Panic Attacks Support Group
A panic attack is a period of intense fear or discomfort, typically with an abrupt onset and usually lasting no more than thirty minutes. Symptoms include trembling, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, sweating, nausea, dizziness, hyperventilation, and sensations of choking or smothering. Panic attacks can be very sudden, appear to be unprovoked, and are often...
I know some of my friends out here have anxiety/panic disorder, and I was wondering if anyone has tried Inositol? Let me give you a bit of information:
Inositol is a naturally occurring isomer of glucose, though it is generally considered to be a member of the B vitamin family. It is a key intermediate in the intracellular phosphatidyl inositol second messenger pathway activated by numerous serotonergic, cholinergic, and noradrenergic receptors. (1) In this capacity it serves as an important signal transduction molecule, but inositol is also a structural component of cellular membrane phospholipids. (2) Research indicates that inositol is an effective and safe option in the treatment of panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bulimia nervosa, binge eating and/or depression. (3-9) Inositol's efficacy, in the absence of side effects, makes this nutrient an attractive addition to treatment plans for specific mood disorders. Following is a scientific review of inositol for the treatment of mood disorders, including a discussion of its anecdotal use for the treatment of insomnia and its cautioned use by pregnant women for the prevention of neural tube defects and embryopathies.
Panic Disorder
Panic attacks are recurring attacks of severe anxiety without an apparent cause. Agoraphobia (irrational fear and avoidance of crowds, travel, and multiple situations), depression, alcohol abuse, and suicide are common symptoms and may be exacerbated by post-traumatic stress. Current treatments usually consist of antidepressant drugs and cognitive-behavioral therapy. (8)
Antidepressant medications affecting serotonin metabolism are effective about 70% of the time for dramatic, short-term improvement of anxiety symptoms. However, chronic residual symptoms often persist in the long term. 25-75% of patients with panic disorder discontinue drug treatment because of side effects, and these patients quickly relapse. (8) This has led researchers to study the effects of inositol on patients suffering from this condition.
In one study, (5) twenty-one patients diagnosed with panic disorder with or without agoraphobia were given 12 grams of inositol per day or placebo. In the treatment group, the severity and frequency of panic attacks declined significantly with minimal associated side effects. The average number of panic attacks per week in patients treated with inositol fell from 10 to 3.5 per week. The researchers concluded that these results were "clinically meaningful" in the management of panic attacks.
More recently, inositol was compared with the antidepressant fluvoxamine in the treatment of panic disorder. (8) This study represents a more stringent test of the effects of inositol in treating panic disorder because it is the first to compare inositol with an established antidepressant drug. In this study of 20 patients with panic disorder, inositol was found to be slightly but significantly more effective than fluvoxamine in reducing the number of panic attacks (p
Inositol is a naturally occurring isomer of glucose, though it is generally considered to be a member of the B vitamin family. It is a key intermediate in the intracellular phosphatidyl inositol second messenger pathway activated by numerous serotonergic, cholinergic, and noradrenergic receptors. (1) In this capacity it serves as an important signal transduction molecule, but inositol is also a structural component of cellular membrane phospholipids. (2) Research indicates that inositol is an effective and safe option in the treatment of panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bulimia nervosa, binge eating and/or depression. (3-9) Inositol's efficacy, in the absence of side effects, makes this nutrient an attractive addition to treatment plans for specific mood disorders. Following is a scientific review of inositol for the treatment of mood disorders, including a discussion of its anecdotal use for the treatment of insomnia and its cautioned use by pregnant women for the prevention of neural tube defects and embryopathies.
Panic Disorder
Panic attacks are recurring attacks of severe anxiety without an apparent cause. Agoraphobia (irrational fear and avoidance of crowds, travel, and multiple situations), depression, alcohol abuse, and suicide are common symptoms and may be exacerbated by post-traumatic stress. Current treatments usually consist of antidepressant drugs and cognitive-behavioral therapy. (8)
Antidepressant medications affecting serotonin metabolism are effective about 70% of the time for dramatic, short-term improvement of anxiety symptoms. However, chronic residual symptoms often persist in the long term. 25-75% of patients with panic disorder discontinue drug treatment because of side effects, and these patients quickly relapse. (8) This has led researchers to study the effects of inositol on patients suffering from this condition.
In one study, (5) twenty-one patients diagnosed with panic disorder with or without agoraphobia were given 12 grams of inositol per day or placebo. In the treatment group, the severity and frequency of panic attacks declined significantly with minimal associated side effects. The average number of panic attacks per week in patients treated with inositol fell from 10 to 3.5 per week. The researchers concluded that these results were "clinically meaningful" in the management of panic attacks.
More recently, inositol was compared with the antidepressant fluvoxamine in the treatment of panic disorder. (8) This study represents a more stringent test of the effects of inositol in treating panic disorder because it is the first to compare inositol with an established antidepressant drug. In this study of 20 patients with panic disorder, inositol was found to be slightly but significantly more effective than fluvoxamine in reducing the number of panic attacks (p
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theatre and I are there already. I'm having a very berry tea with crackers, cheese and cherry tomatoes and she's having a joint with some beer and we're both on really comfy recliners on thick pile carpet. we need some help with the decor if anyone is around??
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I'm trying to exercise daily. I was doing fairly well until I sprained my ankle 2 weeks ago but now I'm getting back on the horse. Today I walked over a mile with my arm weights that are about 22lbs total. I was out of shape and it was hard on my arms. I also did my 30 situps. I'm also going to drink a lot of water and try to eat healthy. I do tend to have a sweet tooth but I'm cutting...
More recently, inositol was compared with the antidepressant fluvoxamine in the treatment of panic disorder. (8) This study represents a more stringent test of the effects of inositol in treating panic disorder because it is the first to compare inositol with an established antidepressant drug. In this study of 20 patients with panic disorder, inositol was found to be slightly but significantly more effective than fluvoxamine in reducing the number of panic attacks (p
Conclusion
Inositol's clinical efficacy coupled with the absence of significant side effects suggests that this nutrient may be an attractive addition to treatment plans for patients suffering from panic disorder, clinical depression, and/or obsessive-compulsive disorder. While inositol has shown benefit in some SSRI responsive conditions, it is not indicated as a replacement for SSRIs or as a treatment for all SSRI responsive conditions. Further research is necessary to elucidate the full potential of this natural compound in the treatment of mental illnesses and other conditions.
Ok, so after reading this, along with a bunch of other research, I've decided to buy Inositol, I think I'd be crazy not to! :) I bought it in 500 mg pills, so to get the efficacy some patients got I would need to take like 24 pills a day (1000 mg = 1 gram). Not liking that. What I'm going to do is start slow. Take 1 a day for a week, then 2, etc., and see if I start to notice improvement. This is considered one of the B vitamins, so it is a very safe component. I just need something, because I refuse to miss any more of my life than I have to. If any of you have tried it please let me know. It almost sounds too good to be true. Otherwise, I'll be the guinea pig. LOL :)
Much love, Kimi