I hate having PCOS. It has made me have screwed up skin, excess hair, pain, nausea and problems conceiving.
Over the years I have read up so much on the disease and the various ways to control it. One of the things women with PCOS have had success with is using a supplement called, myo-inositol. I have actually tried it before and still have a bag of it left.
I just wanted to discuss myo-inositol a little bit, my short-term experience with it and if I will try taking it again.
What myo-inositol is and the alleged benefits
Myo-inositol is a sugary substance found in foods (ex. cantaloupe, eggs, pears, beans and brown rice) and is made naturally in the body. It is considered to be a pseudovitamin.
It seems to have been studied quite a bit and shows some ability to treat certain conditions. The following is a list of the medical issues that myo-inositol may be of benefit for:
- PCOS- Supplementing with this may improve the symptoms that can come with a PCOS diagnosis. These include fertility issues (especially when combined with folic acid), too high testosterone levels, insulin resistance, irregular cycles, abnormal blood glucose levels, excess body weight, excess hair and elevated bad cholesterol levels.
- Binge eating disorder and Bulimia- This may help reduce the appetite and behavior that can come with these two types of eating disorders.
- Anxiety
- Panic attacks- Supplementing with this may reduce the frequency of the attacks.
- Depression
- OCD
- Psoriasis from Lithium- Lithium is a mood stabilizer that can cause psoriasis. Myo-inositol may improve the condition.
- Acne- Supplementing with this may improve acne in people with or without PCOS.
- Pre-diabetes and diabetes- May help control blood sugar levels.
The above list of possible benefits all sounds very impressive. It is important to note that the evidence for some of these is not as strong as it is for the others. In general, myo-inositol looks to be very promising in its use for medical conditions.
You can find myo-inositol sold in the form of capsules and powders. In quite a few products it is combined with another form of inositol called, d-chiro-inositol. This form helps the myo-inositol be even more effective.
Myo-inositol in powder form, has a mildly sweet taste so it is very easy to get down. You can put it in any beverage and either not notice any difference or notice that it tastes a little sweeter than normal.
Studies show that there needs to be specific doses taken to treat the different medical conditions listed. For the mental health benefits, a high amount of it is needed at a range of 14,000-18,000 mg. For the other benefits, a range of 200-4,000 mg is necessary.
As with a lot of supplements and medication, side effects can occur. The ones that are commonly reported include nausea, stomach cramps and headaches. There have also been some women who claim that supplementing with this made PCOS symptoms even worse. It is important to be aware of and watch out for all of these things.
I tried it before, should I try it again?
A year or so ago I decided to buy some myo-inositol powder. I was interested in trying it due to the fact that it can help manage PCOS. What I was hoping that it would help me improve was acne, menstrual cramps, insulin resistance (if I have/had it), excess hair and my chances of getting pregnant.
Since my stomach is extremely sensitive, I decided to start off taking just a 1/8th of a tsp which is equal to 341 mg. This dosage is not enough to have much of an affect on PCOS but I felt that I needed to work my way up.
Within around 30 minutes of consuming it for the first time, I felt a rush of energy that continued for quite a while. It was like taking caffeine! This was pretty exciting to me.
I kept taking this dose for a while but unfortunately did not get the courage to increase it. The side effects that could happen at higher doses really worried me. Because of this, I was most likely not going to get much benefit from it in regards to my PCOS symptoms.
I eventually stopped taking it altogether and kind of forgot about it. The reason why I have thought about taking it again was because my hormones have been so messed up this cycle. It has been absolutely awful the past two weeks and I do not want that to be my norm again.
Not 100% sure yet
I still do not know if I will take myo-inositol again. My plan is to update this blog about it if I do decide to.
Right now, I am pretty desperate to get my hormones under control so I am looking into everything that could possibly help me. It is really frustrating, and I hope I can figure something out as soon as possible.
If you have any ideas/tips for me on this, please let me know! Also, let me know your experiences with myo-inositol if you have taken it.
Thanks for reading!
Sources-
https://www.chiralbalance.com/blog/post/myo-inositol-versus-d-chiro-inositol.html
https://examine.com/supplements/inositol/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5011528/
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