Where to get fish oils?

[annh]

I have been following with interest several of the discussions about difficult 4/5 year olds. My ds1 (5) has been making life hell for me and it's just getting worse. I don't need to go into the details 'cos many of you have heard them all before - suffice to say that he is turning our home into a battleground and is upsetting ds2 (2) as well as making me absoutely hate being his mum.

I have had the hv round who was pretty useless - suggesting all the things we have already tried, giving him choices, choosing our battles etc. Now I have decided it can't do any harm to give him fish oils so I toddled off to Boots today to ask for some. The pharmacy assistant had never heard of pro-efa and said all the fish oils they had were for adult use and the only thing she could suggest was cod liver oil! She then had a long discussion with me about how I shouldn't give ds coke or fizzy drinks (I don't) and try not to feed him food with additives (already trying) and she then turned round to him and said "you seem like a bright boy, you just need to be kept busy" to which he smiled angelically at her!! All this was taking place against a background of him removing, smelling and replacing every container of fish oils on about three shelves in the store before running off round the corner where I have no idea what he got up to.

I know she just meant well but I just wanted to hand him over to her and say well, if you have so many good ideas why don't you have him for a bit and try them out - it's not as if I haven't tried everything I can think of myself already. Anyway, my question is - are fsh oils really such an esoteric substance that I can't get them at Boots and if so, where can I order or does anyone else have any other brand names? Thanks in advance for any help.

Boots assistant is an idiot! Haliborange do a Multi-vit syrup with fish oils, for kids, and Boots stock it (just on the shelves with the vitamins). Be warned - it tastes disgusting though

The brand name I think you are looking for is Eye-Q. or something.

I have been informed that the important stuff in fish oil (brain not working tonight) is also in hemp or flax seed oil. Which is apparently a lot cheaper than EyeQ.

Just started DD (5) on Eye Q liquid - she's awaiting an assessment for dyspraxia. I got it in Boots, says it's "Citrus flaboured EPA-rich marine fish oil and virgin evening primrose oil" suitable for adults and children. It says you need to give at least 3tsp per day for 12 weeks so that levels build up, then reduce to 1 tsp. We've given her 2 tsps in her milk for the last few days. Think they also do vanilla flavour.

Omega thingies - Eye Q is rich in Omega thingies - as are the others I mentioned. Apparently.

Wow, thank you all for the prompt replies! And on New Years Eve - what a lot of party animals we are - LOL. I'll go back to Boots at the weekend and have a nosey myself (minus boys), just thought I would save some time by asking an assistant today!

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I give both mine children eye q which my sister recommended - her children and my 2 love the taste as it is lemony. My dd asks for "another one for luck". I know tesco's stock it.

eyeQ or efalex are the 2 common brand names. best not to give cod liver oil as it may be high in mercury and is also high in vitamin A.

Efalex is the brand which had all the studies carried out in it, EyeQ is a slightly different formula. Efalex smells more though and gives fishy burps.

We buy ours (pro-efa) from the states- but various reasons for that I won;t go into. Works out about the same price as EyeQ and efalex and is delivered in about 5 days usually.

Is there a vegetarian brand name for the linseed/flax-type oil?

eye-q for us, too. I also had trouble locating it at our local branch of boots, though didn't encounter such a smug assistant as you, AnnH, just a very vague one.

My son (9) took it earlier in the year and along with lots of other coincidental changes, his concentration and behaviour at school improved markedly after a few months.

We stopped the tablets in the autumn, and he has not 'regressed'. However, towards the end of this term he got a bit OTT at home, so we started them again just in case. He likes taking them, but I have no idea if they really do him any good.

John Bell and Croydon, Wigmore Street London W1 sell a whole range of fish oil tablets in pure forms eg without added Vitamin D etc - I have never found anything in the way of Vits and Minerals that they don't stock. You could call them and they may mail order and I'm sure they'll give advice over the phone if you're outside London

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We're another Eye-Q household. I originally bought it for DS' really dry skin, father in law told me to grease him up from the inside! When I popped down to Boots, fortunately I spoke with the 'vitamin expert' lady, she told me not to use cod liver oil as it contains too much vitamin A, mind you DS was only 12 months or so at the time. She said the only thing he could take was this Eye-Q stuff, pricey at £9.99 but lasts for yonks, also they're doing 3 for 2 at the moment. DS has a teaspoon in is milk every day and doesn't notice??? Since reading all the pro's about it, he's still on it 18 months later and his dry skin has also cleared up.

Cheers, Robin. My next task will be to locate a HF shop up here that isn't H&B!

If you don't have any luck with other fish oils try 'MOREPA' (mini) from www.healthyandessential.co.uk or com. they were featured in the sunday times. They are especially for children and are STRAWBERRY flavoured . I prick the capsule and squeeze it into my 3 year old's strawberry juice drink every morning and he hasn't even noticed!

OK, I have been to Boots and bought my 3 for 2 liguid EyeQ. Now, how do I get it into dd? She is 20 months. If she sees me waving a spoon and bottle in her direction she runs off and hides. We do Calpol and stuff in a syringe but its hard work. I put the EyeQ in her milk this morning and she refused to drink it. So it went in her lunchtime yoghurt which she ate. But I don't want her to have oily lemon-flavoured pudding every single day! What can I do?

(this is a long shot - does anyone know what happens if you use fish oil instead of sunflower oil when baking cakes???)

Also, another question. How much tinned salmon do you need to eat to get the same omega thingies as a spoonful of EyeQ?

Went to get some fish oils for ds but lady on Boots counter told me not to give it to him as he has asthma. Does anybody know the reason why asthmatics can't take it.

Thanks alot

Lorne my son has asthma and i have been giving him the omega start from boots,no-one said anything about asthma and there is nothing on the bottle.

zerub I add the oil to toast in the morning and then add honey on top. I have been giving it to ds1 like this for 2 years now, and I started ds2 this week (as he's about to be forced from the breast ) He ate it without batting an eyelid.

Worth trying different brands if you struggle, they vary a lot.

You have to eat a lot of fish- so much that if it was tuna you would probably get mercury poisoning

my son has asthma and eczema, and has been on fish oils for 18 months with noticeable improvements in both - some of these ladies in Boots sound a bit too careful!

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Got omega 3 from boots today buy 3 for 2. Fish oils were 21.99 for 180 tablets but won't be able to get child to swallow tablets!! Tablets seemed expenisve!. Is the price really worth it?. What does everyone else think?.

Jimjams I will try honey and toast. Trouble is she doesn't eat much and I will be annoyed if she decides she's not hungry and I have to throw away her expensive teaspoon of oil!

I decided I could also do with some (to treat pregnancy brain which doesn't seem to have gone, 20 months on) so I got some nice cheap capsules from here as recommended on another thread. They're big but quite easy for me to swallow. But you could prick them and squeeze the liquid out for a child I should think.