There has been so much controversy surrounding the use of various vitamins, dietary supplements and even medications for depressive and anxious mental health disorders. Society is still divided as to whether there really exists such disorders as depression and anxiety, just as society is divided in the pro-life/pro-choice debates. The issue of depression and anxiety conjures up such emotions as embarrassment, anger, frustration, disgust and intense hopelessness to name a few.
As a person who suffers from depression and anxiety, I can empathize with the frustration and other emotions. I am taking Omega 3, 6 and 9, in addition to my medication and vitamins, on a daily basis. I have to say that I feel a difference when I take the Omega’s versus when I don’t. To measure, unscientifically of course, the effects of Omega 3, 6 and 9, I did a little bit of an experiment. For two weeks, I took the Omega’s in the morning and my other medication in the afternoon, approximately 6 hours after taking the Omega’s. I would log anything how I felt in the morning and afternoon, just after taking either the Omega’s or the medication.
My results were better than I anticipated. After taking the Omega’s, I felt a difference in mood after approximately 30 minutes. It felt like a “calming down” kind of feeling. six hours later, after taking my prescription medication (Cymbalta) I felt less of a difference in my mood or emotional state of mind. This continued everyday for the entire two weeks. After the two weeks I looked over my notes and results to see if there were any disparities in them. I wanted to see if there were anything I missed. One thing I have to note, I concluded the two week study just before my menses. Why is this significant? A woman’s hormonal deviations can significantly affect her emotional state of mind, it does for me. I don’t have a significant change in my emotional state but I do get a bit more irritable and impatient.
Also, my husband said he noticed a difference during those two weeks. I hadn’t told him about my test because I didn’t want it to affect his opinion. In addition, I was experiencing an incredibly stressful point in my life with a severe hospitalization of a family member during the two weeks I took the Omega’s. My husband noticed that I was calmer, less likely to become irritable, seemingly less affected by the stressors going on in my life and generally content. He was pleasantly surprised that I had performed this two week study because we had discussed the possible pro’s and con’s of taking Omega 3 for my depression and anxiety, and we were apprehensive about possible side effects.
I had spoken with various individuals that confirm their experiences were positive when they used Omega 3 for general depression, post partum depression, ADHD and general stress. The people I spoke with were never diagnosed with any mental illness, including depression and anxiety. I knew each person for a period of time spanning one year to 15 years, and trust their responses were true and concise.
So, what does this mean? To me, the use of Omega’s are helpful and beneficial for the overall positive state of mind of anyone taking them. Based on my personal experience and the experiences of those I spoke with, none of us experienced any sort of negative side effects. I can’t say there aren’t any but that would depend on how an individual responds to the Omega’s. All but one of us who took Omega’s, took the over-the-counter type and we all (remarkably) took about the same amount (3-4 pills @ 1000mg each). It seems that for a more stressful day, we would all up the dosage to 4 1000mg’s and we all found that amount to give us the results we were looking for.
I think Omega 3, or for me Omega 3,6 and 9, is good to add to most peoples regimen to fight their depression and anxiety. All you can do is your own research and then decide for yourself! Good luck…
