Possible deleterious effects of adjunctive omega-3 fatty acids in post-traumatic stress disorder patients

Since anger and hostility are frequently pivotal problem behaviors in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients and depression is a common comorbid feature of PTSD, we initiated a preliminary open trial of dietary supplementation with capsules of fish oil rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in a group of PTSD patients with these problems. Our purpose in the present study was to examine whether EPA-rich fish oil has any effect on the symptoms of PTSD patients, especially those related to depression, anger, and hostility. We found that we had to severely curtail the study in response to complaints by our patients, which we feel are worthy of reporting here, in spite of the open-label nature and the very small number of participants.