DHA/EPA (Omega 3)

[gina1kid]

Catatonic,

Is there any such thing as overdosing on DHA/EPA or vitamin E?

[catatonic]

Sure, it's possible, but not in the acute way you'd see with something like sleeping pills or amphetamines or other prescription medications.

Because of its anti-coagulant effect, one risk associated with consuming lots of Vitamin E is the possibility of hemorrhage. Also, since it's fat-soluble, it's possible to place too large a burden on your liver with really large amounts. Even within safe levels, you may notice increased bleeding or scrapes and bloody noses that bleed more freely.

The Linus Pauling Institute (affiliated with the Oregon State University system) recommends taking 200IU of Vitamin E daily, a level that provides the beneficial anti-oxidant and anti-coagulating effects without risk. I follow the Institute's recommendations for my children. My father, a doctor and research biochemist, takes 400IU per day and has convinced me this is safe for an adult.

Because even a slight chance of hemorrhage can be dangerous, you shouldn't exceed the safe tolerable limits for Vitamin E. These are 1,500IU for an adult, 900IU for a teen, 600IU for ages 9-13, and 450IU for children 4-8.

FOr Omega-3 supplementation, no upper safety limits have been established. Excess Omega-3 is simply processed like any other food oil (like butter) by your body. It does, like Vitamin E, have anti-coagulant activity. But it's been used in clinical studies at levels as high as 10 grams (that's 10,000mg) per day of EPA/DHA combined without ill effects. That's close to 10 times as much as most of us use.

However, because there's the possibility that the anti-inflammatory action of Omega-3 may translate into immunosuppressant activity, you probably want to stick with doses that don't exceed 900mg EPA and 600mg DHA per day. (This is the lowest level at which suppressed immune activity has been noted in research findings.)

Since clinical studies indicate that for ADHD, you need to consume an effective dose of 480mg DHA and 720mg EPA, you can see there's not much wiggle room in adjusting the dose. Unless you already have a compromised immune system, you could probably exceed the higher numbers without problem, but we don't because I'm a huge worry wart!

I hope this answers your question. Have you noticed symptoms that might make you think you're taking too much of these supplements?

[gina1kid]

Thanks Catatonic, you are a wealth of information. I really value your opinion.

Well, I have been giving my DS 900 mg EPA and 600 mg of DHA. Which seems to be working out good. Lately, I have noticed he has some behavior problems at school getting along with his peers. It seemed to be a dramatic change. His teacher even called me on the bad behavior. He just wasn't getting along with the other students. My thought at first was... could it be that I am giving him to much EPA/DHA.

I was trying to figure out what we have done differently in the past couple of weeks, and I have concluded the only thing different was that I had added a calcium childrens vitamin (Nature's Way). I am thinking this is causing the problems and not the EPA/DHA, which he has been taking for years. I remember you recommending more Vitamin E sometime back whenand that work great in combination with the omega 3. His behavior was good.

I stopped giving him the calcium last night. I am hoping he will have a better day today.

My DS is so sensitive to foods. I don't know if you recall sometime back I had written about some other new vitamins (Advocare) that I gave him and they produced the same bad behavior in him. Yesterday's incident was just like that.

I guess I should know better not to add anymore new vitamins. If things are working great, I need to leave it at that.

I also tried the Nordic Naturals and I noticed bad behavior in him. I think it was either the lemon oil or rosemary extract. I went back to the Pure Encapsulations Brand.

Do you think the amount of Omega 3 is to much for an 8 Year old (52 lbs). I also give him 200 IU of Vitamin E?

Thanks for your quick response.

Gina