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I do beleive in taking a good quality of fish oil. However, I don't agree with you that it has to cost over $3000.00 a year. The medical community should realize that expenses are foremost in those taking medicines or vitamins to maintain good health and I feel the pharmacutical community takes advantage of that. If people would eat correctly they wouldn't be going to the doctor as often. I wonder sometimes if the medical community really wants people to be well, they would loose a lot of money wouldn't they?
Virginia, If you re-read the Dr.'s remarks about cost, I think you will see that he is advocating the inexpensive solution, just as you are. At least I hope that he is. My opthaologist recently recommended an Omega-3 fish oil brand that he carried and which he said was particularly pure and therefore more effective than the usual Walgreen's version. It cost several times as much, however. He suggested I take "his" PLUS the 4 gms (Walgreen's) I was already taking. I considered this advice to be ridiculous and more or less disrespectful.
Does anyone know what is in these capsuls that our doctors are prescribing to us. I asked several druggists and they informed me that it was basically cod liver oil in a capsul and that we were being overcharged for it by glaxosmithkline. They are very expensive for people on medicare and serving to burden the system with their high prices at a time in our country when we should be conserving costs and trying to bring the high costs of healthcare down. They purchased Reliant Pharmaceutical recently for $165,000,000 and this is the company thats marketing this miracle cod liver oil capsul, that know one, mostly your doctor can tell you much about.
On the average, obtaining FDA approval for a prescription drug like LOVAZA costs a pharmaceutical company approximately $500 Million (half a $Billion).
The major difference in price between over-the-counter fish oil and Lovaza is to cover the costs of FDA approval and advertising.
DTKillough, Chemist/toxicologist, TX, USA
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I developed GOUT after taking Spring Valley's Omega 3, 1200MG I got at Walmart. I did research on the INTERNET and found that anchovie is used in most and the Lovaza didn't it only used Salmon Omega 3. The GOUT went away after a month or so and I then took the Lovaza brand thru my Medco RX plan. Now I am unemployed and cannot afford the Lovaza so I do not take the Omega 3 any longer.
Excessive uric acid levels and GOUT are associated with increased risk of Cardiovascular Disease: heart attack, stroke, blood clota, etc.) The relatively insoluble uric acid crystals themselves, even with normal levels of Cholesterols and Triglycerides, can form a dangerous blockage to blood flow.
Fish and other animal products are high in purines that increase uric acid levels and can lead to gout attacks.
Vegetable sources of Omega-3 oils such as flaxseed oil are much lower in purine content.
Flax seed oil is also said to reduce the inflammation and pain of gout attacks, as well as to prevent future attacks.
"STATIN" drugs for cholesterol reduction can reduce serum levels of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) by 40-50% below normal. There is evidence that this condition can INDIRECTLY cause an increase in uric acid levels, resulting in gout.
INDIRECTLY caused adverse reactions are often not recognized as significant side effects.
WARNING: Do not discontinue or reduce daily dosage of your statin drug (Zocor, Crestor, etc.) without consulting your physician.
After experiencing the most severe and long-lasting (12 days) episode of GOUT, I switched from fish oil to flax seed oil and received relief within 24 hours.
I have found also that a "vegan" vegetarian diet eliminated all GOUT episodes for over a year until my cardiologist prescribed Lovaza.
DTK Chemist/Toxicologist