Facebook Pixel

Can Inositol Help Reverse Depression?

 
Rate This

Over the years, alternative health care practitioners have been advocating a variety of herbs and nutrients for the treatment of depression. One of the nutrients which is widely consumed by depressed individuals is inositol.

Inositol is a simple molecule and used by the body to make important components of the cell membrane. Products made from inositol are believed to play a vital role in signaling events in the body. Most individuals get adequate levels of inositol from food and no one has ever been identified as having inositol deficiency. Further, there is no relationship between depression and inositol levels in the body.

Inositol is readily available in most health food stores without a prescription and recommended for the treatment of a variety of mental disorders, including depression. Because many depressed patients take a number of health supplements and other products, it has been difficult to evaluate the role of inositol. Of course, as with all supplements, the vendors of inositol claim it is a miracle product. As far as consumers are concerned, there are a few anecdotal reports of inositol and depression. The majority of depressed individuals claim that the supplement does nothing.

In the past few years, four double blind trials have evaluated 141 depressed individuals who took inositol. Inositol was compared with an antidepressant or a placebo.

The results?

The results did not show any evidence that inositol had antidepressant activity. Even though most of these studies were of short duration and the sampling population was small, inositol turned out to be just another hyped-up supplement. The only good thing to come of the trials was that the supplement was safe and not associated with any side effects.

So where does the individual with depression stand?

Like many nutrients and herbs, inositol has failed to live up to expectations when it is properly evaluated in clinical studies. Nevertheless, the health supplement industry continues to market the product for many illnesses. A month’s supply of inositol is about $30. For those who are depressed and do not have money to spare, forget inositol and spend your money wisely on something that works. For those who are depressed and have money, cherries are in season - go eat some.

Add a Comment16 Comments

EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

The problem with your assessment on Inositol and your statement that it is "just another hyped up supplement" is: didn't alot of people who took SSRIs and SNRIs commit suicide? And that's why they put the warning on the presciption notes of SSRIs and SNRIs nowadays, "May increase the risk of suicide" And isn't it also true that a majority of the people who commited suicide while on SSRIs and SNRIs were children. This is a side effect that we can't afford. We really have to reevaluate the word hype.

May 11, 2010 - 9:50pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I agree, there most certainly have been controlled studies that demonstrate the efficacy of inositol in the treatment of depression and anxiety at doses of 12 grams/day. I cannot speak for the effectiveness of inositol, but having been hospitalized for major depression and anxiety, I can attest to the ineffectiveness of the the many antidepressants that I have tried. Prescription antidepressants only work for 30% of sufferers and another 30% receive only marginal results. Yet, Big Pharm sells billions of dollars of the stuff every year. Please consider all options and declare war on your depression. You are your own best doctor.

February 28, 2010 - 1:44pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

What would you advise seeing a doctor and spending the rest of your life paying for prescription drugs. I love how natural remedies are said to never work but these pills the doctors are paid to push out to us are always said to work great. I have tried many antidepressants and and meds for ocd none worked very well. i now take vitamins and a few supplements and feel better than i have in years. If the doc cant get a cut it dont work i guess.

February 23, 2010 - 11:06pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I agree with the comment above. There have absolutely been credible studies published in medical journals on the effectiveness of inositol in treating OCD, depression, panic attacks, and partially anxiety. The most reputable being PubMed, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8780431. Inositol works for me and I could not live as functionally without it. It mainly has helped my OCD but also my panic attacks and depression. All of which are subclinical now. I take 12 grams daily, mixed with water. On a side note, even though inositol is effective, it should never be a first option for those with, or at risk for, major depression.

November 16, 2009 - 10:50pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Anonymous)

Which brand of inositol is good
Can you guys please explain
How much to take everyday for panic disorder and anxiety
(Personal email address removed by moderator.)
Your help would be great

Thank you

January 10, 2011 - 11:39am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

There have been credible studies on effectiveness of inositol in the treatment of OCD and depression published in medical journals. Your article is clearly biased to an extreme, away of proven effectiveness. Google a little bit.

October 31, 2009 - 8:21am
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
By submitting this form, you agree to EmpowHER's terms of service and privacy policy
Add a Comment

We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

Depression

Get Email Updates

Related Checklists

Depression Guide

Have a question? We're here to help. Ask the Community.

ASK

Health Newsletter

Receive the latest and greatest in women's health and wellness from EmpowHER - for free!