Compound or practice · Supplement
Inositol (Myo-Inositol)
A sugar-alcohol with genuinely good evidence in PCOS and reasonable anxiety/OCD signals.
- Overall grade
- Grade B
- Last revised
- 3
- graded outcomes
- 0
- references listed
A structured monograph in Prometheus's bundled library. Its grades are the monograph's own reading of the evidence, not a peer-reviewed review.
2 at grade B · 3 at grade C — 5 graded rows
What is known
Each outcome with its grade (how strong the evidence is, A to D), the size of the effect where the entry records one, and how often studies agree.
- PCOS (insulin/ovulation)Evidence grade B
First-line supplement
Moderatehigh
- Anxiety / OCD / panicEvidence grade C
High doses
Smallmixed
- Gestational diabetes preventionEvidence grade C
Emerging
Smallmixed
Conditions
How the entry reads its effect on diagnosed conditions: the direction first, then the grade. Never a substitute for the person who treats you.
- PCOS ImprovesEvidence grade BMetabolic + ovulatoryGrade B
- Anxiety May improveEvidence grade CHigh dosesGrade C
What is uncertain
Read off the same rows as above. Nothing here is added that the entry does not itself record.
- Thin evidence: Anxiety / OCD / panic (grade C); Gestational diabetes prevention (grade C).
Interactions
Documented pairings with supplements and medicines. A medicine on this list is a conversation for whoever prescribes it.
BerberineWorks together
Complementary insulin-signaling routes in PCOS.
The evidence in words
What it is
Inositol (chiefly myo-inositol) is a vitamin-like compound involved in insulin and neurotransmitter signaling.
How it works
It acts as a second messenger for insulin and serotonin/other receptors, improving insulin sensitivity and modulating mood pathways.
What the evidence shows
Grade B for PCOS — myo-inositol (often with D-chiro-inositol) improves insulin sensitivity, ovulation, and metabolic markers, and is a common first-line supplement. It also has moderate evidence in anxiety, OCD, and panic at high doses, and in gestational-diabetes prevention.
How to use it
2–4 g/day myo-inositol for PCOS (often a 40:1 myo:D-chiro ratio); higher doses (up to ~18 g) in psychiatric trials.
Safety & interactions
Very well tolerated; mild GI upset at high doses. Berberine — Complementary insulin-signaling routes in PCOS.
Bottom line
A standout for PCOS metabolic and ovulatory support, with a useful anxiety/OCD sideline. 2–4 g/day; well tolerated.
How it is used
As the entry records it, from the studies it summarises. Not a recommendation for you — doses that suit a trial population may not suit you.
- PCOS
- 2–4 g/day myo-inositol (40:1 with D-chiro).
Goes with
- BerberineComplementary insulin-signaling routes in PCOS.Evidence grade B
Related reading
Entries that share this one's tags or conditions.
- Inositol (Myo-Inositol) for AnxietyEvidence grade C — High dosesEvidence grade C
- Inositol (Myo-Inositol) for PCOSEvidence grade B — Metabolic + ovulatoryEvidence grade B
- Inositol (Myo-Inositol) for Anxiety / OCD / panicEvidence grade C — High dosesEvidence grade C
- Inositol (Myo-Inositol) for Gestational diabetes preventionEvidence grade C — EmergingEvidence grade C
Sources
This entry lists no references of its own.
Last revised . A grade is this entry's reading of the evidence, not medical advice.