You may have seen the commercials. They just stated appearing the past few months because the F.D.A. approved launch of a prescription drug for fish oil. It seems to be a quality product but consumers are now asking - what is the difference between prescription fish oil and over the counter supplements? The short answer is not a lot - except the price.
Right now, there is only one generally available prescription fish oil product on the market. It used to be called Omacor and as I mentioned it is now being aggressively marketed but under a different name - Lovaza. When I say "marketed", I am not kidding. You can see national T.V. advertisements daily in the U.S. These ads are very expensive - I understand the budget is in the millions of dollars.
Before discussing the difference between prescription fish oil and over the counter products, let’s refresh our memories on why these supplements exist in the first place.
Fish oil has been part of the diets of coastal dwellers everywhere on the planet for years. The people have lived in different times, different places and came from different cultures. The research we have on these populations shows several things.
1] Prescription drugs are almost unheard of, much less used.
2] Something else that is almost unheard of are Western diseases - arthritis, heart issues, clinical depression or hair and skin problems.
3] They eat lots of cold water, oily fish.
There are two omega 3 fatty acids in their seafood diet that are given the credit for most of these benefits. They are generally referred to as EPA and DHA. If you see an over the counter [OTC] supplement, it should contain this dynamic duo.
Back to the main story. What is the difference between prescription fish oil and over the counter supplements?
Two things - hefty dosage and really hefty price.
Lovaza has 840mg of EPA and DHA per capsule, which is a lot. The maker of Lovaza also claims that their drug is free of the ocean toxins found in cheap OTC products. This claim is true. But, you should be using quality OTC supplements anyway. They are just as pure and can prove it.
Now, in fairness, it will be necessary for me to take two capsules of my supplement to equal one capsule of the prescription fish oil. There is really the difference - that and over one hundred fifty dollars each month.
The makers of Lovaza claim there is another difference between prescription fish oil and over the counter supplements. They are FDA approved. However, is that really an issue? Since when does the FDA need to sanction food? Is your grocery store or a favorite restaurant FDA approved? Get the same benefits with a quality OTC supplement. My website can help in this area.
Author Resource:
Get my free five-part mini course on the benefits of omega 3, including critical information on why you should take omega3 fish oil .
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