Questions about Inositol
in [Anxiety]
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From: freeride on 3 Nov 2005 18:11 I take Anafranil now, only 25mg/day. It doesn't help very much, and I won't raise the dosage. The side effects I get now are bad enough. I've been on Anafranil for 7 years now. I have also tried SSRI but only with negative results. That's why I'm thinking of trying Inositol. But I've got some questions before I start. Do I need a wash out period after quitting the Anafranil, or can I just start with Inositol immediatly? How big dosage should I start out with? I've heard that they used 18g a day in a study. Should I start at a lower dosage and then work up to 18g? Inositol and alcohol is that an ok combination? I don't drink much but I want to know if it's ok to drink moderatly? I ask because some people warned about drinking when taking S:t John's wort. It was because of they way thay assumed that drug works. I'm not sure anyone knows why Inostol has an effect on OCD. I have also heard Inositol helps you to sleep. Does it make you sleepy in the daytime too? Does it make your reaction time slower? Inositol and caffeine. Caffeine is supposed to destroy Inositol. Does that mean I should stop drinking Coca Cola and coffee?
From: GFX on 4 Nov 2005 14:41 Clinical scenario (medical hx., symptoms, comorbid problems, to name some) not well-illustrated here. Am assuming you take clomipramine for OCD, obviously that is tricyclic and makes me wonder if you took the SSRI's concomitantly or while off the clomipramine. I believe that Anafranil primarily inhibits re-uptake of serotonin and nor-epinephrine, so if taken WITH an ssri would obviously yield a different result than if left out of the ssri scenario. Presumably, if you have taken clomipramine for seven years, it had some benefit for you. The two items I read regarding inositol indicated that it is destroyed by caffeine (which, given that we all need some inositol, dietarily obtained by most - makes me wonder how any of us survive, given our love of coffee). Perhaps they meant that supplementation amounts are rendered ineffective by caffeine - I really don't know. My grandmother is 90 and has consumed a cup or two of coffee every day of her life since age 10, so I have to assume that not ALL inositol is destroyed by caffeine, or she would have had no available inositol for the past 80 years. Hmm, maybe that IS part of her problem, I will think on this.... If inositol IS destroyed by caffeine, and you consume cola and coffee, the answer to your question is obtained rather easily by deduction, I would think. I could be wrong... It did occur to me, since OCD is obviously part of the anxiety d/o spectrum, there might be simpler solutions. I'm sorry my fund of knowledge is inadequate to answer your questions, maybe someone here can. Sometimes anxiety disorders are resolved by removal of dietary caffeine (my physician told me that it happens all the time, actually). Maybe subtraction rather than addition could be considered. While looking through the DSM-IV-TR, I did note that it said "some serotonin agonists given acutely cause increased symptoms in some individuals with the disorder" (referring to OCD). An agonist is obviously not the same thing as a re-uptake inhibitor, but it made me realize (again) the complexity of all this. Then again, it has been my general understanding that because SSRI drugs have a more "favorable side-effect profile" (not all people feel this way) that they are the "first-line" treatment (along with cbt) for obsessive-compulsive disorder. You indicated that they were not good for you. I have found that they work too well for me - I think my prior compulsions had some utility, and now that they have been squashed by drug therapy, I am less efficient - although that is a very (VERY) blunt over-determination, I admit. Personally, I don't feel alcohol to be ok - it messes with too many neurotransmitters. It is also basically toxic (yes, there has been debate over this for years), causes functional impairment and is an addictive and easily obtainable substance (much like cigarettes). Having said that, I have had a beer now and then. We are much more complex than we will ever be able to understand. Maybe just knowing that the risk of alcoholism is real works for the majority. What do you think would happen if you simply cut caffeine out of your life? Gary <freeride(a)flashmail.com> wrote in message news:1131059494.312629.180310(a)g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com... >I take Anafranil now, only 25mg/day. It doesn't help very much, and I > won't raise the dosage. The side effects I get now are bad enough. I've > been on Anafranil for 7 years now. > > I have also tried SSRI but only with negative results. That's why I'm > thinking of trying Inositol. But I've got some questions before I > start. > > Do I need a wash out period after quitting the Anafranil, or can I just > start with Inositol immediatly? > > How big dosage should I start out with? I've heard that they used 18g a > day in a study. Should I start at a lower dosage and then work up to > 18g? > > Inositol and alcohol is that an ok combination? I don't drink much but > I want to know if it's ok to drink moderatly? I ask because some people > warned about drinking when taking S:t John's wort. It was because of > they way thay assumed that drug works. I'm not sure anyone knows why > Inostol has an effect on OCD. > > I have also heard Inositol helps you to sleep. Does it make you sleepy > in the daytime too? Does it make your reaction time slower? > > Inositol and caffeine. Caffeine is supposed to destroy Inositol. Does > that mean I should stop drinking Coca Cola and coffee? >
From: margrove2 on 4 Nov 2005 17:07 On 3 Nov 2005 15:11:34 -0800, freeride(a)flashmail.com wrote: >I take Anafranil now, only 25mg/day. It doesn't help very much, and I >won't raise the dosage. The side effects I get now are bad enough. I've >been on Anafranil for 7 years now. > >I have also tried SSRI but only with negative results. That's why I'm >thinking of trying Inositol. But I've got some questions before I >start. > >Do I need a wash out period after quitting the Anafranil, or can I just >start with Inositol immediatly? technically there is no contraindication of using both but check with the dispensing doctor > >How big dosage should I start out with? the average daily dose is 100mg per day I've heard that they used 18g a >day in a study. Should I start at a lower dosage and then work up to >18g? I think any potent chemical including inositol had best not be used in grams. It is a nutrient that is involved with phospholipid function acting as a cellular mediator of interpathway transductance, it also regulates metabolism and acts to stimulate tissue growth-if you do use it you need to take the full complement of b vitamins, including folic acid with it and an equivalent amount of choline-all vitamins are potent chemicals, or prodrugs including inositol-the study you sited is one of dubious integrity claiming 18 grams is of benefit to severely depressed patients-frankly it is a crappy study. The best studies to date are ones involving fish oil and affective disorders-you may wish to consider trying this as well or checking more of it out. > >Inositol and alcohol is that an ok combination? technically alcohol is not a solute for vitamins or most other chemicals we ingest-I don't believe it would do you harm, but I aso believe alcohol itself is harmful and don't advocate its use especially in a psychiatric population and especially while using psychoactive drugs like anafranil I don't drink much but >I want to know if it's ok to drink moderatly? I ask because some people >warned about drinking when taking S:t John's wort. It was because of >they way thay assumed that drug works. I'm not sure anyone knows why >Inostol has an effect on OCD. it is possible it has a potentiating effect on some neurocellular execution > >I have also heard Inositol helps you to sleep. Does it make you sleepy >in the daytime too? at 100mg a day I doubt it at 1800mg a day anything goes Does it make your reaction time slower? Ibid or ditto > >Inositol and caffeine. Caffeine is supposed to destroy Inositol. Does >that mean I should stop drinking Coca Cola and coffee? only within a few hours of swallowing the inositol-but I am not quite sure if residual levels of ethanol in your liver or blood serum has effect on already bound inositol
From: freeride@flashmail.com on 4 Nov 2005 17:59 GFX> Maybe it would be a good idea to stop drinking coffee and Coca Cola. It will be hard for me to do but not impossible. And yes, Anafranil has some effect on my OCD. It also makes me calmer. But it doesn't help enough.. Thx for your reply margro...(a)optonline.net> 100mg is not enough too have any effect on OCD as far as I know. The studies showed that much more is needed. And there are more than just one study. I have tried fish oil a while but got no effect. You think I have to take other vitamins if i take Inositol. I already take multi vitamins, is that enough? What will happen if I don't take folic acid and the other vitamins too? "regulates metabolism and acts to stimulate tissue growth" That sounds serious. I don't know any studies about long term use of Inositol. But I've heard of no side effects except stomach upset. Do you think it can have more serious side effects if used for a long time at a high dosage? I have not started taking it yet. Regards, Tom
From: margrove2 on 4 Nov 2005 18:35
On 4 Nov 2005 14:59:27 -0800, "freeride(a)flashmail.com" <freeride(a)flashmail.com> wrote: >GFX> Maybe it would be a good idea to stop drinking coffee and Coca >Cola. It will be hard for me to do but not impossible. And yes, >Anafranil has some effect on my OCD. It also makes me calmer. But it >doesn't help enough.. Thx for your reply > >margro...(a)optonline.net> 100mg is not enough too have any effect on OCD >as far as I know. The studies showed that much more is needed. And >there are more than just one study. I have tried fish oil a while but >got no effect. it can take up to 6 months to see any regulation of mood-but this is in depressed or bi polar individuals > >You think I have to take other vitamins if i take Inositol. I already >take multi vitamins, is that enough? yes usually What will happen if I don't take >folic acid and the other vitamins too? If you take a multi it most likely has folic acid in it-you need other b vitamins to assist in utilization of inositol just make sure your multi has cholione in it-choline is a percursor of a neurotransmitter and also acts synergistically with inositol to allow you to absorb and utilize it > > "regulates metabolism and acts to stimulate tissue growth" That sounds >serious. Vitamins are pro drugs and essential for metabolic processes-sure their serious-we don't see them that way since they are purported to be food ingredients I don't know any studies about long term use of Inositol. But >I've heard of no side effects except stomach upset. Diarrhea is common-long term has not been studied and when and if it is there will be both pro and con results just like with almost every other vitamin including E and C the proof is in the pudding so to speak, if your doc blesses your use of this in high doses then you will see if it helps at all Do you think it can >have more serious side effects if used for a long time at a high >dosage? I am not a big advocate nor endorse the megadose use of any vitamin unless there is a sure fire empirical cause for doing so Being under a docs supervision may be very useful and perhaps even mandatory so blood work and other data collection can be obtained to see if there is any negative effects on your body-B vitamins including inositol are supposedly water soluable so large doses pass through us unused, but again there are reports of negative consequences of using large doses of other water soluable vitamins like C in mega dosess-so ask your doc to monitor you and do taper off anafranil under his/her supervision as well if you plan to do so. All kinds of so called benign substances have been studied and clinically tried to alleviate symptoms of all kinds of medical conditions with mediocre benefits at best-in small doses inositol may be adjuvant to other life style changes and healthier living, but I am very skeptical of any other significant benefits for things like ocd-more tried and true things seem to work better for most people like cbt and some of the tca and ssri meds-but it is a life long battle and a condition that is managed, maintained and lived with-sadly we do not have any real good ju ju to cure those afflicted-just some tools to help live with it and manage it best luck with your decision > >I have not started taking it yet. > >Regards, Tom |