Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Anyone try Fish Oil for ADHD?

Our IEP team has hinted that my 5 yo daughter likely has ADHD, so I'm guessing that diagnosis is coming down the pike in a few years. To prepare for Kindergarten in the Fall, I've started her on a gram of Fish Oil a day. Have any of you tried this? Thanks in advance!
ps) I've been a lurker on here for awhile- you are some smart cookies with some impressive kids!

My son takes Norwegian Gold First Omega (you swallow it), but I'm not sure if it helps or not. I wouldn't say we've seen any remarkable difference in attention or focus with using just fish oil, but it can't hurt.

We also use a supplement called Liquid Health-Attention and Natural Calm (which is Magnesium Citrate). It's made by a company called Natural Vitality. I'd check with your doctor before trying any of these, but we do see a difference when we are consistent with this regimen. I'm sure what's appropriate for my 9yo son wouldn't be the same for your 5 year old dd.

If constipation is an issue at all, the Natural Calm helps with that. I know there are folks who are big believers it the connection between ADHD and digestive/gut health. So, maybe there's something to it? Many of my friends who have children with attention issues also report that their children have digestive and/or constipation problems.

I also think exercise and any "heavy muscle work" like pushing, pulling, climbing are very calming for the nervous system. My ds9 is having some testing done soon, and we plan to hit the playground for a while before going to the testing. If school didn't start so early, we'd do that every day before school!

FYI, my ds9 took stimulant meds for years, but they no longer work in the low dosages he can tolerate. If we try to increase his dosage, his anxiety is significantly exacerbated. So, we're learning a lot about alternative methods these days.

So, probably more info than you were looking for! Sorry!

HTH a little!

I agree with JenSMP about the benefits of exercise. DS6 and DS2 both take the following vitamins:

SmartyPants gummy multivitamins with Omega 3 (yes, the name is retch-worthy but the vitamins are not; I haven't found a less fishy fish oil supplement) and Vitafusion B complex gummies, with an occasional supplement of Rainbow Light vitamin D lemon gummies.

We only started this about 4-5 months ago, but the kids seem to have more energy and to be happier. Stopping the relentless beatings may have helped with that as well, but it's hard to tell. DS6 previously seemed to become less frenzied with different fish oil capsules, but that could also have been a coincidence.

I haven't tried it but DD loves fish esp. salmon.

The mom of her playmate dx'd w/ ADHD was taking supplements but she thought maybe they made him worse? He's a hard one, suspected PANDAS and such..

Anyway I'm going to throw in my environmental/chemcial input. There is a concern with mercury regarding fish, so I'd think you'd have to do a little research about the supplements before choosing.

Anyone check out this site?

http://apps.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=16536&s_src=ggad_fishoil&gclid=CODAytHx4rACFSkRNAodgia0Jg

Thank you! This was very, very helpful! I also agree with the exercise tip- she has been in "gymnastics" (OT) forever, and I wish she could take a class every morningg before Kinder next year!

We tried Coromega supplements when my DS was 3.5/4 yrs old. The developmental pediatrician/former speech therapist, Dr. Marilyn Agin (co-author of book The Late Talker) recommended them to us. However, I just used one supplement in the morning, I didn't try two supplements a day.

She also suggest to try a gluten-free diet temporarily to see if that helped improve the attention, but to be honest we didn't do it at the time as we had tons of other stuff going on.

We're in the process of seeing a 2e specialist for our eg/pg DS, who's now 6.5 yrs old. Last summer our DS took the WPPSI and the tester said he had ADD/ADHD, but we're waiting to hear from the 2e specialist for a more definitive answer.
Might try the Coromega supplements again now that DS is older.

My DS5 takes Omega3 for his constipation and bleeding hemmi (poor kid). My ped's a fan for all kids. I also add high quality olive oil to pasta and steamed veggies. I have read a few recent studies about fish oil and depression and recommended it to a few clients. The few studies I've seen with ADHD and fish oil had quite high doses. It might help your DD to learn a few ways to cope when she struggles to focus (and maybe even help her recognize this in herself). I suggest my "fidgeters" (who need to move to focus) wear a necklace with a few beads, stones or shark teeth (boys love that one) that they can handle while the teacher talks. Necklaces work well as they stay on. Other fidget things like stress balls, bracelets, fancy pencil erasers tend to get kids in more trouble. If it's during work time, a good is idea is to arrange with the teacher to let the child work on two tasks at once so they can to writing for awhile and switch to math and then back.

GL!

There is not strong data supporting using fish oil as a treatment for ADHD. If it makes you feel better, great. As an example, for treating cholesterol issues in adults, you would have to take at least 20 a day, and that would likely ruin your liver. Vitamins and supplements are not regulated by the FDA or the government, so you never really know what is in them. There is likely trace amounts of mercury in fish oil pills (as they are made from anchovies or other fish), so if you ingested 20 of them, you might get a big mercury load.

Fish oil is a good supplement for kids even without ADHD so you can't really go wrong. Make sure you go with a reputable brand though. NORDIC NATURAL is what we use per recommendation of our doctor who is also an expert in the hollistic area.

I get the children's liquid strawberry flavor for the kids and mix it in with their smoothie in the morning.

That doesn't quite make sense to me - quite a few members of my dh's family have high cholesterol and fish oil supplements are recommended by their very traditional medical drs as an important part of their treatment (actually their drs recommend fish oil supplements for everyone unless their diet is higher than the typical US diet in fish)... but they don't take anywhere near that much fish oil. Maybe the "20 a day" means if the person isn't taking any other cholesterol meds or following a reasonable diet?

polarbear