For those who take Omega fish supplements
#181988 - 05/30/05 09:47 AM
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Cyndy
Reged: 03/05/05
Posts: 1301
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I am trying these now. I am taking 2 a day. I noticed they seem to help the constipation, but I have had worse cramps and nausea and pain with them. I also have increaded gas! 
I've been on them about a week maybe??
While I love the increased BM ease, the pain is horrible. It is chronic and it feels like I am always on the verge of having to go, but I don't. The sort of cramps you get before you have a BM but I have this feeling all day, even though I don't go.
I am trying to reduce to one capsule a day to see if it helps the pain/gas without reducing the BMs.
Is this common in the beginning? Will the side effects go away if I stick with them? Have others had these initial side effects? I'm not sure if I should stop them, or if I should just keep taking them. I will, if the side effects are just temporary.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
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I never experienced these side effects. I'm so sorry to hear you are having problems with this! Hang in there! I just know you will soon find a combination that works for you! Don't get discouraged! Hang in there!
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God is Faithful!
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Bamagirl
#182067 - 05/30/05 04:58 PM
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Cyndy
Reged: 03/05/05
Posts: 1301
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Do you think I should stop them? Or do you think I should hang in there with them and hope the side effects go away? UGH! Why must I choose between constipation and worse pain and gas?
I am going to try taking only 1 capsule and see if that helps. I pray it does. I need something and had such high hopes for these omega pills. You'd think I'd learn to not get my hopes up about anything by now.
I feel so hopeless and tired of all this.
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I think that this is a pretty good sign that they're aggravating your IBS - I'm not 100% but I don't think that's a regular "body getting used to them" type side effect. Not sure on that though. I'd say stick it out for a few more days *if* you want to and then stop taking them, or just stop taking them all together. Helping you go is great but not if you're in excruciating pain because of it!
There are other omega 3 & 6 oil supplements though - maybe try another one other than fish oils? (i.e. I take evening primrose oil) Just a thought. HTH
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and only fish oils. Do you think maybe something like flax seed oil supplements would be a non fish omega source? I think maybe I should try this if my current 3-6-9 oil continues to bother me. It is hard to separate out what is exactly causing the pain since I am taking Zelnorm and Magnesium on top of the fish oils. 
What do you take Primrose oil for? Does it help you IBS?
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With all of the pain, if it has continued more than a week, I would drop the supplement. Your body must have an issue with the oil.
I would really make an effort to limit my supplements to one at a time until I knew how my body would react. Get the SFS solid first, then SLOWLY, one at a time. Too many too fast, and you will only worssen the situation. I hope this helps.
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God is Faithful!
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so I thought the fat content would be fairly safe. I don't handle fat well at all.
But maybe oil is separate issue than fat? 
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Hi Cyndy
yeah there are Essential Fatty Acids (aka EFAs aka omega 3s, 6s etc.) in lots of different kinds of oils, including evening primrose oil, flax seed oil and others.
I take evening primrose both for the EFAs and it is also extremely helpful with regulating my periods - and in turn, my IBS is a little bit less horrid around that time of the month.
Note that I tend to take them with meals that are already very low in fat, so that I'm not overloading my digestive system with fat either on an empty stomach or after a meal that already has sufficient fat.
HTH 
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there are a couple catches for ibs-ers re: omega oils:
they work best when taken with a meal that is high in fat. so, that's out for us. even in those w/out ibs, they very often cause what is known as 'fish burps.' the brand i have (Eskimo-3 by Tyler) is supposed to not cause these burps. that much seems true. i have it in both capsules and liquid. i've been encouraged to take them for perhaps (?) some added antidepressant help for my major depressive disorder - not for ibs.
i have heard some (even w/out ibs) say they have some laxative effect.
i have tried them several times, and each & every time - hard to describe - let's just say my entire GI tract feels unwell. (but no burps, tho! lol) i did not notice all that much of a laxative effect, if any. they are VERY good for the heart, so if you can tolerate, stick with. otherwise, i'd ditch 'em in a ny minute...and i did. i'm done with them!
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I think I'm going to give them a little longer to see if I can handle them and only if they give me postive BM results.
If they hurt me more than help, I will try just plain flax as it may just be the "fish" part I can't handle. I read on another board where plain flax has better results for IBS than the Omega fish oil.
I think I'm like you. I think it is causing an overall yuck GI feeling, unfortunately. But I need to give it some time as I can go through periods of feeling overall yucky GI wise without the Omega supplements! I need to see if it is just a coincidence in timing.
Are you a C, BTW? Have you found anything to help your C?
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....and, boy, can i relate! who knows what the h...e...double hockey sticks it EVER is, ya know?
ty on the flax tip. do you mean flax oil supplements or just plain flax seed?
i am a chronic C-er. there have been times when i was convinced that flax seed added to my cereal helped. also, i had some success for a while with a boxed cereal called 'Uncle Sam's,' that has flax seed mixed right in. i can't always find that in my area, anymore.
but, because i also have a severe mood disorder, i MUST take meds for that - one helps the C (prozac), but can be is abit too stimulating to my gut without the other, (klonopin) - which smoothes the contractions, helps the bloat, etc., but causes more C (in me). geez. it's a nearly constant micro-managing struggle far too often...still.
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Actually, I do already take flax seed powder in my morning cereal for added fiber. Not sure yet if it is helping or hurting as I am still constipated and having gas as usual.
I was referring to switching the Omega fish oil caplets to just plain Flax oil tablets. I thought (from Retrograde's reply) that maybe it is the fish oil specifically that is causing me problems and not just the oil.
Have you ever tried just plain Flax oil tablets? Or have you given up on these types of supplements altogether?
I've seen that cereal in stores. It's marketed as a Natural Laxative cereal.  All that fiber, I assume, because there is nothing "bad" in it. I would think this cereal is totally IF and a bit too harsh for our tummies, especially first thing in the morning. Totally against the principles of Heather's diet approach. But, you gotta do what you gotta do to go sometimes. C totally stinks...and hurts like heck! Sometimes I think I'd take just about anything to get some stuff out of me!
So, Pulse, what are you currently taking to help your C?
I am also on Klonopin and my doctor swears that it isn't causing worse constipation. I don't know about that! I want to try Prozac too. The next time I see my doctor I am going to ask him about it. I was on it years ago but had to quit because it gave me D (back when I was chronic D  ) but now that side effect would be a welcomed change. I don't think I would have D, but maybe lessen the C at least.
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Is a fish oil supplement with Lipase included to help digest the fat in the supplement. So maybe this would help better. Unfortunately it still has the "fish" oil and not flax. I read where plain flax oil gave better relief for IBS than plain fish oil.
OH, too many choices!
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Yes EFAs do have a slight laxative effect. I found this when I was (briefly) taking the fish oil supplements - and being a D, that's not exactly what I'm looking for 
However, some people who are C (like Elizabeth (e_mcmaster)) take them for just that reason - to help them go.
When I switched to the evening primrose oil I found them to be much easier to tolerate. I mainly take them to help regulate hormones and keep my IBS from flaring too seriously during my period, but I also find that I 'feel' better on them and it eases my worries that get too little healthy fats in my diet.
If they don't work well for you, clearly don't take them. They're not one of those 'necessary' IBS supplements (if there is such a thing) - so don't worry about discontinuing them.
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Do you take the capsules or the oil? I would think the capsules would be much lower in fat and, thus, safer. I know flax oil has like 11 grams of fat per Tablespoon (like most oils) in the liquid, but the capsules have only 3.5 per 3 capsules.
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Cyndy,
bear i mind i'm just getting started on taking this whole ibs-c stuff seriously. the last too many years i've been struggling with getting my depression under control...and that has been a full time job, as i'm not one of the lucky ones who can just pop an antidepressant and be 'better than well' year after year.
so, as of now, for my C, i take benefiber chewables, which - oddly - according to heather should, but do NOT make me sick. in fact, they far & away cause me the least distress of any of the OTC sf supplements. i have not tried acacia yet.
i am awaiting a shipment of a fennel liquid; looks like it's taken with a dropper. i tried heather's enteric-coated peppermint with fennel and ginger in it. but, even with the coating, the peppermint did irritate my GERD. durn. i was so hoping! i do occasionally take ginger for nausea. at the moment, knock on wood, i'm not having any nausea.
i have given up almost all dairy, which is hard for me because i do so crave it + milk is one of the top 10 foods that help depression. tomatoes are also on that list, and since they mostly don't irritate my GERD (again, oddly...hey, i lucked out on one whole thing!), they will remain. of course, i do take prevacid, which was a blessing for years, but now i'm starting to wonder about it. i'll save that for another thread.
i'm also waiting for a shipment of magnesium malate pills that one member here recommended. i can't take the liquid version of magnesium citrate, Natural Calm = major gas/ gurgling.
as i recall, i only took Uncle Sams cereal when i made the HUGE mistake of trying effexor - that anti-d, imo, should be banned for us Cs. i've read of many developing ibs-c for the first time in their lives from taking effexor!
right now, after re-introducing my klonopin, it's helping me so much - no nausea, much less bloat, no cramps....except...tada.... increased C. yep, i know the docs won't admit it causes it. phewey on them! idiots!
i openly admit i'm not yet even close to on top of the ibs diet here. i'm still at the point of just perusing all the YUM recipes. i rarely have much of an appetite - neve have had - so how much progress i''ll ever make is up for grabs still.
please let me know if you find a flax oil supp. you like.
Edited by pulse (06/01/05 02:07 PM)
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Oh yeah definitely the capsules! 
I try to eat mostly fat-free so that I can add small amounts of healthy oils (like olive oil) to my diet - so I do ok with oils in general, but I'm talking really small amounts here - like 1 tsp per meal.
I did try a small amount flax oil in a smoothie a few times (the actual oil) - ugh! It was gruesome for me!! But then, I'm IBS-D! I do put small amounts of olive oil though in protein shakes sometimes (heh, sounds kind of weird I know but you can't taste it) and that doesn't affect me at all. Guess flax oil itself is just a trigger for me.
OK I'm done rambling Hope that helps!
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Laurel???
#201126 - 07/30/05 08:48 PM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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Which brand of Primrose Oil do you take? How many milligrams per day?
Do you take a vegetarian form? I can't find one without gelatin. So, where do you get this from?
You are a D, so maybe this wouldn't help me with the C...but the flax oil I think was causing gas, so I thought I'd try Primrose. The primrose says it is good for cramps menstrual cramps too, so maybe they will help with IBS cramps and maybe the constipation by lubricating me???
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Sorry just caught this now Beth... you have mail!
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