Arcane, I just saw your posts. I wish you well on your journey. Having scary high Cholesterol/Trig. myself I know where you are coming from. Keep me posted.
Barb

Hello Lovaza Users,
My endocrinologist told me that OTC Omega-3 medications are only absorbed in the body at a rate of around 20 - 40%. "Lovaza" is absorbed at 80% or more, proving it is much more affective in improving the body's HDL, LDL, and Triglyceride levels.

My insurance will only cover 4 gel-caps/day, but my body responds best to 5/day (Back in the day it was called Omacor, and before our Legislators came up with the Medicare/Part D plan which costs me over $6,000/yr now). So I only take 4/day. I've been on it for about 3 years.

I had Lap-band surgery on 9-9-08. I have not had my first "fill" yet, but so far it has been a breeze. I've lost 27 pounds. By this time next year, I am expected to be 60+ pounds lighter, and able to eliminate most of my medications, including my diabetic medications. Cholesterol, I'm not sure.

I'm 53 and from KC.

LovazaGirl,

I take Lovaza. I take 4 capsules per day. I was prescribed almost 3 months ago. Just a little borderline on LDL but MD is on it and she said my OTC omega wasn't as good. This is like taking 12. So I decided to try ($40 co-pay per month) and see after 3 months. i have a blood test coming up. I did make a mistake and took fiber at the same time as them. I didn't know but have changed that recently.

I will post my before and after results on cholesterol, tri/hdl, ldl, etc on October 21st, my MD appt date. Hopefully this will work. both parents high BP & cholesterol, on meds. Don't want to take any statins.

I wish you md could write to insurance company to explain why you need 5 capsules. I have worked for insurance companies for years and it is worth a try.

Oh, also what is a "fill"?


Good luck.

Lisa

I don't believe this. I don't believe that Lovaza is somehow more "absorbable" than any other fish oil product out there.

That said - I do think Lovaza is higher potency than your average, run-of-the-mill fish oil cap that you'd find in the drug store, or the local big-box store.

So yeah, if you wanted to get the same dosage/potency - you might have to take a whole bunch of softgels to get the same therapeutic effect as the Lovaza - but at the same time - there *are* other high-quality fish oil products out there.

I think that Lovaza is a 'high potency' fish oil, but I also think you can find the same thing at your local health food store. Maybe not the drug store or Wal-Mart, but certainly at your local health food store.

What's neat about the Lovaza story is that there are studies proving it's effectiveness in reducing trigylcerides. I've even seen references to fish oil supplementation being effective at lowering blood pressure too - by about 20% overall.

Thing is - if you shop around, you can find equally high-potency fish oil - particularly, Carlson's Liquid Lemon Flavoured Fish Oil. This can be kind of pricey, compared to standard fish oil caps - but it's like $25 for 100 doses of very high potency fish oil - as potent, actually *more* potent - than this 'prescription' fish oil. The only difference is that Lovaza has received FDA approval for somehow proving (to the FDA) it's effectiveness in lowering triglyceride levels.

So, the Lovaza is:

EPA 465mg
DHA 375 mg

http://www.lovaza.com/consumer/abou...medication.html

And the Carlson's Liquid Lemon Flavoured Fish Oil (one teaspoon serving) is:

EPA 800 mg
DHA 500 mg

http://www.vitacost.com/Carlson-The...IngredientFacts

And yet, the Carlson's liquid fish oil is available from places like vitacost dot com for like $23 per bottle, and each bottle contains 100 doses. I've seen this liquid lemon fish oil product priced as high as $37 per bottle (that's 100 doses) at local health food stores, so it pays to shop around.

I do believe that Lovaza is a higher potency fish oil product, compared to most fish oil softgel capsules that you'd find in the usual places - the drugstore, the big-box store or whatever, and that you'd need to take multiple doses to get the same high EPA/DHA, but at the same time - I also know there are very high potency, high-quality fish oil products on the market that don't require a prescription, and I don't for a minute believe that the prescription variety is somehow 'more absorbable' than any other kind of fish oil.

Fish oil is fish oil, and the only thing that's different about Lovaza is it's slightly higher-than-average potency, and the fact that it's the *only* fish oil that has received "FDA approval" for being effective in lowering triglycerides.

PS - Forgive my little 'mini rant'

Hey, Dr. Davis has an article on Lovaza up.

Thanks for posting that Nancy - I'm glad someone 'in know' posted about this. My single teaspoon of that Carlson's Liquid Lemon fish oil gives me 1,600 mg Omega 3 per serving. I don't have high triglycerides, so I just take the one teaspoon's worth. If I did have high triglycerides and I didn't wanna take a buncha softgels - I'd take two teaspoons of the lemon flavoured liquid fish oil. That'd cost me $46 a month, instead of just $23. That's a heck of a lot cheaper than the $280/mnth cost that Dr. Davis illustrated.

Sigh...

Hi, I should have written about this awhile ago but forgot. I took Lovaza because my doctor said it would help my HDL. That was the only thing still in normal limits but low. i took for 3 months and it went lower. The other LDL, Trys, Total, etc were all fine. So i went off of it and had another test in a week and it was back up again to a low but "normal" reading. Have some OTC fish oil but read somewhere around here that too much can be bad. I just have from health food store. Don't know how many milligrams is a good amount. The Lovaza went in the garbage because it didn't do anything. I am going to start exercising and also put small amts of dark chocolate in diet to raise HDL. Getting it checked again end of January.

Wondering if anyone thinks I should just leave it out to see what it is or take a certain amt of OTC omega 3 fish oil. Maybe 1 per day.

Just wondering if anyone had any comments. Not really sure why dr. put me on Lovaza since all the other numbers were good.

Lisa

Dr. Davis, the cardiologist, recommends adding together the DHA and EPA number on your fish oil and taking 1,000 mg. So for instance, if the DHA is 150 and the EPA is 200, that'd be 350. You'd need 4 pills to get up to 1000 mg.

He says he might raise that number in the future.

Nancy,

so have you heard of any new reports of omega 3 and cancer? I don't have all the facts and read it here and can't remember where. I'm pretty sure it was here. Mind is shot right now. LOL

Lisa

Nope, never heard any such thing. It's always Omega-6 (vegetable oils) that seem to get linked to cancer.

Hi there, I'm new here. I have high triglycerides and because I can't (and prefer NOT to) take statins I was prescribed Lovaza. I'm very hesitant to take any prescription (Or OTC) medications without thoroughly checking them out. My questions follow. I'm really hoping that someone can help.

1. What the differences in Lovaza and regular OTC Omega-3 Fish oils? (Other than Lovaza being FDA approved)
2. Lovaza = "omega-3-acid ethyl esters". What are ethyl esters?
3. Are these same ingredients in the regular OTC Omega 3?
4. Are the same side effects associated with the OTC brands vs Lovaza?
If not,
5. Why would Lovaza cause such things as infections, flu symptoms, rashes and cardio problems etc? (a few of the possible side effects)

The price! Read what Dr. Davis (cardiologist) says about it: http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/search?q=lovaza

I think you'll notice all drugs (or supplements approved by the FDA) pretty much have a list of side-effects exactly like that. During these studies the participants have to report everything that happens to them, so some get flu, some might develop unrelated problems but they're going to get reported as potential side-effects. When you see these things being advertised, they have to mention the possible side-effects, even if they're really not related. They're just covering their asses.

I can't answer all of your questions waylon, but it *is* true that the Lovaza is more potent than a lot of the fish oil capsules you'd find on store shelves. More EPA/DHA per pill, and this is in comparison to say...some mass-market store brand. So with the Lovaza you'd need to take fewer capsules to get the therapeutic benefit. Thing is - there are some better quality fish oil capsules or liquid that are just as good - you'd be looking at the health food store, or perhaps online (ie. vitacost dot com) for better quality non-prescription fish oil. These would be more expensive than your average, run-of-the-mill fish oil capsule, but not nearly as expensive as Lovaza. However, I guess that all depends on whether or not one's insurance plan covers the Lovaza.

It's obvious to me that Lovaza does give results and is a good product - just that it's pretty pricey, and it is possible to get that same level of therapeutic benefit from store-bought fish oil products - just requires looking around for a good one, or taking more of the capsules for a standard sort of brand.

The Lovaza has been proven to work. Thing is - I can't really tell what the difference between Lovaza and a good quality store brand is. Aside from the FDA approval and the price. Oh, and that the Lovaza is more potent than you might find in a lot of mass-market brands.

And we wonder why our health care is so expensive?

Oh, your question about the esters is answered here: http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2...za-rip-off.html

Thanks Nancy and Citruskiss.
So these ethyl esters are found in all Omega 3 Fish oils in general? and not something "added" by the Glaxosmith company? I'm still a bit confused about that issue....even after following your (great) link Nancy.
I do have another question as well. This time on dosage:
I'm sitting here with a bottle, roughly the size of Texas, in front of me.
Is it really necessary to take so many capsules pr day for it to be beneficial?
The dosage instructions state: "Do NOT take less than prescibed". Like taking less will kill you or something. My triglyceride levels were close to 600...but it seems that SOME Omega 3 would be better than none at all. Why so much? For the companies to make more money? (the more we take the sooner we need refills?) or is that large daily amount really necessary to see any real results? Particularly since the Lovaza is more potent.