Are all omega 3 pills equal?

[Laurienna]

I have been taking omega 3 pills for years. They have helped immensely for my dry itchy eczema prone skin and my arthritis as well as my health in general. I was taking Nordic Naturals gel pills.

Money is short these days and I stopped taking them 3 weeks ago. My skin is itchy all over and my hands hurt a lot, so DH got the omega 3's from Trader Joe's. It says that they are molecularly distilled, 1200mg fish oil from anchovies and sardines. 600mg (400mg) total EPA and DHA (200mg).

I can't quite bring myself to take them and I don't know if I'm just being silly or if I have cause to think they are an inferior product.

Any opinions?

[swd12422]

I can't compare to Nordic Naturals, but I have taken TJ's supplements before with no problems. Then my dad picked up a bottle of fish oil from Costco for me b/c that's what he takes and he's convinced I "need" them (and didn't know I was already taking an Omega-3 supplement). I've been using them and they seem to be doing the trick for me. My skin is improving a lot and I just feel better.

If it's TJ's or nothing, I'd take the TJ's. See if you can get at least some relief, even if it's not as good as NN. Nothing to lose, right?

[Laurienna]

Thank you for replying! Would you say that the Costco's pills are better than TJ's then? I've been taking the TJ's ones for a few days and I think it's doing ok but not great. I might still be prejudiced though :):)

[cameragirl]

I don't think that they are all the same, but there are several brands out there that are free of toxins and won't break the bank. I buy Carlson cod liver oil from Swanson's Vitamins. Often they have the big bottles buy one, get one free. You can get several months worth for $10 if you watch the sales.

[swd12422]

I can't vouch for Costco over TJ's, mostly b/c when I was taking TJ's I didn't notice if the dosage is 1/day or 3/day. I wasn't taking it seriously, and only took 1/day, and wasn't really experiencing anything "different," but I didn't know any better. Then I started taking the Costco pills, and saw that the dosage is 3/day, so I started taking it more regularly and 3/day and I can definitely see a difference in my skin, and I feel better.

YMMV, and I'm not sure how to compare quality (i.e., toxin-free, oil source, etc.) with other brands, but it's working for me and it's not too expensive, especially when they have coupons.

[1love4ever]

The ingredient list is what I would look at first.  If it had anything like propylene glycol(aka anti-freeze) in it, I absolutely would not take it!  I dont know anything else about that brand, so I really cant say.  I know that Carlson Labs tests their products for contaminants and potency so I get theirs, I think it is really high quality.