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Wray - Correct dosage for Inositol

by Beansprout

I'm curious about Inositol. I know you've made this recommendation to me, as well as several times throughout this site, saying that it regulates blood sugars. However, I am unable to find anything through my searches to confirm this. Yes, it is supposed to help diabetics by preventing their blood sugars from skyrocketing. The fact that it "lowers blood sugars" is somewhat concerning for someone like me whose blood sugars have a history of being too low. Also, not much information is given as far as proper dosing. Your recommendation of 2,000 - 4,000 mg per day can be translated to mean many things. This would be my only complaint. I wish there was an entire page dedicated to not only how much we should take of each supplement, but when, once daily, two or three times divided throughout the day, before meals on an empty stomach or with food. Also, I'm finding many types of Inositol. Inositol with Choline, Inositol Nicotinate, D-Chiro Inositol. It can all be very confusing. Then of course if you try to search for proper dosage and protocol they say to consult your physician and follow their recommendation. Oh please. Most medical doctors will either stare at you blankly or convince you what you're doing is all wrong and try and prescribe Buspirone or something. So that's my long winded question. I just want to know how much, the best time of the day, how often (all at once) or divided throughout the day between meals or with food to get optimal results for anxiety without throwing my now balanced blood sugars back into hell.

Comments for Wray - Correct dosage for Inositol

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Aug 26, 2013
 Wray - Another Concern
by: Beansprout

Another concern about Inositol is that many people (both women and men) report sudden and dramatic weight gain caused by stubborn water retention. There bodies hold onto excess water and won't let it go as their scale literally explodes off the bathroom floor. Yet there are many other articles stating just the opposite. That Inositol contains many weight loss benefits. Again, much confusion. I would love to hear your take on this. Will Inositol cause edema or other weight gain or not? I do love the countless reviews I've read about how it has helped alleviate anxiety in so many people and, also, how it helps balance estrogen levels in females. But I've come to far with my weight loss to lose ground now. So I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts on this before deciding to buy some.

Beansprout

Beansprout
Aug 28, 2013
 Wray - Correct dosage for Inositol
by: Wray

Hi Beansprout We do have a short blurb on it, see here. You'll have to scroll down the page. I take 4000mg/day as found in that complex. I'm very vague about when I take it, it could be early morning, or late afternoon. Depends on when I remember! 4000mg/day has been used in various studies, and been found affective, which is why I chose that amount for the complex. But 12,000mg to 18,000mg per day have been used for OCD, panic disorder etc. So it depends on the problem. I haven't experienced weight gain from it. I occasionally put a heaped tsp in some milk at night, helps sleep not that I ever have that problem, but I like the taste! It comes as either myo- or D-chiro-inositol. Opinions differ which is the best, although it appears the myo- is. This is an amusing paper here. Inositol nicotinate or inositol hexaniacinate is not pure inositol, it's mostly niacin (B3). It consists of 6 molecules of nicotinic acid (niacin) linked to an inositol molecule, hence the 'hex' part. So if wanting inositol it's not much point taking it. Someone I know says it has a laxative affect with her. Which means it is reducing oedema, i.e. reducing water bound in tissues and putting it back in the gut. So you takes your pick! Take care Wray
Aug 28, 2013
 Please Clarify
by: Beansprout

Hi Wray - Please forgive me, I know you're busy, but I don't feel as if you addressed my questions well enough.

I understand you take 4,000 mg of Inositol whenever you happen to remember to take it. Yet the recommendation on your anxiety page recommends taking 2,000 mg - 4,000 mg. That's a huge window in terms of milligrams. Some of us don't have that much room to be so vague. I'm just now beginning to find balance and the slightest thing could throw things off. I'm sure that's true for many of us here. I was asking for your specific dosage recommendation as it applies to the rest of us, if it's better to take it all at once or to take divide the doses throughout the day, and if it's better to take with food or on an empty stomach?

I also asked about the different types of Inositol. It comes in Myo-Inositol(MI) and D-Chiro Inositol(DCI) and opinions differ which one is best and you said "it appears myo- is" but that doesn't help me discern the difference between the two or which one might be best for me.

You had one friend who suffered diarrhea after taking inositol, but what does your research turn up in regards to edema and possible weight gain and why are there so many mixed reviews? Some say it does, others claim it doesn't. What causes it to act so entirely different in one group of people as compared to another? I assume you've read about the benefits and side effects in great length before adding it to your complex and would like for you to share your findings in layman's terms.

Beansprout
Aug 29, 2013
 Please Clarify
by: Wray

Hi Beansprout You're right about busy! Which is why I can't look into everything as closely as I'd like. My interest in inositol was due to it's ability to initiate ovulation in women with PCOS. They used in every study 4000mg/day. I then discovered it does this by stabilising blood glucose and was therefore of great benefit in Insulin Resistance and Hair Loss. Knowing that 4000mg/day works for blood glucose problems in PCOS, I used the same dose for the Energy Boost. For instance it is as effective as Metformin but with no adverse side effects. Beyond that I haven't looked. If it has side effects with some people, I don't have the time to check what they all are. Likewise I don't have the time to advise on individual doses to take. The daily norm is 500mg, but as with progesterone this will do nothing if there's a problem. As I said previously, 18,000mg/day is given for OCD. As far as sensitivities of the gut are concerned, again I don't have time to look into it. I do know some of the B vitamins and zinc cause nausea in a few people, and advise taking them on a full stomach. I thought the paper I gave you about the two different types would clarify which was best....."Inositol is a polyalcohol existing as nine different stereoisomers, two of which have been shown to be insulin mediators: myo-inositol (MI) and D-chiro-inositol (DCI). So far only MI have been show to be present in the follicular fluid and in a direct comparison between MI and DCI only MI was able to improve oocyte and embryo quality." This paper gave 2000mg/day for metabolic syndrome, see here. But maybe someone with severe IR will need far more than 2000mg/day. So one has to look at what's wrong, what needs to be corrected and take the appropriate dose. As I said I can't help individuals with theirs. I haven't looked into the oedema or gut problems people might get. Inositol is a useful adjunct to PCOS and Insulin Resistance, and I've looked at it in relation to those, but it's not my main area of concern, progesterone is. Take care Wray
Aug 29, 2013
 Inositol
by: JL

Hi Beansprout

I would be the friend who suffered from diarrhea after taking Inositol! This happened because I took too a high dose when first taking it,instead of gradually increasing to an amount that was right for me. It was not a big deal and I soon found a dose that was right for my particular symptom.

Your comment about Wray being vague is most uncalled for! The anxiety page recommends taking 2000mg to 4000mg of Inositol, what this means is that if the 2000mg does not work then increase to an amount that does. There is nothing vague about that! We are all different, requiring different things and different amounts. Generally speaking, 2000mg to 4000mg helps most people, there are others with extreme symptoms who require larger amounts.

Wray is quite right in saying that her main concern is progesterone. She should actually be commended for her time and her concern for people!

Perhaps a doctor or a health shop will able to give you the answers that you are looking for.
Aug 30, 2013
 JL
by: Beansprout

I meant no disrespect. Nor do I wish come here to partake in any kind of drama. I doubt very much that I offended Wray in any way. I was speaking directly to her and, if my words somehow didn't set well with her, I trust that she herself would have said something to me. Please understand I was not making an assumption but rather extracting what she herself had stated in the comment before mine when she said, "I take 4000mg/day as found in that complex. I'm very vague about when I take it, it could be early morning, or late afternoon." Wray and I have had many conversations. Type in Beansprout and you can read them yourself. I sometimes push a little hard for answers because it's a great big world of misinformation out there and Wray is perhaps the one voice I have come to trust the most.

Beansprout


Sep 01, 2013
 Correct dosage for Inositol
by: RJ

LOL.....We as unique individuals are the best deciders of what is and is not good for us. Dosage amounts Wray gives are "in general" amounts. No one person can take the same amount as another. Only you are your best "dosage guide". Listen to your body. Sometimes when we spend too much time fretting and analyzing over a bodily issue, we find that all that happens is we get worse or have other issues pop up. Sit back and watch the birds and clouds go by and hear what your body is saying. Hello to you Wray...hope all is well! Stress is up over here and so is the progesterone!!! LOL
God Bless!
Sep 02, 2013
 Correct dosage for Inositol
by: Wray

Hi RJ Always good to hear from you! Thanks for encouraging Beansprout, she's had a long battle recovering from a family tragedy. And for yourself, don't forget the healing, calming amino acids to help the stress. Cheaper than progesterone! They are taurine, glycine, GABA, and tyrosine. Bless you too, lol Wray
Feb 18, 2016
 Insitol Weight Gain
by: Anonymous

I am searching for a solid answer on weight gain and insitol. Does Insitol (750 mg) at night cause weight gain. I have read in these comments that it doesn't and also that it does. I take Inositol for depression and anxiety. Please give me a straight answer.
Feb 23, 2016
 Inositol Weight Gain
by: Joy

Sorry, but I don't know what to call you. I have been taking inositol for 6/7 years now, and I have not put on an once of weight. There have been times when I have taken up to 4000mg per day! I think that one has to understand that what suits one, does not another.
Jul 08, 2016
 inositol and weight gain
by: Anonymous

i have restless leg syndrome and a friend of mine told me to take inositol. I started with 1000mg a day, 1 in the afternoon and 1 at night. I started taking it on June19th. It works, but and here is the but, I started retaining water and gaining weight which became very uncomfortable. This happened within 10 days. I am going to discontinue using it and find a better remedy for my RLS. Perferably, one without side effects.
Sep 22, 2017
 Myo vs DCI
by: Di

MYO does cause dramatic weight gain if your body can't convert it into DCI. DCI is the one that reduces testosterone and insulin resistance. Metformin helps your body to produce DCI naturally and then DCI is doing its job. MYO is a lot cheaper than DCI so if you have no problem converting then MYO is better.

If you are like me who gains weight from MYO then DCI is better. If you are trying to get pregnant then you must be very careful with the dose of DCI (as I know no more than 300 mg per day, but if you only want to reduce testosterone then the 1200 mg of DCI works. If you don't want to reduce testosterone, just keep already normal hormonal balance then 50-60 mg of DCI is enough) This information is based on studies published by different doctors. I am not a doctor, I am just a women with PCOS who surprisingly lost 10 pounds from DCI + Metformin and then started looking for more information.
Jul 20, 2018
 weight gain
by: Mary

Hello, just reading through these comments and they are helping me. My Gynecologist put me on myo-inositol when she saw that my hormones were a bit out of whack, my estrogen high and my anti-mullerian hormone barely traceable. I was also having some severe emotional reactions to the hormonal imbalance. The myo-inositol helped me almost immediately with my emotions and to feel more calm, which was such a blessing to both me and my husband. lol.

However, in 3 months I have gained 12 lbs. which is very unusual for me. I maintained a consistent weight for many years and so I realized that it may correlate with me taking myo-inositol every day (2000 mg). I looked it up and found myself on this page.

Can you ladies recommend anything for me? I am happy with the effect of Myo on my emotional state, however I am really unhappy with the weight gain. I feel puffy :((( any help would be soooo welcomed!
Jun 11, 2021
 10 lbs in 30 days on Myo. D-Chiro Not Giving Same Benefits
by: Anonymous

I don't feel great on d-chiro-inositol, but the weight gain on myo... I'm over 10 pounds in a month now! Just puffiness. My muscle tone is still the same.

Is there another way I can get the benefits of inositol without the added water weight? Diuretics dry out my lips and make me itchy. I also don't want to depend on them. I tried IP6 and while initially hopeful, I still get the irritability that the myo somehow fixes. It makes me happy.

I mean... happiness > being thin, but isn't there something I can do? Maybe another supplement that gives the boost in brain function without the side effects?

I have MCAS.
Jun 11, 2021
 I can relate.
by: Anonymous

Mary, it sounds like you and I are in the exact same position. Did anything work for you? What did you end up doing?
Jun 11, 2021
 10 lbs in 30 days on Myo. D-Chiro Not Giving Same Benefits
by: Joy

Hi there

I am sorry that Inositol doesn't appear to be working for you.  I have taken it for years and it has never caused weight gain.  Everyone is different though, what affects one may not another. Wray explains more about it in this thread.

Inositol is so beneficial, it increases the action of insulin and decreases insulin resistance. It has a calming effect, helps in combating depression, panic attacks, mood swings, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder and anxiety. Helps reduce cholesterol levels, hardening of the arteries, removes fat from the liver. Improves ovulation, decreases serum androgen concentrations, blood pressure, and plasma triglyceride concentrations in polycystic ovary syndrome. Weight loss has been observed in patients taking it. High losses occur in diabetes, used for diabetic neuropathy, insomnia, cancer, hair growth (known as the anti-alopecia vitamin).

You might like to read this page on Mast Cell Disease. Please take note on the importance of Vitamin D3 as mentioned by Wray.

Best wishes.
Jun 12, 2021
 10 lbs in 30 days on Myo. D-Chiro Not Giving Same Benefits
by: Anonymous

Thank you! I've been contemplating why it would cause weight gain for me. One theory I have is that my cells were seriously dehydrated and somehow the inositol is helping me to hold onto more liquid. Or perhaps there is detox going on at a cellular level, and the water retention is to assist with inflammation or provide more fluid for excretion. Clearly, just contemplating. I've joined a FB group and heard from one member that their doctor advised them to continue, in spite of the weight gain, saying it would likely level off. I just feel very bloated, and it's uncomfortable. Wish there was some solution because as you say, there are so many benefits.
Jun 12, 2021
 Vitamin D3 dosage
by: Anonymous

Hi! I do appreciate the Vitamin D I'm taking. It seems to work best with K2 added. Do you know the correct dosage? And would I take an equivalent ratio of K2? I'm not clear what 100 ng/ml equates to.

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