Fish oil is a common, doctor-recommended over-the-counter supplement for treating high levels of cholesterol, specifically triglycerides. Even when your physician prescribes a statin for cholesterol or fenofibrate for triglycerides, she still may suggest that, along with a change of diet, you begin using fish oil supplements. Fish oil also is beginning to be used for other medical conditions, from mood stabilization to fighting inflammation pain, but it can cause some side effects including lightheadedness. Query your practitioner before you start using fish oil.
Fish Oil Uses
Omega-3-acid ethyl esters or omega-3 fatty acids such as fish oil have been found to reduce your triglyceride levels. Fish oil contains both docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid, two omega-3s that decrease triglycerides. Triglycerides are fatlike substances that build up in your blood, then adhere to your arterial walls. As you age, these buildups of fat deposits grow hard and become plaque. Plaque shrinks the openings in your blood vessels through which blood passes. Your heart functions at a higher level because it needs to force blood through what openings remain. This strains your heart muscle and creates hypertension, or high blood pressure. Fish oil decreases triglycerides so they do not continue to add to plaque, and it helps to clear out the plaque already in place.
High Blood Pressure
As your heart forces blood through narrowed arterial passages, your blood pressure increases. This “hardening of the arteries,” known medically as atherosclerosis, can cause serious medical problems. High blood pressure and the extra work it demands of your heart can lead to a heart attack and heart disease. The blockages in your arteries can lead to clot formation. Clots can move to your brain and cause strokes. Fish oil, by slowing or eliminating the buildup of these blockages, and by reducing the blockages already there, can help to prevent heart disease and can lower your blood pressure.
Postural Hypotension
Although in most cases fish oil will gradually help to reduce your blood pressure by helping to decrease arterial blockages, sometimes the blood pressure reduction can cause a condition called postural hypotension. Your heart may not be used to pumping at the normal rate because of an extended period of harder work to get blood through the arteries. This can cause a sudden drop in your blood pressure when you stand up from a sitting position or from lying down. The suddenly lower blood pressure can make you feel lightheaded and dizzy. The effect usually only lasts a few seconds or a little longer, but can be disconcerting. Most often, as your body adjusts to a lower blood pressure, lightheadedness will cease. If it continues or leads to fainting, talk with your physician.
Other Side Effects
Fish oil supplements can produce some nonserious side effects other than postural hypotension that also should disappear as your body grows accustomed to them. You may feel pain in your lower back for a few days after you start taking fish oil pills. Your stomach may become upset, and you may taste fish in your mouth from the digestion of the pills. These problems don't classify as serious, but if they persist, speak with your practitioner.
References
- MayoClinic.com; High Blood Pressure (Hypertension); March 2011
- "Surgical Neurology"; ω-3 Fatty acids (Fish Oil) as an Anti-inflammatory: an Alternative to Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs for Discogenic Pain; J.C. Maroon, et al.; April 2006
- MedlinePlus: Fish Oil
- Drugs.com: Fish Oil
- PsychEducation.org; Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Including Fish Oil); Jim Phelps, M.D.; January 2011
- Drugs.com: Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters
- MayoClinic.com: Fenofibrate (Oral Route)
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- MayoClinic.com: Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Fish Oil, Alpha-Linolenic Acid
- PsychEducation.org; Mood Stabilizers: An Updated List and Links; Jim Phelps, M.D.; January 2009
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