I tried Fish Oil... | Autism PDD
I am so blind to supplements, so I dont know what I am doing:) But, from previous posts about fish oils, I bought some Omega 3. My dd started taking it four days ago. Would I already be seeing results???
Either its the oil or coincidence but I have a totally different child on my hands. She seems so calmed. She is not bouncing off walls aimlessly. She is focused and playing with toys she hasent had any interest in for months. They quality of her speech has made huge progress. Her questions, her chit chat, its all so "put together." And, the biggest difference...the stimming. I hardly see the finger thing. I took her to the mall last night and we went to the book store and they have a huge Thomas the Train display that kids go crazy with. Well, usually, she is flicking her fingers in there the whole time...not once. I was so amazed. She was clam enough to actually play and enjoy herself.
Is this what I was to expect with Fish Oil? Is it supposed to help with stimming? I know it helps with hyperactivity and speech but I thought it only helped "delayed" speech. Since dd is not delayed, just disordered, I didnt think it would impact her.
I am so happy but not sure if the oil targets this progress. Is it just her? Has anyone see these results before?
We saw results within a week. A much calmer child and one I would take to a county fair along with his baby sister ALL BY MYSELF! His perseverating almost went away completely for a while and rears its head now only when he is super-stressed (like now - about school starting!).
It could have been that it was summer time or that he turned 5 and a huge developmental leap happened at the same time coincidentally. But, I honestly don't think so and have been very happy with the fish oil...
I've been giving my 7 year old (high functioning) and NT 3 year old Nordic naturals cod liver oil (a teaspoon daily) for over a year now. The younger says "yum" after his teaspoon, fortunately. ;)It's one of those things that is good for everyone. I take a tablespoon daily for heart health.
Stephen
I just wanted to say that I met 2 women, 1 ate fish 3x/week and looked 50, the other didn't and looked 70. Both are 65. Parents don't forget to take yours too!No can do for Daniel he's fish allergic. He does take epr though. [QUOTE=daniel's mom]No can do for Daniel he's fish allergic. He does take epr though. [/QUOTE]
I've read that fish allergies are caused by fish protein, not by fish oils, but that fish oil can still contain trace amounts of proteins.
Nordic naturals has a molecular distillation process that was developed to eliminate any heavy metals in their oil. They claim it also removes proteins.
From their FAQ:
[quote]What if a person is allergic to fish? Can they ingest fish oil? Generally, yes. Allergens (what people react to) in food are usually the protein component of a food (e.g. gluten in wheat, casein in milk). Because Nordic Naturals pure fish oils are thoughtfully and carefully manufactured (gentle processing, low temperature, clay filtered, and microdistilled) they are essentially void of protein components. As a result, people who react to eating fish can generally consume fresh fish oil capsules. It is always a good idea to consult with your healthcare practitioner before beginning a supplement regime. Recently started taking Omega 3's for myself - depression and anxiety and all. Bought some of the Omega-3 eggs at the store and noticed a big difference inpaul right away. Got tired of making scrambled eggs every morning though. :-)
Switched to Omega 3 gummies and continue to get good results. Not ready to replace the Focalin XR yet, but school this year is 1,000 times better than last. Is it maturity? Is it some of the IEP interventions? Home interventions? Omega's?
Frankly, I don't care. I'm with the crowd that says "if you think it works and it does no harm well then keep it up!"
Oils can be rubbed at bottom of feet and get same effect if the child will not take them by mouth. Learned this in a oils class I went to.
That is so awesome that you guys got such great results!
My son was on it for years and I gave him the most "pure" that you can buy(I ordered it from Canada--you can't get in in the USA).
No results ever. But I knew it was good for him anyways--so continued to give it.
We use the spectrum brand lemon flavored oil. We get it at kroger in their vitamins section for a bottle. My son and I both take it, and it lasts a month. He takes it in his lemonade, and even with his very picky palate, can't taste it.R takes it and has been for about 2 weeks now( coromega ) - I am noticing some extra cvocalizing but nothing else - still I plan to continue People who had no way of knowing when my grandson started on it, or even that he was going to start it, noticed a big change in him right away. It is so funny but we started fish oil only after they stated Sarah had delayed myelin that could affect speech so I researched myelin repair ect..and came up with fish oil..we saw great results too. Now it's highly recommended for apraxia and speech delay on all the speech delayed boards...I didnt know it helped with behaviors but I feel language and behaviors kinda go hand in hand sometimes. Keep it up:)alwaysworried,
Yes, fish oil is good for people, and some studies have shown that it can benefit kids with neurological problems.
That said, i'd bet that what you are likely witnessing is placebo effect by proxy, which can be quite persausive. For example, in the old secretin trials, in one of the trials, the placebo group actually reported greater benefit than the secretin group (which also could be a sign that the secretin was actually hurting, but who knows). The secretin trials proved that the placebo by proxy effect is particularly strong with parents of neurologically impaired kids. Placebo effect, coupled with natural maturity, is likely how most autism "treatments" work, imo.
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-66672139.html
We found that a single dose of secretin was no more effective than placebo. Of particular interest here is that 30% of both the secretin group and the placebo group showed significant improvement after infusion, according to parent and teacher reports. Some individuals showed improvement in core symptoms of autism, such as eye contact, ...
That said, I would keep taking the fish oil as the positive health effects are well known and, as I mentioned, there has been some studies showing a correlation in the improvement of neurologically disordered childrens (I think the studies have been for ADHD - no time to look right now).
BTW - almost everyone thinks they are exceptions to placebo effect and that it doesn't affect them. but scientists know that no one really is immune - even cool, dispassionate researchers are not immune - and thus, all valid trials are placebo controlled so that the scientist know if they are observing what they want to see (or expect to see), or if they are seeing some real effect.
Here, we too Coromega for a while - which tastes great, but switched to Nordic Naturals liquid. All of my kids can take it right off the teaspoon (with a chaser of orange juice or something), so buying it in liquid form saves a little money.
I observed improved eye contact, better language, etc. after about two weeks of fish oil. This improvement was most likely placebo effect, I now concede (because if the improvements had continued, the girls would be further along now (many,many months later, then they are), but we continue to take the supplement because it's cheap, safe, and has peripheral health benefits beyond the neurological stuff.
fred - I think it's harder to differentiate among kids who are more high-functioning like your girls. I can tell the difference in ds if I have forgotten to give him his fish oil for a few days (this has happened several times this summer
Again, this could all be placebo - but so many professionals have noticed his "off" days when he has been off it - and they didn't know he was ever on it!
I just think that for some kids it really helps with the focus, which in my ds' case makes all the difference in the world. It isn't a cure-all by any means, but he is much better at coping with outside stimuli when he is on the fish oil. He also feels better physically - and perhaps because he isn't getting sick, that is also helping. He had been sick a LOT the previous year - and I would imagine that when you are not feeling good a lot of the time that it might cause you to be more grumpy and have more behavioral issues... Just a theory though!
I'm very well aware of the placebo effect - especially given that my dh does scientific research! Which is why I always give the caveat that it COULD be placebo - but after this last year, I just don't think so. I think the fish oil helps - not cures, but helps.
My son just swallows the big, huge, capsules. (since 4yo) We used Omegabrite. But it was getting really expensive. So now we use that we can actually get in the USA. Nordic Naturals---Ultimate Omegas. We actually is the small as the Junior omegas---but instead of giving 2 junior--I give 1 adult. My youngest tried the coromega pudding stuff. Nope-----she hated it. So---thankfully, she caught on to swallowing the pills too!! The big ones are alittle too big for her--so she takes the junior size.Our whole family takes fish oils. There is no down side to it. I have heardthat it does help with inattentiveness. I am glad that it helps with stims as
well.Yep, my dr. reccomended it for me also--helps with mood regulation and
anxiety in adults as well. I totally noticed a change in behavior in my son
the couple of times I ran out for a few days--he was just more anxious and
"fussy" than usual.
Everyone in the family should take them--they're great for skin, eyes, brain
function and more!
How do you all give your child fish oil supplements??? I tried once to drain the liquid from a capsule and give him to him and the smell and taste were horrible! We want to try this so bad because as a pp mentioned, it's good for him regardless! my son is 3.5.
thanks!
Hi, I use the Carlsons for Kids, its liquid and it has a lemon flavor. I bought it because it won a best taste award. My dd likes it.
About the mood regulation and anxiety, I started to take Omega 3's at the same time my dd did and I feel a huge difference in me too. I feel fantastic and I have loads of energy. I havent felt this way in a long time:)
There are brands that make formulas for kids. I use Nordic Naturals kidsin strawberry flavor--mix it into yogurt and smoothies in the AM. Keep
it in the fridge-keeps it fresh and keeps the flavor less fishy.
Some folks here use Coromega- orange flavor packets--it's creamy and
can be put on a spoon or stirred into orange juice. I hear some kids eat it
straight!
Good luck!
As an adult, i hear people don't like the "fishy burps" (ew
) I,
personally, have never had a fish burp in my life, but I was told to take my
supplements at night. They seem to be fully digested by the time I awake
the orange flavour), as perscribed by his neuropsych, who is one of the
best neuropsychiatrists in the country (Canada). He perscribed it as a
mood stabilizer, and for overall health.
I'd given Don fish oil in the past, at a lower (normal) dose, when I was into
the biomed stuff. I noticed a slight improvement when he was taking it,
just in how much visual stimming he did.
Now, on the high dose, we notice if he misses his fish. Notice it just as
much as if he missed any of his other meds. We get a lot of behaviour
and intense moodiness. Stimming and aggression. Granted, Donny is
bipolar, and these improvements and symptoms could be related to that.
Regardless, I know the fish helps him, and it's good for him too
You don't have to necessarily give more if you use a brand with higher concentrations. Nordic Naturals sells a brand with extra EPA. 1 gram of EPA daily is enough to use for mood stabilization.
If you are still out there... How much teaspoons were you giving him at the time of this posting?
[QUOTE=Donny's mom]Donny takes a very high dose of fish oil (we use Nordic Naturals liquid, in
the orange flavour), as perscribed by his neuropsych, who is one of the
best neuropsychiatrists in the country (Canada). He perscribed it as a
mood stabilizer, and for overall health.
I'd given Don fish oil in the past, at a lower (normal) dose, when I was into
the biomed stuff. I noticed a slight improvement when he was taking it,
just in how much visual stimming he did.
Now, on the high dose, we notice if he misses his fish. Notice it just as
much as if he missed any of his other meds. We get a lot of behaviour
and intense moodiness. Stimming and aggression. Granted, Donny is
bipolar, and these improvements and symptoms could be related to that.
Regardless, I know the fish helps him, and it's good for him too
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