Omega-3 and BP Control: High blood pressure patients should be extremely careful about their medicines. High BP patients often ask their doctors whether they can take fish oil supplements along with their BP medicines daily. Fish oil has long been considered beneficial for the heart, because it contains rich amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. These are known to reduce triglycerides, reduce inflammation and support heart health. In such a situation, the question is whether it is safe to take fish oil supplements along with BP control medicines or not? Let us know the answer to this from the doctor.

According to Dr. Ranjan, generally fish oil does not interfere with the effect of BP medicines like ACE inhibitors, ARBs, calcium channel blockers, beta blockers and diuretics. Therefore there is no harm in taking it. If your medication is already controlling your blood pressure, fish oil may have a slight additional effect. This does not become a problem for most people, but in elderly people or patients taking many medicines, sometimes BP can fall excessively. Symptoms like dizziness, feeling lightheaded while standing or fainting can be signs that the blood pressure has gone too low. In such a situation, it is necessary to consult a doctor.

According to experts, fish oil has a mild blood thinning effect. At normal supplement doses this effect is very minor and not clinically significant. If a person is taking more than 3 grams of EPA and DHA daily, the risk of bleeding may increase. People who are already taking aspirin or other anticoagulant or blood thinner medicines should take extra caution. Many fish oil capsules available in the market are of 1000 mg, but the actual amount of Omega-3 (EPA and DHA) in them is only about 300 mg. This quantity is considered safe for normal heart health. Fish oil may be helpful for heart health, but it is not a substitute for BP medicines.