Could Fish Oils help my 'difficult' 13 year old ? (long-ish)

[MumOfTroubledTeen]

My DS is 13. Recently it has come to light that he has been behaving very badly in school, getting up and wandering around in lessons, not doing his homework, and other issues.

DS is a bright lad (i know all parents say that), when he was in the last cpl of years of primary school his reports were pretty off. Basically his work was good but his behaviour wasn't. As he has moved up to secondary school (now in the second year) it has got steadily worse. His primary teachers came to the conclusion that he was not being 'stretched' enough by the work level and was getting bored easily. They said that it would most prob sort itself out when he went to high school and into the 'streaming' system. It doesn't seem to have worked terribly well.

I should also add that DS was tested by all and sundry for ADHD & related conditions when he was small, as we have always found him to be like this (although it never caused a real problem until the last cpl of years at primary). He was assessed as being on the outer edge of 'normal', but not problematic enough to need treatment or additional support.

Obviously DH and I have had endless 'chats' about his behaviour and we are pretty strict with him when it comes to discipline.

I've read a lot of about fish oils (mainly on here) and I'm wondering whether they may help our DS ? We have cut coke and as much processed food as possible out of his diet in a bid to improve things, too.

What do you think ? What strength do I need to have the best chance of an improvement ? Wjere can I buy them ? How long until, potentially, I see results ?

So many questions ! Thanks for reading.

[aloha]

Got to be worth a try. You can find various brands in Boots and they suggest at least a three months trial. Most of us are incredibly deficient in omega three fatty acids and lots of trials show they can have a significant effect on the brain.

[starlover]

don't know if she is around atm, but noddyholder is using them with her DS and has seen some good results iirc... think she said it was about 3 weeks for them to start kicking in

[MumOfTroubledTeen]

That's what I thought, aloha.

So the ones I can just buy in boots are strong enough then ? I thought it might be case of having to buy a higher strength. So it's Omega 3 oils I'm looking for.

Thanks

[bundle]

there was also a recent random controlled trial on behaviour of prisoners (young offenders i think) who did/didn't take supplements including omega3's. there was a significant improvement (not saying your ds is like them tho!)

[MumOfTroubledTeen]

LOL ! He's not quite that bad yet, Bundle . I'm definitely going to try it. I've spoken to DH about it and he says anything is worth a try.

[BROWNY]

I've been giving my three the ordinary capsules which are easy to swallow - but they asked for the Haliborange 'chewy kind' that they saw in Boots the other day - states: delicious and chewy - well my lots couldn't even chew the capsule as it is like rubber, I tried one and they are so tough to bite, but when you do you get a burst of thick creamy orange tasting stuff that is really horrible! Don't recommend these and they cost me £9!. I'd say to stick with the adult capsule version that you swallow with water!

[noddyholder]

My son has definitely become calmer and more focused since he has been having these It is about 6 weeks now and they have really worked

[MumOfTroubledTeen]

Really interesting, thank guys . I'm trying not to panic over this behavioural slur, TBH.

[robin3]

On the ITV documentary about teenage boys (Trevor McDonald I think) they took the teenagers to a nutritionist and this really helped them. I believe that one of the consistent things they all lacked, and is apparently crucial for teenage boys, was zinc.

This is the link to the ITV information page.

www.itv.com/news/tonight_1951607.html

It was a fascinating programme.

[aloha]

Browny, my three year old loves those orange ones! Mind you, he's a little piggy if he thinks he is getting sweets.

[BROWNY]

Wow! He's got to have very sharp little teeth - I'm amazed he can chew the shell, I didn't even like them! Good for you for getting them down him though - I definately think they have helped with concentration - my dd2 has never really been into books - but the other day, she asked if I'd buy her one she had her eye on - well, it was bought in a flash - she came home and ready two chapters - WOW! - Good stuff

[fimac1]

MofTT

Definetly take him to a qualified Nutrionalist (and/or Kneisologist - who would be able to pinpoint and treat any imbalances in minerals and fatty acids etc), and a nutrionalist would advice on dietery matters, luckily the Kneisologist I saw was also a Nutrionalist.

Dd went to one when she was five, was found to have virtually 0% fatty acids, we now have her on MorEpa supplements which have an extremly high EPA level and also come from deep sea fish so is very pure. Good luck, her attention span and behaviour improved greatly so much so she is still on it 5 years on!

[fimac1]

MoTT
We actually have dd on the MorEPA Mini Capsules, which when I just checked said they are suitable for teenagers and adolecents - good luck

I buy them off the web, as I haven't found them in the shops anywhere

[lummox]

There is a really interesting book called "The madness of Adam and Eve" by David Horobin which runs through the various trials concerning adolescents and fish oils.

I found it very convincing generally - took fish oils in pregnancy and still now when bfing. I think in early infancy you are looking for stuff with high DHA content and later on (certainly by 13) you want more EPA. I bought the MorDHA stuff, also off the web, because that was the only one I could find without Vitamin A to take during pregnancy.

The basic theory (if I've understood it) is that the reason why human brains suddenly developed so far beyond those of other animals is because our ancestors found sources of food rich in Omega 3 oils (DHA and EPA) and that these are vital ingredients for brain growth and development.

Some people have suggested that the fall in the amount of fish in our diets which has apparently been very marked could be linked to behavioural issues in children and adults.

Phew, long post.

[fimac1]

Interesting! I took the boots prenatal supplements when pg with ds which had a fish oil capsule plus the vit/min tablet, daily in the box. Also took a bfeeding fatty acid supplement while bfeeding with ds - he really has done really well at school - dd has also done well but has had problems with concentration, attention span (did not take them with her as I had not read about Epas, etc in 1994)