Omega-3 products are available as dietary supplements and prescription formulations; products containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may have the unwanted effect of raising low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).

Dietary supplements are not over-the-counter (OTC) products, and efficacy, quality, and safety of omega-3 dietary supplements are questionable because of a lack of regulation and potential content variability; currently, there are no approved OTC omega-3 fatty acid products.

Omega-3 dietary supplements are not appropriate for the treatment of disease and are not therapeutically equivalent to, and should not be substituted for, prescription omega-3 fatty acid products; prescription products containing DHA should not be substituted for icosapent ethyl (highly purified eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA]).