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The following doses have been studied in scientific research:
BY MOUTH:
- For high levels of fats called triglycerides in the blood (hypertriglyceridemia): A specific prescription medicine containing pure eicosapentaenoic acid (Vascepa by Amarin) has been taken in doses of 2 grams twice daily along with dieting an possibly treatment with cholesterol-lowering drugs called "statins."
- For heart disease (cardiovascular disease): An ethyl eicosapentaenoic acid product (Vascepa, Amarin) 4 grams daily has been used for about 4.9 years.
- For heart disease (coronary heart disease): 0.6 grams of eicosapentaenoic acid three times daily.
- For depression: For treating depression, 0.5-1 gram of eicosapentaenoic acid (as ethyl eicosapentaenoic acid) twice daily has been used along with antidepressant medication. In some cases, eicosapentaenoic acid is taken with docosahexaenoic acid. The combination formulas containing at least 60% eicosapentaenoic acid seem to work best. For preventing depression in people receiving interferon-alpha treatment, 3.5 grams of eicosapentaenoic acid per day has been used for 2 weeks.
- For heart attack: 1.8 grams of eicosapentaenoic acid daily in combination with "statins" has been taken for one month or one year following a procedure called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Taking 1.8 grams daily in combination with "statins" for one month before PCI has also been used.
- For symptoms of menopause: 500 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid (as ethyl eicosapentaenoic acid) three times daily has been used for up to 8 weeks.
- For a mental disorder marked by unstable mood and behavior (borderline personality disorder): 1 gram of eicosapentaenoic acid (as ethyl eicosapentaenoic acid) has been used daily for up to 8 weeks.
Many fatty acid preparations such as eicosapentaenoic acid also contain small amounts of vitamin E as an antioxidant to prevent spoilage. *
