I was wondering the same thing so I asked my pediatrician. He said it was a bunch of baloney. It made sense to me though. My son has been on concerta for 3 years and I was hoping this could be a good supplement. The only problem is that the fish oil pills are HUGE! Unfortunaltey- they don't make them small, soI think your daughter would have a hard time swallowing the pills, I know my son would and he is a very good pill taker. I am very lucky that Salmon happens to be his very favorite food, which is a very good source of Omega-3. When he gets older, I may try it, he's 10 now and only in a size 8. For now- I take the supplements- what the heck! It can't hurt!
Good luck