My eye center recommends flaxseed oil for dry eyes. Just started taking a 1200 softgel today. Did flaxseed oil help you? How long did it take? I also take fish oil every day. I'm going on my fourth month with the fish oil and I read where it takes five months to work. I tried the theratears nutrition but it really tore up my stomach.
Hi Lighthouse,
I also take fish oil regularly as do many of us here, but never had Flaxseed oil...
Can you say if you feel just a little better since taking it ? or are you still waiting with baited breath !
Do keep us posted , good luck Dolly
Why flaxseed oil and not hemp oil? Just curious ???
Isin't Hemp what the Indians smoked Epsom?
Can't see that as a very good mouth cure !! Dolly
PPPPLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, pass the hemp dude! ;) ;D
Anyway, tried flaxseed oil and it about killed my stomach, use fish oil these days. I wonder if the Theratears will help with the flaxseed in it?
Patze
Unfortunately hemp oil does not have enough THC to make you feel goooood dude, but it has a lot of EFA to promote good health.
My fine toothed friend, any little bit will do the trick these days!!! ;D And if the trade off is that I have to get healthier, well, that's a burden I'll just have to take on! :D ;) ;D
Patze
My eye specialist told me to take Flaxseed Oil too. I take 1200 twice a day. It has helped me, been on it for over a year. I also have plugs in lower tear ducts, but I don't need to use nearly the eye drops as I used to. It doesn't hurt my stomach, but I take it with my Plaquenil at breakfast and again at supper.
Patze,
I have a shirt made of hemp, very soft and comfortable, maybe when it wears out I'll try smoking it :D
If you do Epson, please take a picture!
Patze
I do not think that any medicine is a cure all. However, I take flaxseed oil caps. My opthomologist recommended it for my dry eyes. It has helped me improve. Good luck.
Epson, on the subject of hemp. I was at the hairdressers trying to explain to them about Sjogren's. They got confused and thought that it gave you a wet mouth so one of the gals said smoke some hemp and that will give you a dry coton mouth. So then I had to re-explain about having dry mouth.
watoozie, nice to know that it has helped you. I will stick with it. The deal breaker will be if it keeps irritating my stomach. Hoping maybe I can get by that. Been suffering with a bacterial eye infection so I'd like some help with my eyes. They say on the Internet that it is just as effective as taking the antibiotic doxycycline which is what I've been doing for two weeks. Good to know that you can take it with the Plaquenil. I take mine at lunchtime. I take my fish oil at breakfast.
redetha, I agree about it not being a cure all. Some doctors recommend eye drops, flaxseed oil and hot compresses to treat dry eye.
Hi Lighthouse33. My eye doctor recommended flaxseed supplements back in 2000 when I was first diagnosed with dry eyes (before the Sjogren's diagnosis came). I've been taking 4000mg daily ever since. I take mine twice daily (2000 mg each time). Flaxseed is also good for the skin and colon. It has really helped me. Hope you get some relief soon!
I know some of you thought I was kidding about hemp oil, but as you can see below, it has superior EFA ratio to flaxseed, or for that matter any other oil. I think I will try some along with coconut oil to experiment with in the kitchen. I don't expect it to help with my Sjogren's but it can't hurt anything either.
[size=10pt]Oils Containing both Omega 6 and Omega 3 (ratio)[/size]
Hemp 3:1 (deemed optimum)
Flax 1:4
Canola 2:1
Soybean 7:1
Oils Containing GLA (percent of total EFAs)
Hemp 2.5-3.5%
Evening Primrose 9%
Borage 24%
Only Hemp seed oil contains Omega 6, Omega 3 and GLA
Only Hemp seed oil contains 75-80% polyunsaturated fatty acids - highest in the plant kingdom and unique among seed oils. Though flax oil is high in Omega 3, the perfect balance of hemp's EFAs allows your body to best digest the excellent properties in hemp oil.
Our Canadian friends grow hemp for oils, cattle feed, paper, rope, building material and clothing. In France they make paper for bibles because it wont fade like paper made from wood pulp. Truly a miracle crop, but we can't grow it in the US, because it competed with the robber baron's timber holding for paper and manufacturers of synthetic fibers. Hemp should not be confuse with elicit drugs, that's a completely different plant.
My rheum, has me on the flax oil, one note of difference, he says take the liquid form, not the pills as because it actually does a wonderful job of helping to keep your mouth and throat moist while absorbng faster and better..try it an see, your lips will feel better too..
great tips... thanks. I'm going to get some hemp seed oil and see how that goes over with my college age boys!
I take the liquid Flaxseed oil and not the pills also.. This was the way it was recommended for me to take it. I feel it is making a difference
I have taken fish oil and flaxseed oil every day for the last 5 months and I can't say that I've really noticed any improvement. I doesn't seem to bother my stomache but I always take them w/ a meal. It's my first time on this site. I am a 38-year-old woman who was diagnosed with Sjogren's about 5 months ago. I have very dry eyes, mouth and lips. I also suffer from fatigue, general body soreness which feels like the flu, and muscle weakness. I use serum tears, systane (over the counter), and restasis for the dry eyes which provides some relief. I take very good care of my teeth, use biotene products and chew a lot of gum (trident with xylotol) but still have decay and erosion. I take hydroxychloroquine (Planquenil) and NSAIDs but I don't feel that there's been significant improvement.
My question: Does anyone have any experience with taking biological drugs (Kineret, Remicade, etc.) for Sjogren's? There is a clinical trial going on in Norway currently that is using Kineret to treat the fatigue associated with Sjogren's. I wish there was something else that I could do to improve the way I feel. I miss feeling "normal" and wish I had some more energy. My Rheumy seems very conservative when it comes to treatment, and wants to stick with Planquenil.
Welcome Sophiamama,
You seem to be doing everything right, so I'm sorry to hear that nothing seems to be relieving your symptoms..
I was very interested in the Flaxseed Oil thread, and was going to give it a go..
Sorry I have not heard nor tried any of the Kineret et'c trials, I am only on Naproxen myself,
but the Plaquenil appears to be the main treatment as yet..
Someone may reply to your query, and know of these trials, let's hope so!..
We all wish to be feeling normal again , but that elusive cure just doesen't seem to be round the corner yet!!
Do join us again and let us know how you are... Good Luck, Dolly
Hi Sophiamama,
Let me also welcome you to the SJS World! Please look around as there are tons of topics that you might find interesting.
I take fish oil everyday, and I haven't really seen any difference in my eyes. Oh well, maybe one day, there'll be something developed soon so we can have a better quality of life.
I can't speak of any of the biological drugs (Kineret, Remicade, etc.), as I've never been on any of them so far, but I know some of the members here have been. Hopefully a few will stop by and give you some information about them and how it's affecting their lives.
Take care -
Patze
Hi-
My eye doctor also recommended flaxssed oil to help the dryness in my eyes. I started taking it about a year ago.(2-3 x day) At my last eye exam, he said my eyes were not as dry. Before I started this he was thinking of prescription remedy. Still to it. We all take differrent amounts of time to respond to medications and supplements.
Would it make sense to take a flax seed, hemp seed, and a fish oil each day. maybe in lower doses!
Yay, I finally have a rheumy apt at Brigham and Womens!
Hi Sophiamama
I'm sorry you're feeling so exhausted at the moment. I wonder whether your rheumy is giving Plaquenil time to work before thinking about other meds? Most people here find it takes 3-6 months to show much difference but for many people it's all they need to deal with the major impact of dryness and fatigue. Others need more meds, specifically immunosuppressants/chemo.
I've been on CellCept for 8 months and there are a few other people here who are also on it; quite a few are also on methotrexate. Rheumies tend to use these more aggressive treatments for people whose immune systems are causing damage to particular organs: kidneys or more often the central nervous system. I'm happy to give you more information if that would help.
Maybe NSAIDs aren't sufficient pain relief? Have you also tried a cover of Paracetamol ie 8 tablets a day? Some of us also find low dose amitriptyline/nortriptyline at night is helpful for neuropathic pain.
Thinking of you - Chickpea
Missyb,
How does the liquid oil taste? I was wondering yesterday when I saw it in the case at the supermarket.
Years ago my ophtho had told me to take Omega-3 supplements but I fell out of the habit a while back. I think I'll ask my rheumy next time if I should start it up again.