Omega-3 fish oil

[Mekong Bob]

Looking for best deal in Chiang Mai on high-quality fish oil. Purified to remove contaminants, 350+ mg of DHA and 450+ mg of EPA, or about 800mg of Omega-3 fatty oil. 1000mg softgel ideal. Any such product in Chiang Mai?

If you know a pharmacy, please provide details and prices.

Thanks!

[uptheos]

It's a bit of a crap shoot here at times, low quality and inflated prices.

You would be better off searching/researching online and ordering it if you can.

Someone will come along that can help you regarding CM.

There are some very knowledgeable and helpful people on this subject.

Edited September 17, 2013 by uptheos

[beau thai]

I have found supplements seriously overpriced here-looking for glucosamine but also very expensive.

Now use Healthspan in Guernsey, uk. Ship for about 300 bht,high quality. sensible price product range and good website. But do your own research ......

Just had an order of B12 arrive today from Healthspan (took about 2 weeks)-many people short of B12 here as little red meat (beef, lamb), but the cost here is ridiculous.

[FolkGuitar]

I have found supplements seriously overpriced here-looking for glucosamine but also very expensive.

Now use Healthspan in Guernsey, uk. Ship for about 300 bht,high quality. sensible price product range and good website. But do your own research ......

Just had an order of B12 arrive today from Healthspan (took about 2 weeks)-many people short of B12 here as little red meat (beef, lamb), but the cost here is ridiculous.

Considering that clams (actually most shellfish) are higher in B12 than beef, and easy to find here, why bother with the expense of supplements? Octopus, tuna, crab... they are all higher in B12 content than beef (except for beef liver, that is.)

[masuk]

Last time there was discussion on fish oil, etc, it seemed the best way was to order in from overseas, as others have done in today's replies.

My last purchase of fish oil was in Australia, 1000mg Omega 3, cost me $13.00 for 400.

I usually buy these from this firm: http://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/category.asp?id=1382&cname=Nature%27s%20Own%20Fish%20Oil

Prices seem to be 50% cheaper than normal.

[northernjohn]

I was talking to my doctor about it and she said it was really good for me. The only problem she said is that here in Chiang Mai there is only one brand worth using. I did buy one bottle of it but it is way to expensive 1,500 baht for a two week supply. Kind of hard to figure out which brand is the best. I got a purchase last month from iHerb in the states. I did not get any Omega 3 from them but am planing on getting it and another item. Problem is which is good and which is not. They claim all their stuff is high Quality but they have prices all over the place.

[uptheos]

Last time there was discussion on fish oil, etc, it seemed the best way was to order in from overseas, as others have done in today's replies.

My last purchase of fish oil was in Australia, 1000mg Omega 3, cost me $13.00 for 400.

I usually buy these from this firm: http://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/category.asp?id=1382&cname=Nature%27s%20Own%20Fish%20Oil

Prices seem to be 50% cheaper than normal.

They seem quite expensive for shipping though, or have I missed something?

[beau thai]

Good thought Folkguitar and great advice for those that like clams, octopus etc. I guess the rest of us need supplements....

[beau thai]

1500 baht for 1 month Northern John??

I have just ordered 1 years supply from Healthspan-900 baht including shipping. They offer several different types/doses/combinations so may have what you are seeking-if interested just google Healthspan. I have used them for years and they are reliable. Not sure how you tell if all this stuff works-but I do know that if I stop taking Saw Palmetto for prostate I get up far more often at night!!!

[Countryman]

I think cod liver oil is the best fish oil, what is sold as fish oil could come from

any kind of fish, even sharks,

I just get friends to bring some over for me from UK, Holland and Barett

sometimes have offers buy one get one free.and its best quality .

relax Countryman

[playyer]

Iherb is good (online)

4 USD shipping rate to thailand.

[elektrified]

I have found supplements seriously overpriced here-looking for glucosamine but also very expensive.

Now use Healthspan in Guernsey, uk. Ship for about 300 bht,high quality. sensible price product range and good website. But do your own research ......

Just had an order of B12 arrive today from Healthspan (took about 2 weeks)-many people short of B12 here as little red meat (beef, lamb), but the cost here is ridiculous.

I buy 1000 tablets of B-12, 100 mcg for 150 THB. I take about 5 per day. That's ridiculous?

For all other supplements, www.iherb.com - hands down. Cheap, very high quality and only US $4.00 post up to I think 2 kg. - maybe more.

[Iamemjay]

I am reliant on Omega 3 fish oil in the management of my arthritis, so I buy it in large quantities, 1 year's supply at a time.

It USED to be available here in Thailand very cheaply as Salmon Oil, but that source suddenly disappeared, leaving only ridiculously expensive options.

I now buy mine online through Puritan's Pride www.puritan.com/‎ - if I want it to be delivered to Thailand.

or if I am going to Australia and can transport it back, I can buy it considerably cheaper through http://www.puritanspride.com.au

[jmccarty]

Both iherb.com and puritan.com have very competitive prices for everything!

[Bpuumike]

Last time there was discussion on fish oil, etc, it seemed the best way was to order in from overseas, as others have done in today's replies.

My last purchase of fish oil was in Australia, 1000mg Omega 3, cost me $13.00 for 400.

I usually buy these from this firm: http://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/category.asp?id=1382&cname=Nature's%20Own%20Fish%20Oil

Prices seem to be 50% cheaper than normal.

How do you ask them to label the parcel to avoid Customs duties? After all, high import duties are the reason supplements are so expensive here.

Otherwise ask visitors to bring plenty, they will be filling their bag space with plenty of other purchases for their return.

[elektrified]

In response to the above post, www.iherb.com has an arrangement with Thai Post and customs. No duty is charged. They just don't want people trying to buy in large quantities and re-sell them in Thailand. They have an account with Thai Post. The postage labels are actually affixed at Lak Si Mail Center in Thailand and not in the USA which is an unusual arrangement.

Edited September 18, 2013 by elektrified

[beau thai]

I have never been asked to pay customs duty on the small packages that arrive -yet...!

Elektrified-where do you get B12 at that price here please. I have shopped around in and out of town and cant get close to that-but the ones I get from Healthspan are 1000mcg and 1 a day.

[elektrified]

I have never been asked to pay customs duty on the small packages that arrive -yet...!

Elektrified-where do you get B12 at that price here please. I have shopped around in and out of town and cant get close to that-but the ones I get from Healthspan are 1000mcg and 1 a day.

I buy them wholesale. The brand I get is from T.P. Drug Laboratories, Prakanong, Bangkok. Tel 023111911-3 http://tpdrug.com/index.htm

A Pharmacist friend said they are a solid company in business since about 1963 and the quality is excellent.

[xylophone]

In response to the above post, www.iherb.com has an arrangement with Thai Post and customs. No duty is charged. They just don't want people trying to buy in large quantities and re-sell them in Thailand. They have an account with Thai Post. The postage labels are actually affixed at Lak Si Mail Center in Thailand and not in the USA which is an unusual arrangement.

That's good to know as I've often had vitamins etc sent from overseas, however the last lot were held up at customs in BKK and they wouldn't clear them!!

I contacted UPS who shipped them and they said that Thai customs were cracking down on any/all supplements being sent through the post.

[Waffle]

Hey, I buy at Watsons in the Meechok Plaza, you can buy a 3 pack of Nutri-Master (250 tablets) for 650 baht, seems reasonable enough.

Now, I don't know if they're of good quality, it's says on the pack Fish Oil 1000mg, 180 EPA, 120 DHA.

[tfc]

iherb.com if sending direct to Thailand seems to be the best so far. If a friend/family is come over then swansonvitamins.com are a bit cheaper on a lot of their stuff. They usually use Fedex though and I used to get a 50% added tax if sent direct to Thailand. They charged a similar percentage to my friend in London and father in law in France. For some reason there has never been any added tax when sent to my home in Australia. Obviously as a US company there would be tax issues there either.

[hellodolly]

In response to the above post, www.iherb.com has an arrangement with Thai Post and customs. No duty is charged. They just don't want people trying to buy in large quantities and re-sell them in Thailand. They have an account with Thai Post. The postage labels are actually affixed at Lak Si Mail Center in Thailand and not in the USA which is an unusual arrangement.

That's good to know as I've often had vitamins etc sent from overseas, however the last lot were held up at customs in BKK and they wouldn't clear them!!

I contacted UPS who shipped them and they said that Thai customs were cracking down on any/all supplements being sent through the post.

UPS and Fed X automatically send packages to customs.

I ordered from iHerb and it took 20 days for delivery. Seems to me I read some place that they were having a little trouble with the customs here in Thailand. Mine came through but not in the 9 to 14 days that I was told to expect it in.

Hey, I buy at Watsons in the Meechok Plaza, you can buy a 3 pack of Nutri-Master (250 tablets) for 650 baht, seems reasonable enough.

Now, I don't know if they're of good quality, it's says on the pack Fish Oil 1000mg, 180 EPA, 120 DHA.

I think you have a valid point there about good quality. How can one actually check it. Does it make a difference which fish they get it from?

[Waffle]

In response to the above post, www.iherb.com has an arrangement with Thai Post and customs. No duty is charged. They just don't want people trying to buy in large quantities and re-sell them in Thailand. They have an account with Thai Post. The postage labels are actually affixed at Lak Si Mail Center in Thailand and not in the USA which is an unusual arrangement.

That's good to know as I've often had vitamins etc sent from overseas, however the last lot were held up at customs in BKK and they wouldn't clear them!!

I contacted UPS who shipped them and they said that Thai customs were cracking down on any/all supplements being sent through the post.

UPS and Fed X automatically send packages to customs.

I ordered from iHerb and it took 20 days for delivery. Seems to me I read some place that they were having a little trouble with the customs here in Thailand. Mine came through but not in the 9 to 14 days that I was told to expect it in.

Hey, I buy at Watsons in the Meechok Plaza, you can buy a 3 pack of Nutri-Master (250 tablets) for 650 baht, seems reasonable enough.

Now, I don't know if they're of good quality, it's says on the pack Fish Oil 1000mg, 180 EPA, 120 DHA.

I think you have a valid point there about good quality. How can one actually check it. Does it make a difference which fish they get it from?

The best you can do is a bit of research about the supplement you want, you're never gonna know for sure what you're buying. You can buy a bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil for 1000baht and it might not even be Extra Virgin, spend money on a multi-vitamin that could actually do more harm than good, (I won't name the company) same with the fish oil, I bought mine like I said because they seemed reasonably priced and there was a little Norweigen flag on the bottle. When I bit into the capsule it had that taste I was looking for so went with them, who knows, maybe they're a waste of money. There's big money in the supplement industry and it's all about turning as much profit as possible so do your research, after that, you're buying on faith.

Good Luck!

[Mekong Bob]

I was talking to my doctor about it and she said it was really good for me. The only problem she said is that here in Chiang Mai there is only one brand worth using. I did buy one bottle of it but it is way to expensive 1,500 baht for a two week supply. Kind of hard to figure out which brand is the best. I got a purchase last month from iHerb in the states. I did not get any Omega 3 from them but am planing on getting it and another item. Problem is which is good and which is not. They claim all their stuff is high Quality but they have prices all over the place.

And what brand is it that is worth using? Where to buy?

If you use fish oil for arthritis, triglyceride, etc. problems, the recommended DAILY dosage of Omega-3 fatty oils (EPA and DHA) is 3000mg.

If you use "quality" fish oil, that's no more than 4 softgel capsules per day. If you use locally-available brands (PharmaNord, Blackmores, Mega, etc.), you will need to gulp down 10 softgels a day to meet your daily requirement !!!

To identify quality Omega-3 fish oil, you start by reading the label. Most reputable pharmaceutical companies purify their fish oil to remove harmful contaminants (mercury, etc.), but the key factor is how much beneficial EPA and DHA is concentrated in each softgel, not in each dosage. The other "fish oils" are junk - used as fillers. The 1000mg Mega softgel, for example, contains 120mg DHA and 180mg EPA (only) and that's why it is about 3 baht per softgel. You'll need 10 of these each day.

Chiang Mai Ram Hospital's Pharmacy has Lovaza Omega-3 fish oil, 1000mg (1 gram) softgels. 380mg DHA, 470mg EPA. That's 850mg of Omega-3 in each softgel, and that's a high-quality, highly-concentrated formula. A 100-count bottle costs 1,300 baht. (in the USA and Canada, these same Lovaza softgels sell for about $1.20 (40 baht) each on the open market.

Please tell us the brand that your Thai doctor recommended.

[chiang mai]

Try the Green Pharmacy in the basement of Gad Suan Gow (sp), opposite the bottom of the down escalator and across from Tops, he stocks an impressive range of imported (US) supplements and the like, good English spoken.

Just a note on omega3: from what I have read and understood, omega3 in supplement form is massively inferior to naturally occuring omega3 such as flax seed, apparently the body doesn't take it up the same way, just a thought.

[jobin]

Most likely all the junk fish are put thru the blender, the oil extracted and cleaned. There may be in all the world only one company doing this job. Then all this fish oil is packed into 55 gal drums and sold to the many firms world-wide which pack the oil into tiny capsules, label, market and sell it to you, or me. It's all about ' branding' and customer loyalty, and of course, price. Quality? >?????

[elektrified]

In response to the above post, www.iherb.com has an arrangement with Thai Post and customs. No duty is charged. They just don't want people trying to buy in large quantities and re-sell them in Thailand. They have an account with Thai Post. The postage labels are actually affixed at Lak Si Mail Center in Thailand and not in the USA which is an unusual arrangement.

I forgot to mention that if you enter gift code GEV414, on www.iherb.com you can get as much as US $10.00 off your order.

[Mekong Bob]

In response to the above post, www.iherb.com has an arrangement with Thai Post and customs. No duty is charged. They just don't want people trying to buy in large quantities and re-sell them in Thailand. They have an account with Thai Post. The postage labels are actually affixed at Lak Si Mail Center in Thailand and not in the USA which is an unusual arrangement.

I forgot to mention that if you enter gift code GEV414, on www.iherb.com you can get as much as US $10.00 off your order.

does iherb have high-quality fish oil with high DHA and high EPA? price?

[Mekong Bob]

In response to the above post, www.iherb.com has an arrangement with Thai Post and customs. No duty is charged. They just don't want people trying to buy in large quantities and re-sell them in Thailand. They have an account with Thai Post. The postage labels are actually affixed at Lak Si Mail Center in Thailand and not in the USA which is an unusual arrangement.

I forgot to mention that if you enter gift code GEV414, on www.iherb.com you can get as much as US $10.00 off your order.

does iherb have high-quality fish oil with high DHA and high EPA? price?

from iherb, this one (attached photo) is described as "pharmaceutical grade," but only 200mg of DHA.

[hellodolly]

Most likely all the junk fish are put thru the blender, the oil extracted and cleaned. There may be in all the world only one company doing this job. Then all this fish oil is packed into 55 gal drums and sold to the many firms world-wide which pack the oil into tiny capsules, label, market and sell it to you, or me. It's all about ' branding' and customer loyalty, and of course, price. Quality? >?????

Are you saying they are all they same and the different EPA and DHA mg of on the bottle's are falsified?