Inositol for PCOS (not DCI) - Page 2

lexibelle · 04-06-2009, 10:48 PM

Well, thought I"d check in and update on my Inositol success.

As my ticker shows I'm officially down 37lbs, which is over 10% of my starting weight. I'm being completely honest when I say this wouldn't have been possible before starting my Inositol/Chromium combination. Following diets and exercising in the past has NEVER shown results ... it wasn't until I added the Inositol/Chromium to the mix that things started working right.

I've also been feeling wonderful and noticing that my other medications are working so much better than they were prior to starting the combination.

I'm also on CD24 (or something...) of my cycle and feeling PMS symptoms, so I'm getting hopeful. Who knew that bloating and cramping would be cause for celebration, y'know?

I highly suggest that anyone who's been having problems with weight loss, depression, etc and is willing to give natural supplements a shot, try Inositol with an equal dose of Chromium. Those two pills are the best things that have happened to me.

RoseGeranium · 04-07-2009, 02:20 AM

That is really fantastic news lexibelle. Congratulations. It's such a relief to finally find something that works for you isn't it?

July · 04-15-2009, 08:53 PM

Lexibelle, you said it's best to take choline inositol in combination with chromium in a similar amount. I also understand you take 500 mg of choline/inositol 2 to 3 times a day. I'm thinking of buying Solgar Choline/Inosital 250/250, would you advise to take those 4 to 6 times a day than? It just seems like a lot.. I take 200 mg of chromium now, should I then take 5 to 7 of those as well?
I'm really inspired by your results and would love to hear from you regarding my question. Let me just THANK YOU once more for making all those updates, only too often it seems people promise to update but forget to. I feel your posts are a great help in making many inositol considering cyster's minds up!

RoseGeranium · 04-16-2009, 02:59 AM

Women with PCOS have been shown to benefit from 1000 mcg chromium picolinate a day. Anything less doesn't appear to have significant effects on insulin resistance.

July · 04-16-2009, 09:16 AM

Exactly why do you recommend taking choline/inositol together with chromium? I wonder if I could take less choline/inositol since I use soy lecithin as well, and plan on buying carobsyrup and/or farinetta. This way I'm not using c/i exclusively as a resource for DCI.. Has anyone sle tried combining c/i pills and food sources of DCI?

MrsWheeler · 04-16-2009, 04:01 PM

Can you take Metformin and Inositol at the same time?

lexibelle · 04-17-2009, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by July

Lexibelle, you said it's best to take choline inositol in combination with chromium in a similar amount. I also understand you take 500 mg of choline/inositol 2 to 3 times a day. I'm thinking of buying Solgar Choline/Inosital 250/250, would you advise to take those 4 to 6 times a day than? It just seems like a lot.. I take 200 mg of chromium now, should I then take 5 to 7 of those as well?
I'm really inspired by your results and would love to hear from you regarding my question. Let me just THANK YOU once more for making all those updates, only too often it seems people promise to update but forget to. I feel your posts are a great help in making many inositol considering cyster's minds up!

I think you might've mis-read something. I don't take Chromium, but DO suggest to take the Inositol with the CHOLINE. I've tried Chromium in the past but didn't have any results, so cut it out of my pill routine.

Most research shows that the two supplements complement each other (Choline 'boosts' the Inositol) in some manner. I've run into situations where I've only been able to find the Choline and Inositol separately, which was why I made a point of saying to be sure to get them both, one way or the other. I've actually started taking them separately because it winds up being more economical in the long run.

My dosage is 500mg of Inositol and a similar amount of Choline, 2-3x's a day. I'd say aim to get at least 1500mg of the Inositol. With your pills, I'd simply take 2 250mg pills with each meal.

Also, the dosage on the Choline will depend on what TYPE you're taking and the dosage of the pills. I recently switched to Phosphatidyl Choline which comes in 1200mg pills, therefore I only take one pill a day. I started off taking 2, but was having some stomach issues

If I was incorporating therapeutic dosages of DCI through food sources into my diet, I would probably consider backing off one dose of my Inositol. However, I would be sure to get the Choline (or Phosphatidyl Choline) by itself and continue taking that with at least two meals a day. My hypothetical routine would probably be Choline & Inositol with breakfast, DCI source and Choline with lunch and then I'd either skip the Inositol completely with dinner or take it on it's own, depending on the results I was seeing and if there were any side effects.

MRS WHEELER: I started the Inositol/Choline mixture prior to start Met and never stopped once I started my current Metformin dosage. I take 500mg of Met twice a day, along with my Inositol. I haven't experienced any negative side effects from taking them together. However, please keep in mind that I have also been lucky enough not to experience many side effects from the Met whatsoever. If you experience more severe gastro side effects, then I'd test it out but wouldn't hesitate to separate the dosages if you notice it's upsetting your stomach more than usual.

The only time I wound up with an upset stomach was when I took ALL of my medications with my Met (Aleve, St. John's Wort, Inositol, Choline and Met). I wound up feeling sick most of the day.

pcosclueless · 04-18-2009, 04:06 PM

this is very informative. I'm very interested in met alternatives

MommyDreams08 · 07-17-2009, 02:59 AM

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/e...jsp?id=VS-1213

LexiBelle- Is this a good brand to try? It's from the Vitamin Shoppe. Also the directions say take once a day, is it ok to take 2 pills?

moredd · 07-17-2009, 04:31 AM

Inositol (myo not DCI) did not work for me for weight loss also no sign of AF on it.
I am on DCI and have been on for about 12 days and am down 9.5 lbs, no carb craving, acne is clearing, feeling better overall, more energy, Body temp is up 1.5 degrees....

Amber2 · 07-17-2009, 08:03 PM

I am really encouraged by the success you have all had. What I have noticed in the study quoted above is that only 200mg of inositol was used whereas in the DCI studies they have used 1200mg. I found another study in the NHS library for plan inositol at 2g a day and the success rates for ovulation where in the 80% range. I am going to start this route to compliment the Vitex. You can't get DCI in the UK yet so looks like plain inositol is the way to go.

lexibelle · 07-17-2009, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MommyDreams08

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/e...jsp?id=VS-1213

LexiBelle- Is this a good brand to try? It's from the Vitamin Shoppe. Also the directions say take once a day, is it ok to take 2 pills?

The brand looks okay - the key thing I look for is to be sure it's a capsule and not a tablet. What I mean is that what you're taking is a gel capsule filled with the inositol/choline in a powder form. To me, I feel I'm getting a better dosage of the supplements from the powdered form vs. the hard tablets which can sometimes pass through your system undigested.

I've taken a few different brands of the Choline and Inositol and each has had a different suggestion on how much to take. Some say once a day, others say up to three times a day. The big thing is to be sure you're not taking too much of the Choline. From personal experience, I've found that over 1200mg in a day is TOO much and causes stomach upset, so I make sure not to go above that amount.

With the link you provided, I'd say taking it with every meal would be absolutely fine. Try and it and see how you're feeling - if you notice and stomach side effects (which again, I did not notice until I was taking 2000+ mg of the Choline by accident), then bring it down to possibly twice a day.

My current pills have me taking 500mg of the Inositol 2-3 times a day (again, I take it with each meal, but don't always eat 3 times).

Also, in the way of an update, my AF has continued to regulate. My last cycle was actually 28 days exactly. This cycle I've noticed some signs of possible ovulation, but I haven't built up the courage to actually try tracking it yet. As long as this cycle progresses normally (i.e. ends within 40 days), I'm going to attempt tracking on my next one to see if there are any definite signs of ovulation (OPK or a temp shift).

My weight loss HAS slowed down, but after 60+ in 7 months I'm not surprised and don't believe it's a sign of the supplements not working as well anymore. Really, I know it's just me needing to buckle-down and get more stringent with my eating and exercising, which I've allowed to slip slightly in the last month.

Good luck to all those choosing to start the Inositol/Choline combination. I fully believe it works just as well as the more expensive, not as widely available DCI. Perhaps it doesn't work as quickly or requires more of the supplement to be as effective (which I'm not sure is really true to be honest), but the fact remains that it DOES work. Honestly, I can't see any reason to shell out the kind of money necessary for the DCI when I can pay $30 every two to three months and get similar results.

MommyDreams08 · 07-18-2009, 02:13 AM

Thank you!!

Amber2 · 07-19-2009, 08:04 AM

Well I have just bought a huge tub of inositol powder to add to the Vitex and multivitamins and we will see what happens. Been feeling really run down for the last week so I am hoping it perks me up.

not-waving-but-drowning · 08-11-2009, 08:35 PM

Hi, can I join?
I've bought a big tub of inositol too! Not DCI but the normal powder....figured worth trying that first, not sure I'll be able to get DCI in UK. How are you getting on with it Amber?
I'm not expecting anything spectacular to happen, but really hoping for even the slightest of an improvement in any of my symps.
Anything to report anyone? Would really like to hear any success stories.
Thanks!