Question 1

My child has nosebleeds when she takes fish oil. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

A common misperception is that fish oil thins the blood and makes bleeding occur more frequently.  In fact, fish oil does not thin the blood at all; it prevents the abnormal formation of excessive blood clots (it prevents blood from being too thick).nnIf a child has recurrent epistaxis (bloody nose), they most likely have a superficial blood vessel on the septum of their nose that is irritated by dry air, allergies, infection, or picking by the child.  These are what cause the bleed to start, and the persistent bleeding is more representative of normal clotting than not being able to clot.nnIf it persists, I recommend seeing an ENT physician for advice.

Question 2

My child has nosebleeds when she takes fish oil. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

A common misperception is that fish oil thins the blood and makes bleeding occur more frequently.  In fact, fish oil does not thin the blood at all; it prevents the abnormal formation of excessive blood clots (it prevents blood from being too thick).nnIf a child has recurrent epistaxis (bloody nose), they most likely have a superficial blood vessel on the septum of their nose that is irritated by dry air, allergies, infection, or picking by the child.  These are what cause the bleed to start, and the persistent bleeding is more representative of normal clotting than not being able to clot.nnIf it persists, I recommend seeing an ENT physician for advice.