nosebleeds (For Catatonic )

[gabrielsmom]

Hi Cat:

My son has always had nosebleeds during the winter. He will usually have about 5 or 6 during the winter months. They are not terribly frequent or heavy. I have been giving him omega 3 (NOW Brand) and I read on another thread on omega 3 and nosebleeds that omega 3 can cuase nosebleeds, bleeding gums etc.... Now as u probably know by now, I am a little on the paranoid side...LOL sooo...anyway, he had a nosebleed on Monday (4am) and today he had another one while in school (around 1:30 pm).....The questions is....Is it possible to tell whether this was just a regular nosebleed or if it was caused by omega 3?....he is doing so well on his supplements, I would hate to have to take him off the Omega. Also, should I just let it go, since like i stated before he doesn't bleed heavily and the bleeding does stop within 5 minutes or so....also it doesn't seem to bother him at all and quite frankly it has never been something that bothered me. His doc said it was due to the dry air during the winter months that dries up his nasal passages and make him bleed (my dad and brother are also prone to nosebleeds)

What do you think?.....

thanks for your imput

[catatonic]

Johsua -
I love questions like this. They're so much fun to think about. Just like a mystery.

I have one boy who gets nosebleeds in the winter as well -- although he hasn't had any yet this winter. With him, his allergies are a big part of the problem, and he's been doing really well with his Allegra and all the magnesium and fish oil and multi-vitamins I force him to consume, even though he doesn't have any ADHD problems. He takes plenty of Omega-3 but doesn't seem to get any nosebleeds.

Despite the fact that Omega-3 has a mild anit-coagulant effect similar to aspirin, bleeding side-effects attributed to using it are not common, just as they are not common with aspirin.

One long-term study followed people given DHA supplements for a 4-year period and found the results universally positive. In fact, it concluded there were 'NO IDENTIFIABLE SAFETY RISKS' associated with consuming DHA found in the study. (see www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12963609&dopt=Abstract )

Another study specifically aimed at Omega-3 and bleeding issues concluded that " Dietary supplementation with marine omega-3 fatty acids does prolong the bleeding time" but didn't have much more to say on the subject. (see www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11122717&dopt=Abstract )

If your son has a tendency to nosebleeds anyway, they may be somewhat more difficult to stop due to the anti-coagulant effect, but I'd be surprised if this were anything other than a mild effect. It also seems unlikely the Omega-3 actually causes the bleeding, rather that it may make it flow a little more freely. (They do tell you to stop taking aspirin prior to surgery, so I would assume the same to be true of Omega-3.)

I'd be careful to keep the nose very nice and moist. Prevent the bleeding from getting started in the first place, and the anti-coagulant effect isn't an issue.

And if really seems like a problem, you can switch to flax seed oil. It doesn't make the long-chain fatty acids as readily available as fish oil does (the body has to build it from precursors, assuming that process is not impaired) and you need to take about 10 times more. But at least there is an option, even if it's not a great one.

Hope this helps you out some.

Cat

[gabrielsmom]

Hi Cat:

Thanks for your input. He hasn't had anymore nosebleeds and quite honestly I didn't see a difference in the amount of blood released (comparing nosebleeds from before and after omega 3 supplementation) but I will keep a look out. There was also no difference in the duration of the nosebleed.

[gabrielsmom]

Good Luck Madison

I hope everything turn out well with the omega 3's

[catatonic]

Hi Madison, hope you get good results

On the fish oil, there is a "Now" brand product called DHA-250 which is nice and small. Has the additional advantage of being nice and cheap. You can buy it through www.herbaladvisor.com for a little over $10 for a bottle of 120 capsules. It's not plain old fish oil, which is what I use (BIG capsules) but is more like the Neuro DHA.

[catatonic]

Madison, you are too cute!!!! (And I still don't know how to get stuff to move across the screen like that. Very cool.)