Trying Inositol & Choline for the first time.

[morninglaurie]

Hello, I am new here and was trying to find out more information about Inositol, primarily dosages and success stories. I suffered from a postpartum mood disorder that began with panic, then general anxiety, then manifested into OCD and due to the suffering, some depression followed. I was on Luvox and Abilify for 2.5 years and weaned off last December, with the belief that I was healthy & recovered. I started leaning on Xanax 0.25 mg (very low dose) on "bad days" which gradually became more frequent, as I'm preparing for possible baby #2 which naturally triggers my fears and anxieties. Since April, I have had 3 panic attacks. One was triggered by smoking weed, the other on a long drive with my daughter in the car and I coincidently had a head cold and took some daytime cold medicine? And the third on the 4th of July after eating a very sugary ice cream treat? (I used to be able to handle all of these things well before baby). Anyway, I started Inositol powder and Choline 500 mg tablets and am feeling pretty good, but nervous a little just because it is my full-time job to worry about panic and for my daughter's safety when she is in my care alone all week. I stopped taking Xanax 3 days ago and so far so good. I noticed my hands shaking a little the first couple of days, either from being scared to try a new approach, or perhaps from stopping the Xanax, or both. I run 30 minutes every morning, am on a Paleo Diet (except for that one ice cream!), and take other vitamins at the normally recommended dosage, including Vitamin D, Magnesium, prenatal, B complex, and fish oil. I tried acupuncture for 8 weeks specifically targeting anxiety recently and my anxiety was higher than ever! :( I am really hoping to not go back on antidepressants, not that they didn't help me, they saved my life, but I really thought I was ready to try my new set of wings and also I want to be med-free while pregnant (not pregnant yet, but trying to conceive). I had no history of mental illness or family history, I truly feel my illness was hormonal and situational as I was bombarded by stress, change, and grief from major loss when I had my first pregnancy. I should also mention that I have Hashimoto's disease (under active autoimmune thyroid disease) and am on medication for that, but blood work always comes back normal.

I am currently taking 1 teaspoon in water 3 times a day with meals of Inositol, and 1 500 mg tablet of Choline. The Choline makes me a little nervous because I read some negative reviews regarding it. I do not currently suffer from depression though, just anxiety and panic. I also bought 5-HTP but haven't tried it as i'm not sure it's safe to take all three supplements? Please help!!

Thanks for reading if you made it this far and for listening!

[venusbluejeans]

Hiya morninglaurie and welcome to NMP :welcome:

Why not take a look at our articles on our home page, they contain a wealth of information and are a great starting place for your time on the forum.

I hope you find the as site helpful and informative as I have and that you get the help and support you need here and hope that you meet a few friends along the way :yesyes:

[Zeldagirl]

Hello :) my story is similar to yours... I had a very hard time after I had my daughter and discovered I had OCD. I realized then that I had it all my life but was able to cope better. I have anxiety and panic attacks as well.

I have always wanted to try inositol so please update on your progress. I'm afraid to take anything at the moment. My OCD has very strange ways of torturing me :wacko:

I also have Hashimotos but am not on meds because my thyroid is still functioning. (I'd be too scared to take them anyway). I'm getting tested tomorrow for celiacs disease and plan to go paleo myself in the near future. Has it helped at all with the Hashimotos or anxiety?

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hello and welcome to NMP :welcome:

There is a guide thread about Inositol so maybe you will find some answers in there?

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=64229

I remember Googling about it and finding this archived thread so I get the impression there isn't much out there about it all.

[morninglaurie]

Hi Zeldagirl, thank you for your reply. The inositol is helping tremendously. I take 1/2 teaspoon 3 to 4 times a day (depending on my anxiety level) in water with a meal. It tastes decent and is very subtle. Much more subtle than antidepressants. It is even pretty fast-acting. If I feel panicky, I drink a glass and feel calm pretty quickly. Maybe it's the placebo effect but I don't really care. I usually NDT (Armour) for my Hashimotos but am currently taking Levothyroxine (synthetic) because I am trying to conceive and western doctors all favor the synthetic. To be honest, I don't feel all that different on either. My symptoms were mild when I was diagnosed and I didn't even know I had it. I highly recommend trying Inositol fro anxiety and panic. It is very safe and subtle. I was scared to at first but now it's fine. I had some diarrhea the first week or two but now I'm doing well. I'm not really taking the choline for now. The Paleo diet does make me feel great but mostly because it's just super healthy, I think . I was testes for Celiacs last year but was negative. I heard that a healthy gut makes a healthy mind. the majority of serotonin is manufactured in our gut, so I figured if our ancestors didn't eat gluten, legumes, processed foods, grains, and dairy or sugar, the perhaps there's something to that. I lost weight and look healthier, but I believe it's the Inositol that is really helping the anxiety and panic. The rest is just an extra bonus :) Best wishes to you on your journey!

[Zeldagirl]

Thank you for updating on your progress :) im very glad you're doing well! I wish I wasn't so afraid of everything and would try the inositol. I can't even take an Advil without having a panic attack right now. Rediculous I know :weep:

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi Zeldagirl, thank you for your reply. The inositol is helping tremendously. I take 1/2 teaspoon 3 to 4 times a day (depending on my anxiety level) in water with a meal. It tastes decent and is very subtle. Much more subtle than antidepressants. It is even pretty fast-acting. If I feel panicky, I drink a glass and feel calm pretty quickly. Maybe it's the placebo effect but I don't really care. I usually NDT (Armour) for my Hashimotos but am currently taking Levothyroxine (synthetic) because I am trying to conceive and western doctors all favor the synthetic. To be honest, I don't feel all that different on either. My symptoms were mild when I was diagnosed and I didn't even know I had it. I highly recommend trying Inositol fro anxiety and panic. It is very safe and subtle. I was scared to at first but now it's fine. I had some diarrhea the first week or two but now I'm doing well. I'm not really taking the choline for now. The Paleo diet does make me feel great but mostly because it's just super healthy, I think . I was testes for Celiacs last year but was negative. I heard that a healthy gut makes a healthy mind. the majority of serotonin is manufactured in our gut, so I figured if our ancestors didn't eat gluten, legumes, processed foods, grains, and dairy or sugar, the perhaps there's something to that. I lost weight and look healthier, but I believe it's the Inositol that is really helping the anxiety and panic. The rest is just an extra bonus :) Best wishes to you on your journey!

Serotonin is mostly in the gut but that is used in many physical processes around the body. So, make sure you get enough of the precursors for serotonin such as tryptophan and any vitamins it needs to be synthesised so that you are making it in the brain.

I agree completely about the healthy gut dubbed the "second brain" and read a study on rats where they even proved that the nerve connecting the two shows a two way communication process. They severed the brain-to-gut pathway and proved that the gut-to-brain pathway was able to tell the brain to start the anxiety process.

[Zeldagirl]

Terry could you please give some examples of the foods that contain these things? I am just too lazy to research it right now and I get overwhelmed by info online. Thanks :)

[MyNameIsTerry]

Terry could you please give some examples of the foods that contain these things? I am just too lazy to research it right now and I get overwhelmed by info online. Thanks :)

Yes, here you go:

http://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/foods-that-could-boost-your-serotonin#Turkey0

Light boxes are mentioned in here which are used in SAD treatment by doctors but just be aware that people who suffer from mania can be triggered by them so be careful and check into that if its an issue/consideration.

Banana's are a good source of serotonin too but it doesn't cross the blood-brain barrier, but it does have tryptophan which can. But complex carbs are needed to get it absorbed properly as that article explains. I recall dates being another good source. Milk is good for tryptophan and recall Davit explaining that if you heat milk it causes it to become more bioavailable or increase. I can't remember exactly what he said but if you search on his posts you should find it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryptophan

You need B6 as well for serotonin production so get that in your food or via supplement. I would suggest timing at with the foods as well.

This is a scientific article that explains about how tryptophan can be influenced negatively or positively:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2077351/