Inositol psychoactive effects and mechanisms

[Neuroprotection]

i’ve heard that inositol, mainly myo-inositol is widespread and cheaply available and could be quite effective for depression. it’s very important in neuronal communication and function, especially regulation of ion channels and downstream signalling of many receptors. interestingly, one of the main mechanisms of lithium’s antimanic affect is the depletion of free inositol, Thus suppressing downstream dopaminergic and certain serotonergic signalling pathways involved in mania.
I want to know if anyone has tried supplementing with high amounts of this compound especially if they did so long-term. if so, please describe any effects you felt.

I think inositol is interesting as an antidepressant because of its unusual proposed mechanisms. Firstly, inositol supplementation opposes the effects of lithium and is believed to produce a behavioural activating effect. furthermore, a study I read proposed an anti-depressant effect of inositol could come through activation of the 5HT2A receptor, which is unusual since antagonists of this receptor were thought to be potent antidepressants.

If I remember correctly, bioavailability is a big issue, but could be overcome by long-term supplementation. i’m very interested in inositol because its antidepressant effect seems to be much more linked to behavioural activation rather than the emotional numbing produced by most traditional antidepressants. i’m hoping in future, to concoct a mixture of a few grams of inositol with a few grams of L tyrosine along with B vitamins, zinc and magnesium and to take this daily as a motivational enhancer.

 

[Neuroprotection]

so has no one here tried inositol?

 

[Skorpio]

Does the brain salvage inositol? It's made from glucose-6-phosphate, so I'm not even sure it is going to have transport mechanisms for getting it into cells. At least amino acids have a salvage pathway, I'm unfamiliar with one for sugars.

 

[AlsoTapered]

Does the brain salvage inositol? It's made from glucose-6-phosphate, so I'm not even sure it is going to have transport mechanisms for getting it into cells. At least amino acids have a salvage pathway, I'm unfamiliar with one for sugars.

We look to you to find them ;-)

I see huge amounts of pseudoscientific claims with the low-quality evidence.

Really, I'm not a fan of SSRIs (anxiety) but the older tricyclics really seem to work for me. We are all different but you know that any given antidepressant only has a 41% chance of being effective so if you were prescribed something that didn't work, ask for something else. I can't believe doctors don't KNOW that the chance of one treatment working is less than 50-50.

 

[Neuroprotection]

Does the brain salvage inositol? It's made from glucose-6-phosphate, so I'm not even sure it is going to have transport mechanisms for getting it into cells. At least amino acids have a salvage pathway, I'm unfamiliar with one for sugars.

I assume The blood brain barrier and Neurons have transporters for inositol. however, it should also be noted that inositol is actually recycled and it’s different phosphorylation states are important downstream second messenger signalling molecules of many different neurotransmitter receptor types. One of the proposed mechanisms of lithium is that it interferes with this pathway, Preventing the regeneration of free inositol by inhibiting a specific inositol monophosphatase enzyme.

 

[AlsoTapered]

While I appreciate that these are calculations and not actually tested using layer of N-octanol on a layer of water, the LogP estimates are all between -2.4 and -2.8.

So even if transported into the brain (which is fatty), what stops it just ending up back outside the CNS (which is watery)?

The lowest LogP I found for a medicine was -1.2.

I ask because I don't have an explanation, not because I'm disagreeing.