Research shows that consuming Omega 3 Fatty Acids has both a mood elevating and mood stabilizing quality. There have been 21 human studies that have looked at Omega-3 for mood in adults. Some of them have been in bipolar disorder, some in depression.
There is also one study found that Omega 3s can be a treatment for pediatric bipolar patients. Here is an excellent article about the benefits of Omega 3 for people with bipolar disorder.
A mention this on this blog because Omega 3 are also great for pregnant women. Studies have shown that women who consume (either through diet i.e. fish or supplements) higher amounts of omega 3 are more alert and more advanced than babies whose mothers did not consume Omega 3s. Read the article here
I first started taking Omega supplements because my psychiatrist recommended it years ago as something to use in addition to traditional psych meds. During my pregnancy I upped the amount I was taking to 4 grams a day of a highly concentrated supplement - I like OmegaBrite it is a lot more expensive than most brands but highly distilled.
I've always believed that taking the Omega has helped my moods ... so if you are pregnant I highly recommend adding this to your prenatal vitamin regimine especially if you are not on meds.
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I also found that magnesium supplements have helped me. I had a week left in my first trimester before I could safely go back on lamictal, and I had already been rapidly cycling for the previous two weeks. I've only been taking it for a little over a week now, so I can't tell if it stopped the rapid cycling, but it definitely took the "edge" off my moods. Thanks for the info about Omega3--I think I'll be adding that to my regime now that I'm on half my regular dose of meds.
I never tried magnesium supplements. I'll have to look into that for next time. I did recently hear on an Oprah show with Dr. Christine Northrup that Vitamin D supplements help with mood ... so I've added extra vitamin D since I am still on a lower amount of Lamictal since I am breastfeeding.
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