Does anyone here use inositol for anxiety? Our naturo has given this for my son who has a tic disorder. He is currently doing well, but I am worried about when school starts again. Could anyone relay their experience with inositol?

Thanks
Faith

Hi faith,
I've not used Inositol myself although I've seriously thought about trying it as I have panic attacks although they seem to come in bouts.

There have been a number of studies done on the use of Inositol in various conditions. It appears to me that it is more beneficial for Panic Disorder than for other things. e.g. OCD. I did find one study suggesting it was beneficial for OCD but I haven't seen that replicated in other ones. Maybe I missed some.

Inositol is something I most probably would have used to help my son with his anxiety when he was younger if I'd known about it. (He's 20 now) The fact that it appears to have a very good side-effects profile is also very good.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/en...=pubmed_docsum
J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2001 Jun;21(3):335-9.
Double-blind, controlled, crossover trial of inositol versus fluvoxamine for the treatment of panic disorder.
Palatnik A, Frolov K, Fux M, Benjamin J.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/en...=pubmed_docsum
Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 1999 Sep;2(3):193-195.
Inositol versus placebo augmentation of serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder: a double-blind cross-over study.
Fux M, Benjamin J, Belmaker RH.

I just noticed that Leslie Packer mentions Inositol on her website as well.

http://www.tourettesyndrome.net/ocd_treatment.htm
scroll down to the section where it reads...
SUPPLEMENTS AS ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT FOR OCD

and also this

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...n6211958/print
Inositol as a treatment for psychiatric disorders: a scientific evaluation of its clinical effectiveness
Gina L. Nick

My husband and son are both using inositol for anxiety. It works!

2grams /day is the typical dose. They do skip every now and then, feeling
confident, but always return to it.

I get ours pharmaceutical grade at www.iherb.com for only 12.95/8oz, by Jarrow company. It is a very reasonable price, but a loose powder. It mixes into juice with no taste change easily.

When I used inositol heavily also, it sort of changed my way of thinking. My job requires some OCD traits and I couldn't do it well, when using this! LOL
So I have given it up. Doesn't seem to negatively impact my husband and son tho...both of them have ADD.

Faith
just adding that Inositol has really helped my son with his OCD/anxiety too

Thanks for that from me too, mrsd and Chemar.
I'm going to give it a go. From time to time my anxiety is quite crippling and if I can ward it off then I don't have to go from anxiety to a panic cycle. I said I was going to do this about 2 years ago and got caught up with too many other things.

Start with 500mg a day for a few days, then increase as you see fit.

We found really high doses were agitating in a strange way. But the 2 gram level
works well. Studies for OCD go up to 15 grams a day...and I don't think that is
necessary for most folks.

Inositol in an insulin enhancer in the brain..I think that is how it is working.
It requires high doses because it does not cross the blood brain barrier easily.
In fact my hubby is upping his for the trip tomorrow..he gets anxious with the long trip up North, with all the packing moving, etc...and this calms him alot.

I have seen very expensive products in stores, up to $60 for what I get online for $12.95.
Even Puritan's Pride is very expensive. That is why I recommend the Jarrow at iherb... it is a huge savings. An 8oz jar lasts a long time too. I have a little metric measuring spoon that we use to dole it out with.

I think you will find some OCD traits however, hard to give up!
That was my problem.

This is the one we get... I see it has come down a dollar even!
http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails....1&pid=126&at=0
I have used many Jarrow products with success...I am never disappointed with them.

mrsd, that's very interesting you say that about needing some OC traits. Years ago on the old usenet TS list, there were many very long and amazing discussions about this very same thing. (that was long before it was taken over by trolls and made useless). It really interests me. I tend to perseverate a lot about certain interests but that's also when I'm most productive.

The problem with OC traits is when they pass the threshold and become OCD as in disordered or disabling. I really do think there are ways to use certain obsessive traits in a positive manner. I mean to channel them into production. People have done that since people first existed. Unfortunately once a person is in the OCD loop where the actual obsessive thoughts and subsequent compulsions become all consuming is when we have the problems.

It's especially difficult to see this in our young children and adults of course, but particularly in young children who don't yet have the knowledge or life skills to help themselves out of the loop. So yes, I totally understand what you mean and it is a very productive thing indeed unless it goes just that little bit further and stops being an obsessive interest or a perseveration and starts to affect other or all other aspects of our lives in a negative way. (and that's where the anxiety lives in OCD).

Thanks for the info. about the Inositol. I'll think about it more I think. I actually don't wish to lose all of my OC or perseverative qualities either. I need them so I can be productive too. LOL

p.s. I find it interesting that in a lot of the studies I read about the Inositol they specifically found it very beneficial for Panic Disorder which I'm thinking would be more about generalized anxiety rather than the anxiety generated by obsessions and subsequent compulsions in OCD but maybe I'm wrong.

anyone have any info on the safety of inositol if you are planning to become pregnant? I plan on stopping the supplements when I know I am pregnant, but don't know if it's safe in the months leading up to pregnancy.
thanks!

Hi star and welcome

I honestly dont know about Inositol and pregnancy...maybe mrsD would have more info over on the Vitamins forum . It's a B vitamin so theoretically should be safe but still wiser to check as you are

here is the iHerb Natural Library info on Inositol

all the best
Cheri