Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Support Group
Atrial fibrillation (AF or afib) is an abnormal heart rhythm (cardiac arrhythmia) which involves the two small, upper heart chambers (the atria). Heart beats in a normal heart begin after electricity generated in the atria by the sinoatrial node spread through the heart and cause contraction of the heart muscle and pumping of blood.
My cardiologist (not EP) said that some feel that fish oil causes PVC's. Because of that I quit taking them. Anyone else been told this by their doc?
isn't this a classic example of poor communication!?!
Waited months for this appt. which barely lasted 10 minutes.
My current EP cardiologist sees no problem with my taking fish oil. I want the benefits of fish oil but can rarely stand to eat fish.
I've read that fish oil might be a trigger for some people, but fortunately, it isn't for me.
D.
I was never told NOT totake fish oil, but I go to afib after about 4 to 8 hours if I take fish oil or anything with omega 3 fatty acid (like flaxseed).
I would say your cardio doctor is veeeeeeeery wise to tell you not to take fish oil since it causes afib in a lot of people. I am glad that finally the doctors are seeng the light about the fish oil and afib (PVC or whatever). Iknw and I have come across several people with the same problem. Afib stopped when they stopped taking fish oil. Yes, that simple.
In my case, fish oil is the worst trigger. But, my other triggers are cheese, nuts, and butter. Okay with olive oil.
Some of the latest research has shown that fish oil gets oxidized in the body and damages the liver. So, that is another reason that fish oil should not be taken. Instead, people should take plant based sources of the omega 3 fatty acid like flax seed. Just food for thoughts.
Scott
Mitch
Scott, if you eat fish, do you have the same reaction?
mmrrzz, I also heard that fish oil is a blood thinner. Before a medical procedure, I didn't stop my fish oil and there was a bit of a concern if that would cause me to bleed more.
Thanks for all of your input. I think I will continue to not take it.
My first reaction is unless you can show it affects you personally, fish is good for you.
Of all the supplements, it would seem fish oil would be the lkest likely to cause anything bad because it is actually food... so is flaxseed.
It doesn't past the logic test.
petey
The only thing I could find related to farm raised dark fish. Apparently, if it is not wild fish (like salmon) that eat crustaceans that make them turn pink, the "farms" have been adding dyes to make the fish look pink. They also found higher levels of PCPs in farm raised fish, and high levels of mercury in other than "real" north atlantic salmon (which many times are purposely mislabeled they claim).
If all that is true, what about krill? They are farthest down the chain (less hance for contaminants) and don't need to be farm raised.
Just a thought.
petey
good articles on fish oil. But they do sell it, that puts me off a little.
should i stop or keep doing what i am .
BTW, unless it gives you a problem, it isn't a problem. People that eat fish are healthier. Ya gotta eat something.
My HDL just went up when I started taking it.
I would ask your Dr. And you could do some research on the internet
about Krill and fish oil.
Yes, if I eat oily fish like salmon (King, sockeye salmons, sardines are the worst), I will go to afib after about 5 to 8 hours. So, I avoid them. Here is a good one: Sometimes my wife forgets and puts anchovies in a pasta dish, which she makes. Well, I go to afib later on after eating the pasta, which is a surprise to me (I assume no anchovies in pasta). Then, I ask her if she has put any anchovies in the pasta. Every time the answer is YES, because she forgot that it gives me afib. So, it is not in my head. It is real. The fish oil/omega 3 does something, which causes afib in me.
Interestingly, I am NOT the only one with this problem. I have come across other people who get afib after taking fish oil. Doctors should know about this by now. They should treat fish oil for afib patient just like coffee/tea. They should caution afibbers about fish oil being a possible trigger. Please note, the afib happens hours later and NOT immediately after eating fish oil. Here is an article about fish oil and why you should be careful about it:
http://chriskresser.com/when-it-comes-to-fish-oil-more-is-not-better
More and more research is coming out against fish oil. But, it is a big industry/machine. It is hard to stop it. Remember the HRT in 1980s?
Here is my comments for "Petey":
Fish oil brings on the afib in some people including myself. This is real and it is happening. It is a fact. However, it does NOT sound logical since fish oil is food. I agree with you. But, the fact is it is happening. Unfortunately, I do NOT have the knowledge and/or the test equipment to find out why fish oil gives some of us afib. At work, we used to get a lot of problem like fish oil, which first appeared to be not logical and they should not have happened. But, they did. As a worker bee, I had to use my knowledge and very sophisticated test equipment to find out the reason behind why an unimaginable problem was happening.
At work, there was no choice, the reason behind a problem had to be found and fixed because just like fish oil and afib, the problem was real and it was happening.
So, I have learned to pay attention to what happens in real life and not all the paper research, which might be biased.
Now, the only reason mention the fish oil and afib on this forum, is for members to understand that it might be a trigger for them. It was for me. My afib stopped after I stopped taking fish oil. That is REAL. The same for other people. So, it does NOT matter what the doctors or other research papers say. Fish oil CAN be a trigger, a real bad one too. However, fish oil is NOT a trigger in a lot of people. It is better to know it can be a trigger. Knowledge is power.
Also, in forums like DS and alike people should share their personal experiences rather than what the medical community protocol is for a disorder. We always can read the standard protocol for a disorder on credible web sites like Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and etc. But, reading other people's personal experience is the reason forums like this are valuable. If somebody would have told me about fish oil, I would have had the answer to my afib a lot earlier. The doctors were telling me to take more fish oil at the time since the research had shown it prevents afib. Well, it took me one year and a lot of agony before I found the research was incorrect at least for ME.
It is what it is, try the fish oil, if it works for you and it does not give you afib after so many hours, then take it. Eat the peanut butter, cheese, cheesecake, nuts, butter, etc, if you get afib after so many hours, then, one of them might be your trigger. You have to stop eating them or go for an ablation. It is a personal choice.
I only try to share what I know about my afib and my triggers. However, it is up you to try the same thing or not. At least, you have the info about someone else's afib rather than just what your doctor is telling you.
All right petey, now what do you say? :-)
Sorry for being so long and giving you eye ache :-(
Scott
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. Needless to say, I was very surprised when my cardio said fish oil can CAUSE PVC's. We all, with a fib, are trying the best we can to do the "right" thing for our hearts since we already have an "ailment". So, we figure fish oil should be helpful. Your article was very interesting also.
I think I will continue to not take fish oil for now.
It's good you discovered this relationship so that you can do your best to avoid it now.
Thanks!
Sure, you are welcome. I think what your doctor told you about fish oil causing PVCs, was happening to me. Fish oil "afib" is a very hard fish flop for about half hour to 45 minutes followed by irregular heart beat for another 2 hours. Of course, it depend on how strong was the dose.
Another possible afib trigger is anything with more than 25 mg of potassium salt (of any kind). I Have mentioned it here but I hadn't talked to anybody with the same problem until the past weekend at Costco.
I tried a little bit of a sample of a drink at Costco before reading the label. I found out it was loaded with potassium. I told the lady if I take a cup of this, I will go to a very bad afib since it has potassium. I did not expect her to know what I was talking about. Well, right away she said a couple of friends are the same way, meaning anything with added potassium will cause afib in them. So, they avoid all sports drinks and bars. I was shocked.
By the way, taking potassium pills beside the fish oil was another supplement, which was recommended to me by doctors, 10 years ago when first I got my afib. Of course, it turned out potassium was another very strong trigger for me too. However, I understand that some people might benefit from taking potassium supplements. So, people should be very careful taking a full dosage of potassium without trying a little of it first. Or better, eat foods with potassium (greens, yams, bananas, etc).
Good luck and stay NSR,
Scott