[ellyb]

I am 43 and have suffered with undiagnosed BP since my teens. Was diagnosed by two doctors, one psychiatrist, two psychologists around six to eight months ago. I always knew there was something very wrong with me but was utterly paranoid that I would have my kids taken from me and placed in care or sent to live a long distance away to be with their father. Now that they are 17 and 19 I wish someone would!! ... seriously.

Just about every thought and many of the actions that are expressed in this wonderful forum I have felt or have done. I relate to everyone here completely.
About eight months ago I was put on Lithium, then a slow release version of Lith and an anti-depressant, Fluvoxamine. I ended up on 1200mg of Lithium daily.
Initially I thought it was doing good things as the constant lifetime of endless brain chatter quietened then stopped. I was peaceful for a while. No more dreams, no more creativity, and then eventually, no more me.
I was unable to remember what I was saying, doing or even thinking most of the time. I couldn't even think what it was that I was supposed to be thinking or feeling at any given time. I couldn't concentrate to read and that is crucial to my work. My mind became mush.
I remained suicidal, 'living' a flatline existence and putting on about 20kg in five months. I couldn't work out what to wear each day, so I would wear the same thing day after day, unless my husband would find clothes for me and set them out on the bed.
After the Lith I no longer was hypo, so there was no break from the mindless depression.
I am self employed as I am not able to work full time, and never have been. I am in partnership in a small business that we are gradually building up. We have several other sub-contractors who we bring in from time to time to work with us. I was almost completely unable to work, everything was a massive effort for a long time before the diagnosis and even worse after.
Then I had enough.
I went off the Fluvox gradually over about three weeks, then went off the 1200mg of Lithium cold turkey.
I had read about Omega 3 in fish oil having some success with both depression and BP. From what I read it appeared that a usual dose is about 3g a day. For someone who is depressed, then 6g appears to help. For a change in BP symptoms, 10g was administered.
I am not a health professional, I just researched this info myself, and reckoned it just had to be worth a try. I had nothing to lose.
When I went off the Lith about six weeks ago I could literally feel a fog lifting from inside my brain, almost like a soggy cotton wool curtain was rising. Each day I noticed an improvement. It took three days. I could actually feel when my head was finally clear that third day.
The first thing to come back was an increasingly busy mind and then my dreams - all in the first week.
Then gradually my creativity has begun to improve, my concentration means that I am now once again a useful member of my business.
Although I am not wildly sociable at the best of times, I am able to socialise and interact with others again (haven't been able to do that for a year at the very least). I can even hold a conversation again.
I still have everything I need to do during the day programmed into my calendar in my phone with an alarm set to remind me, but now I usually know what it is that it is reminding me about before I look at the screen.
From the minute I cold turkied the Lith, I replaced it with seven 1500mg capsules of fish oil daily. My phone reminds me to take four at 7 am and three at 7 pm, bringing the total to 10.5mg. I also take one 7500mg Gingko Biloba blend capsule in the morning.
I am aware that I will have to keep a watch on my hypomanic side, but living without the bulk of the hideous other side, I will persevere.
I am not 'cured', but I would highly recommend you do a bit of research on this and make your minds up for yourselves.
It has made me live again. I cannot remember how long it's been since I felt this good. Long way to go, but, it's a start.

Originally Posted by ellyb

I am 43 and have suffered with undiagnosed BP since my teens. Was diagnosed by two doctors, one psychiatrist, two psychologists around six to eight months ago. I always knew there was something very wrong with me but was utterly paranoid that I would have my kids taken from me and placed in care or sent to live a long distance away to be with their father. Now that they are 17 and 19 I wish someone would!! ... seriously.

Just about every thought and many of the actions that are expressed in this wonderful forum I have felt or have done. I relate to everyone here completely.
About eight months ago I was put on Lithium, then a slow release version of Lith and an anti-depressant, Fluvoxamine. I ended up on 1200mg of Lithium daily.
Initially I thought it was doing good things as the constant lifetime of endless brain chatter quietened then stopped. I was peaceful for a while. No more dreams, no more creativity, and then eventually, no more me.
I was unable to remember what I was saying, doing or even thinking most of the time. I couldn't even think what it was that I was supposed to be thinking or feeling at any given time. I couldn't concentrate to read and that is crucial to my work. My mind became mush.
I remained suicidal, 'living' a flatline existence and putting on about 20kg in five months. I couldn't work out what to wear each day, so I would wear the same thing day after day, unless my husband would find clothes for me and set them out on the bed.
After the Lith I no longer was hypo, so there was no break from the mindless depression.
I am self employed as I am not able to work full time, and never have been. I am in partnership in a small business that we are gradually building up. We have several other sub-contractors who we bring in from time to time to work with us. I was almost completely unable to work, everything was a massive effort for a long time before the diagnosis and even worse after.
Then I had enough.
I went off the Fluvox gradually over about three weeks, then went off the 1200mg of Lithium cold turkey.
I had read about Omega 3 in fish oil having some success with both depression and BP. From what I read it appeared that a usual dose is about 3g a day. For someone who is depressed, then 6g appears to help. For a change in BP symptoms, 10g was administered.
I am not a health professional, I just researched this info myself, and reckoned it just had to be worth a try. I had nothing to lose.
When I went off the Lith about six weeks ago I could literally feel a fog lifting from inside my brain, almost like a soggy cotton wool curtain was rising. Each day I noticed an improvement. It took three days. I could actually feel when my head was finally clear that third day.
The first thing to come back was an increasingly busy mind and then my dreams - all in the first week.
Then gradually my creativity has begun to improve, my concentration means that I am now once again a useful member of my business.
Although I am not wildly sociable at the best of times, I am able to socialise and interact with others again (haven't been able to do that for a year at the very least). I can even hold a conversation again.
I still have everything I need to do during the day programmed into my calendar in my phone with an alarm set to remind me, but now I usually know what it is that it is reminding me about before I look at the screen.
From the minute I cold turkied the Lith, I replaced it with seven 1500mg capsules of fish oil daily. My phone reminds me to take four at 7 am and three at 7 pm, bringing the total to 10.5mg. I also take one 7500mg Gingko Biloba blend capsule in the morning.
I am aware that I will have to keep a watch on my hypomanic side, but living without the bulk of the hideous other side, I will persevere.
I am not 'cured', but I would highly recommend you do a bit of research on this and make your minds up for yourselves.
It has made me live again. I cannot remember how long it's been since I felt this good. Long way to go, but, it's a start.

Hello, first sorry it took ALL those years to be diagnoised.
Bipolar is difficult. I majorally have it.
It is a roller coaster life, but hey - we didn't chose it, we just have to try and control it.
ALL ALL people that are on medication have at one point taken themselves off.
Especially when we think we're feeling better or don't really need it.
Well that's when we REALLY do need it.
Bipolar is NOT easily treated - herbal will NOT work....
The ups and downs are too radically, un-expected.
As for the medication - with any, it's a complete TRIAL AND ERROR.
It is frustrating, but that's how it is for everyone.
Each chemistry is different.
Heck I can't have any artifical sweetners or my head starts spinning and 'weird' but my nose gets cold.
I have to NOT have anything caffienee, too sugary - though I CRAVE it big time....
Eating is very important for this diease - not over eating of course,
buting eating helps a little stablization.
Believe I am NO expert - I am struggling and have been for years.
Also just when I THINK a medication is working, before I know it - It no longer works.
Bipolar is NOT an just UP thing or DOWN thing it's a combination at the SAME time.
SO I use a anti-depressant, anti-anxiety and a MOOD STABILIZER.
YET, I still have difficulties, sleep, paranoid, anxiety, etc.
IT'S ALL OKAY THOUGH..... It's not, but it is.
We're SPECIAL, usually high functioning, can do many things at once, but Then the DOWN time comes.... expected.... what goes up....
Write me anytime....
I call Bipolar one of them most difficult dieases but one of the most interesting one.
Perfer NOT to have it - But hey, I've be blessed with it LOL
Susan alas Starlite p.s. 48.

[thinker22]

I've heard about the Omega 3 phenomenon. I've been vegetarian or vegan since 2004 so I'm still against taking it although people say it helps with sense of well being. To give you a little background I've always had depresson and hypomania as long as I can remember, but to me the depression was the real problem so professionals thought it was unipolar. I responded badly to all the SSRIs and SSNRIs. My p-nurse and therapist suggested that I might be bipolar but I fought the diagnosis until I did enough research, reevaluated things I used to call my "creative periods" or my "impulsive periods" and decided it was a better dx for me. So the label was finally attached in June of this year.

My p-nurse thinks I'm Bipolar II because she's never seen me manic in the course of a year. My therapist of only 2 months helped me ID several manic episodes and I've thought of even more since then.

I'm currently on a natural high or "hypomania" as some people call it, hence the hour here that started on Tues of this week, although the insomia started last week when I came off of Seroquel. Anyway, they've suggested I should be on Lithium for a while now, but from what I've read it scares the **** out of me. If it's half as bad as Seroquel, count me out! Seroquel at first helped me to sleep and took away the critical voice that was talking to me sometimes. But as it built up in my system I was tired, shaky and weak all the time, couldn't remember things, had my thoughts slowed down, and just wanted to sleep to relieve the depressing pain. I could hardly walk a couple of weeks ago. It sucked big time! So now I know the professionals will call me noncompliant but hypomania beats that any day. Either give me a better medication or I prefer this state. Food tastes better, I'm not sleeping away the day, I can feel cold, heat, wind more acutely, and I have my sharp mind back. I actually lost weight on Seroquel because everything was so bland and my stomach was like, "full" after a half a plate. So I've gained a couple of pounds already in the past week, but I don't care.

So all this to say I hear you and I'm considering natural remedies too. There's a person in the documentary (you can find it on Youtube by the British comedian, Stephen Fry, called Secret Life of the Manic Depressive) that switched off all her meds to omega 3, cod liver oil, etc. She says she feels great, but the vast majority of people need both nutritional supplements and some psychopharmic meds. Tons of people I've met here and elsewhere take all the B vitamins, E, D3, and all the others good for depression and calming effects, yet still they need high doses of anti-convulsants and/or anti-psychotics and/or anti-depressants to prevent a relapse high, low, or mixed. Me, I've looked at the natural supps online and other than the omegas you can't get in veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds, I was already taking all of the things just to keep from getting sick before they even tried an anti-depressant or a mood stabilizer. So I know unless I need to double my dose of vitamins & minerals (which it doesn't look likely from the research I've done), I will probably need some form of chemical to combat my lack of brain chemicals for the rest of my life. It's nothing to be ashamed of...just like if you need insulin to control your blood sugar or whatever. The disease is manageable.

But hey, if you find that omegas are all you need, I would be very interested in giving it a shot, esp if I can find veggie alternatives. I know the docs hate us to be hypomanic because they think subdued is somehow better, but to me it's just the opposite of hypo-depressed and they both count as better than the manic or depressed pole, so why not enjoy life and get some things accomplished? Sure, they claim, the crash is coming, but it's better than no high at all plus constant depression and tiredness.

I was 29 at my dx, now I'm 30, so I'm fairly new to treating and understanding this disease I've always had.

Those are my thoughts, sorry so long-winded!

[amaviena]

Wrong drug.
Wrong, wrong drug.
Omega 3 I take. ALONG WITH Lithium.

[DancingAlone]

Dear ellyb,
My pdoc has prescribed first of all Seroquel for me, I find it is critical to be on a psychotropic medication for BPD. I was taken off Prozac for depression because Seroquel is supposed to help that too, but I went into the Black Hole real bad so he put me back on it. What I'm getting to is that he also prescribed for me to take three 1000mg Omega 3 fish oil capsules a day for depression. I obviously have trouble with depression. It helps, but also in tandem WITH the other medications. Please be careful, I don't want to see you end up in the hospital because this disorder jumped up and bit you in the ***** suddenly, it has a way of doing that if the meds aren't there or aren't working correctly.

I wish you well.

[VickiesPath]

I'm on BPD meds and the same pdoc says 1000mg Omega-3 2x daily included. Just read recently that the psychiatric world is split down the middle on whether it really helps depression but, frankly, I would never rely on it solely. Besides, if it does nothing for depression, it's still good for the brain. Fish oil (fatty acids) is all around accepted as a good brain supplement.

[VickiesPath]

in place of lithium??? Never.

[DancingAlone]

Just wanted to add something. This is almost exactly one year later and I am still on Omega 3 (fish oil). But I can now definitely say it didn't come close to meeting my expectations in dealing with depression.

Actually the anti-d I was on had virtually stopped working and I was experiencing awful depressions, writing dark poetry, crying spells, nightmares, etc. I had no pdoc, he quit and moved and I didn't know that I was erroneously booted from the state system I had been in for 11 years, so didn't go back there until late April of this year!

Anyway, this March I finally ended up in the psych ward. I was so very fortunate to be, 63 days later (that's a whole other topic about the ineptness of the mental health system), put on a med that is working.

But as an added note, the fish oil caused my cholesterol reading to go from 234 to 145! At least it's good for something.

[Shakti]

I take 5 grams of Omega 3s daily. In addition to Lamictal, Wellbutrin, Klonopin, Risperdal, Flexeril (as needed), a multi-vitamin, B-complex, synthroid, kelp capsule (1 a day), metformin, iron (twice a week).

I take the Omega 3s because of the very promising evidence suggesting they are a positive adjunct therapy in treating depression. It will not work on its own. Perhaps for low grade normal people depression. But bipolar depression is not that. Not at all. I would NEVER rely on just the Omega 3s alone.

I'm vegan, so I get my Omega 3s from Algae derived DHA, Flax seeds (freshly ground), flax oil, and Udo's oil. Despite being vegan, when it comes to my health I will compromise (when it's that or you feel like you'll kill yourself, well, sorry...I pick me). I hate to say that, but I do. Gelatin, for example is in many of our meds. We need them. Anyway, so when I start to spiral downward, I switch out the vegan Omega 3s for fish oil caps. But if you do use Omega 3s as an ADJUNCT therapy, be sure that you also have the right balance of Omega 6 & 9, as well.

Just my $.02, but Omegas alone will not do the trick. If anything it's placebo effect. I was hopeful at one point a few years ago and bought a book about being bipolar and taking Omega 3s. Sure sounded too good to be true...and it is.

Originally Posted by Shakti

It will not work on its own. Perhaps for low grade normal people depression. But bipolar depression is not that. Not at all. I would NEVER rely on just the Omega 3s alone.

THIS. I was flying high in hypomania when my old p-doc tried to convince me of the need for medication. Being hypomanic and full of myself, I resisted. She then suggested trying the fish oil etc route, at least as something (because, hell, if it works, that'd be great!). I did. NO EFFECT WHATSOEVER. Which didn't bother me so much while hypomanic, but when the crash came, I KNEW where I was going and its total ineffectiveness became very critical at that point. I completely agree with Shakti here -- for the "normal" people oh-I'm-down version of "depression", it may be effective. But the true bipolar beast of depression is something else altogether. It is like trying to fight a nuclear blast with a toothpick.

That is not to say that I don't think people should even try it. They should, if that is their bent. BUT. If it works, that is great. But chances are, if that works, it's a pretty damn mild version of what a lot of us deal with. The challenge then is to realize that in working for one that it is NOT the cure-all for all. IT ISN'T. I can't stress this enough. I've been watching this phenomenon ("it worked for me, therefore it works, and anyone who relies on meds is deceived")for over 25 years and it bugs the snot out of me. "Working" is a factor of severity and individual chemistry. It's that simple. Believe me, if fish oil worked for me, I'd be all over it. It's a damn lot less expensive than what I'm on. Difference is, what I'm on is working. And I won't trade that for anything. Philosophy be damned, I need something that actually works, whether it lies inside or outside of what I'd like to believe.

(No harshness to you, ellyb. Truly. I also had suffered for years and years -- yes, even older than you --before being diagnosed) I've been put on meds that didn't work for me. I understand what you say about flatline. But what I'm on now isn't flatlining me, nor inhibiting creativity. In fact, because I'm not swallowed up with the inertia of depression, I can actually get in there and do work. Undiminished in depth.) To each his own, and I'm glad that you feel it is working for you. But also wanted to let you know that I so relate to the worry that "if they knew" business, re: kiddos... *and* that I too have a 17 year old(!) They really can be a pain in the arse!

[ushuario]

Hi all,

I found this page googling the terms 'lithium' & 'omega 3' and I thought you might want to know about some recent research I've been doing myself on the promising evidences available regarding Omega 3 fatty acids.

In particular, there is a recent meta-analysis (Sept 25, 2013) about this:

J Affect Disord. 2013 Sep 25;150(3):707-19. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2013.05.042. Epub 2013 Jun 12.
Complementary and alternative therapies as add-on to pharmacotherapy for mood and anxiety disorders: A systematic review.

RESULTS: Generally, the evidence base is significantly larger for depression than for anxiety disorder. In unipolar depression, there is Level 2 evidence for adjunctive sleep deprivation (SD) and Free and Easy Wanderer Plus (FEWP), and Level 3 for exercise, yoga, light therapy (LT), omega-3 fatty acids, S-adenosylmethionine and tryptophan. In bipolar depression, there is Level 1 evidence for adjunctive omega-3s, Level 2 for SD, and Level 3 for LT and FEWP. In anxiety conditions, exercise augmentation has Level 3 support in generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder. Though mostly well-tolerated, these therapies can only be recommended as third-line interventions due to the quality of available evidence.

Recommended dosage is around 1-2 gr. daily, according to Dr. Phelps' page.
Google "Omega-3 Fatty Acids(including Fish Oil)(updated 2/2013)", for I cannot post links until my post count is 10 or greater.

Regards

[Skittles56]

There are two problems with fish oil capsules. First, the fish oil in them is usually rancid. All of the omega 3 benefit is lost and the rancid oil is actually a source of free radicals, making it very unhealthy for you. Second, all oily fish have some level of mercury and PCBs. Cheaper fish oil capsules are not made from sardines or anchovies, which have the lowest levels of mercury and PCBs.

Check this out:

Is Your Fish Oil Rancid? What you need to know. | Paleo Simplified Energy Bar - Paleo Diet

[ushuario]

Originally Posted by Skittles56

There are two problems with fish oil capsules. First, the fish oil in them is usually rancid. All of the omega 3 benefit is lost and the rancid oil is actually a source of free radicals, making it very unhealthy for you. Second, all oily fish have some level of mercury and PCBs. Cheaper fish oil capsules are not made from sardines or anchovies, which have the lowest levels of mercury and PCBs.

Check this out:

Is Your Fish Oil Rancid? What you need to know. | Paleo Simplified Energy Bar - Paleo Diet

Thank you very much for raising those concerns Skittles56.

I really don't know how a simple consumer might address them other than by having a third party professionally testing Omega 3 brands.

I found this major organization, devoted to analyzing Omega 3 companies:

GOED Omega 3

They have got a members section and apparently their mission is to produce and evangelize about the highest quality Omega 3.

If someone is aware of a good brand, rancid, mercury and PCBs-wise, we are all ears.

[primetimetush1]

Originally Posted by amaviena

Wrong drug.
Wrong, wrong drug.
Omega 3 I take. ALONG WITH Lithium.

Listen to this woman.

Omega-3 is mildly/moderately effective against depression, but has demonstrated no effect against mania. It's an add-on, not a substitute.

[monochromatic]

I notice a difference when I take them every day, but 7 capsules a day must be a ton of money!

Has anyone noticed that any brands/types are better than others? And cheaper?

[cool09]

You not only need Omega 3 but Omega 6. I took Omega 3 (flax seeds) for 6 mths and did nothing for me. Studies do show that Cultures (Scandanavia, Japan, etc.) who eat more fish do have less incidence of BP than other Cultures.

[Phoenix_1]

Originally Posted by Skittles56

There are two problems with fish oil capsules. First, the fish oil in them is usually rancid. All of the omega 3 benefit is lost and the rancid oil is actually a source of free radicals, making it very unhealthy for you. Second, all oily fish have some level of mercury and PCBs. Cheaper fish oil capsules are not made from sardines or anchovies, which have the lowest levels of mercury and PCBs.

Check this out:

Is Your Fish Oil Rancid? What you need to know. | Paleo Simplified Energy Bar - Paleo Diet

Buy krill oil. They're the very bottom of the food chain and have much less pollutants than larger fish.

Sent from my Note 2 using Tapatalk 4

[Amelie10]

A friend of mine's PDOC always says this:

ANY drug can affect ANY person, ANY way.

Of course there are some side effects etc. that are more likely than others, but basically it is different for everyone. I have never gained a pound on any BP drug and I know people (including on this forum) who have gained hundreds of pounds on these drugs.

I don't think fish oil is a solution for the long term, but if it is working for you today, then that is great. I hope that as soon as you begin to feel manic again you go to your Pdoc and discuss other options besides lithium....because there are many other drugs.

Best of luck to you and everyone else as we try to figure out the best way to treat our illnesses which have many similarities and many differences.

PS I tried taking fish oil capsules for a while but I had these really gross fishy burps and I couldn't take it!

[Phoenix_1]

Originally Posted by Amelie10

A forum)

PS I tried taking fish oil capsules for a while but I had these really gross fishy burps and I couldn't take it!

Keep the fish oil capsules in the fridge or the freezer and you won't get fishy burps.
Also, in addition to krill, if you look for an oil that's been distilled, the omega 3 is still there but the heavy metals are gone. I wish I could remember the name of the brand I use to buy.

Sent from my Note 2 using Tapatalk 4

[primetimetush1]

Originally Posted by ellyb

I am 43 and have suffered with undiagnosed BP since my teens. Was diagnosed by two doctors, one psychiatrist, two psychologists around six to eight months ago. I always knew there was something very wrong with me but was utterly paranoid that I would have my kids taken from me and placed in care or sent to live a long distance away to be with their father. Now that they are 17 and 19 I wish someone would!! ... seriously.

Just about every thought and many of the actions that are expressed in this wonderful forum I have felt or have done. I relate to everyone here completely.
About eight months ago I was put on Lithium, then a slow release version of Lith and an anti-depressant, Fluvoxamine. I ended up on 1200mg of Lithium daily.
Initially I thought it was doing good things as the constant lifetime of endless brain chatter quietened then stopped. I was peaceful for a while. No more dreams, no more creativity, and then eventually, no more me.
I was unable to remember what I was saying, doing or even thinking most of the time. I couldn't even think what it was that I was supposed to be thinking or feeling at any given time. I couldn't concentrate to read and that is crucial to my work. My mind became mush.
I remained suicidal, 'living' a flatline existence and putting on about 20kg in five months. I couldn't work out what to wear each day, so I would wear the same thing day after day, unless my husband would find clothes for me and set them out on the bed.
After the Lith I no longer was hypo, so there was no break from the mindless depression.
I am self employed as I am not able to work full time, and never have been. I am in partnership in a small business that we are gradually building up. We have several other sub-contractors who we bring in from time to time to work with us. I was almost completely unable to work, everything was a massive effort for a long time before the diagnosis and even worse after.
Then I had enough.
I went off the Fluvox gradually over about three weeks, then went off the 1200mg of Lithium cold turkey.
I had read about Omega 3 in fish oil having some success with both depression and BP. From what I read it appeared that a usual dose is about 3g a day. For someone who is depressed, then 6g appears to help. For a change in BP symptoms, 10g was administered.
I am not a health professional, I just researched this info myself, and reckoned it just had to be worth a try. I had nothing to lose.
When I went off the Lith about six weeks ago I could literally feel a fog lifting from inside my brain, almost like a soggy cotton wool curtain was rising. Each day I noticed an improvement. It took three days. I could actually feel when my head was finally clear that third day.
The first thing to come back was an increasingly busy mind and then my dreams - all in the first week.
Then gradually my creativity has begun to improve, my concentration means that I am now once again a useful member of my business.
Although I am not wildly sociable at the best of times, I am able to socialise and interact with others again (haven't been able to do that for a year at the very least). I can even hold a conversation again.
I still have everything I need to do during the day programmed into my calendar in my phone with an alarm set to remind me, but now I usually know what it is that it is reminding me about before I look at the screen.
From the minute I cold turkied the Lith, I replaced it with seven 1500mg capsules of fish oil daily. My phone reminds me to take four at 7 am and three at 7 pm, bringing the total to 10.5mg. I also take one 7500mg Gingko Biloba blend capsule in the morning.
I am aware that I will have to keep a watch on my hypomanic side, but living without the bulk of the hideous other side, I will persevere.
I am not 'cured', but I would highly recommend you do a bit of research on this and make your minds up for yourselves.
It has made me live again. I cannot remember how long it's been since I felt this good. Long way to go, but, it's a start.

Omega 3 is used as an adjunctive treatment for bipolar disorder, but not on its own. It can prevent minor depression, but has not demonstrated any efficacy against hypo/mania. Thus, you would be advised to take a mood stabilizer/antipsychotic, and possibly add on Omega-3.

Research articles:

Jerome, 2012, a review of several studies

"The meta-analytic findings provide strong evidence that bipolar depressive symptoms may be improved by adjunctive use of omega-3. The evidence, however, does not support its adjunctive use in attenuating mania."

Montori, 2008, a review of several studies

"The available evidence suggests that omega-3 fatty acids are a potential treatment of depressive disorders, but not mania."

[Anika.]

You can use oil instead of capsules, which might be better anyways. Capsules might have a longer shelf life but you cannot tell if is is bad inless you break some open to check. Dose is usually alot lower in a capsule so you would have to take quite a few more depending on brand, which is not cheaper in long run. Tho not all oils are equal that is forsure. You can get a lemon or different flavour to mask the fishy tatse and with little to no after taste if you find that a problem. And always always look for a brand that actually publishes independant lab testing, and check it! Sometimes this info is available on the website for certain brands. I agree about the Krill Oil.

Here is a pretty good link of what you should look for when selecting an oil for omegas it is pretty informative...

The definitive fish oil buyer’s guide

Hope that helps. Or just eat a lot more fish I do but still not enough.