Can Fish Oil Be Taken Along With Cholesterol Medicines?

Posted on Mon, 5 Oct 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 5 Oct 2015 Answered on

Tue, 27 Oct 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : I have a client on 2 cholesterol meds., one being Zetia. She also takes an Omega3 supplement. Is it o.k. for her to continue taking the fish oil with the cholesterol meds.? Thank you.

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (35 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
there is no serious interaction

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

although you haven't mentioned the drugs (all the drugs I mean), I suppose that the second drug has to be a statin.

Ezetimibe is commonly used along with statins (to augment their effect) and omega-3 fatty acids. Usually there is no serious problems with this approach. One of the most common problems which may occur is elevation of the liver enzymes. This elevation is usually mild and poses no problem to continuation of treatment.

I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.

Kind Regards!

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar