They're two different forms of the same nutrient. It's kind of like EPA vs ALA Omega-3. Same nutrient, just different form.

Myo is cheaper and easier to get a hold of, but requires a little more for full effect, while D-chiro (DCI) is harder to find and more expensive, but requires less. However, they're complementary -- if you can get both, then you can use less of each and the effect is generally more dramatic. The hard part, though, is getting your hands on DCI without spending an arm and a leg. Generally, even with the higher dosage requirement, Myo by itself is good enough and cheaper than the Myo+DCI combo.

This is the one I buy -- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013OUKPC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I do 4tsp, but that's for the higher neurological benefit. 1-2tsp is sufficient for just PCOS, usually.

A_Dabauer wrote: »

This is the brand I use for DCI.

http://www.lornavanderhaeghe.ca/products/Glucosmart-for-Diabetic-Support.asp

In Canada I'm paying 40 dollars for 30 pills so certainly not cheap. However I can't get the 15 dollar myo-powder in Canada either. Cheapest I can get for that same size is 40 dollars.

Amazon doesnt ship to canada? Here i thought Amazon was all about world domination! I am disappointed

Yep Amazon.Ca here I can get that brand but not for 15 dollars

I've got the Jarrow powder now (was taking the pills from Rugby brand (4-500 mg pills), and just started the powder last night, 1 tsp - roughly 2.4 grams... I'm hoping to see an impact soon, but not expect as big of one since I'm already doing a lot to manage my conditions/issues.

(Originally, I was only taking one pill a day, then several days ago, I ramped up to two pills, then four, jumped up to six, then back down to make the pills last, four pills at night the last 2-3 days before switching to the powder last night.)

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

Can't find it anywhere, but given it's natural sweet flavor, what is the nutritional impact?

None as far as I can find. It just happens to have a sweet taste.

WARNING: For anyone one birth control, currently trying NOT to conceive, Inositol in higher doses is BAD BAD BAD. I had to drop my dose back down and I'm currently flipping my lid. It might have "broken" my birth control pills so to speak. My body is trying to fix my medically restricted non-ovulation with this. I wanted to use the inositol to help with other PCOS symptoms, but I'm having to drop back down to a 500 mg dose...I hope I don't have to drop it altogether. I know most of you aren't in this genre, so to speak, but I wanted to share what I've learned in the past month. Hoping to find some research on this somewhere because it was nowhere online.

Alliwan wrote: »

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

WARNING: For anyone one birth control, currently trying NOT to conceive, Inositol in higher doses is BAD BAD BAD. I had to drop my dose back down and I'm currently flipping my lid. It might have "broken" my birth control pills so to speak. My body is trying to fix my medically restricted non-ovulation with this. I wanted to use the inositol to help with other PCOS symptoms, but I'm having to drop back down to a 500 mg dose...I hope I don't have to drop it altogether. I know most of you aren't in this genre, so to speak, but I wanted to share what I've learned in the past month. Hoping to find some research on this somewhere because it was nowhere online.

This is good information! I am not able to take any birth control but not worried about getting pregnant but if you are actively trying NOT to get pregnant then knowing the risks with Inositol is good.

How did you find out it broke your BCP? I know you were spotting earlier. Did you start? or did you ovulate?

Since changing to this dosage, all of my breakthrough bleeding had stopped completely. Even with stress. So yesterday, I was attempting to research inositol to see if there were any carbs in it. Found a TON of studies about how it restores ovulation as its primary function for treating PCOS. I haven't "felt" my ovulation since I stopped forming cysts on my ovaries that ruptured each cycle during ovulation or the emulation therein, so I don't know if I'm ovulating, but I sure as heck don't want to be doing so.

Put 2 + 2 together and got 4. I only started spotting when I upped the Inositol. I went from 500 mg, to 1000 mg, to 2000 mg for a few days. Spotting (and PMS symptoms) started between 1000 mg-2000 mg. Dropped back down to 1000 mg, spotting stopped. Took roughly 2400 mg with my first powder dose. Spotting started again roughly 12-16 hours later. Took 500 mg last night (pill, not powder), still spotting. May have to stop it altogether for a week to let my body fully reset.

I wanted the insulin optimization effects, but even those seem questionable at best without additional supplementation. I've adapted much easier into full keto after dropping the metformin so I can consume dairy as I prefer. I think I'm going to keep at this way until my revisit to my endo in April, let him test and see if Met is still indicated.

I didn't find any actual research, but my own experience with my body on birth control at this age let me to hypothesize that the inositol was trying to "fix" what my birth control was giving me as preferred effects. I could be completely wrong, but really, nothing else at all had changed, so very doubtful.

having a fatty liver will escalate your liver enzymes. I don't know what else. but I also hadn't been warned about metformin and liver conflicts. So dunno there. You can research inositol and liver studies online. I read something yesterday but read so much I can't remember what it was.

In my personal experience, going some form of LowCarbHighFatModerateProtein and/or keto (which can line up with Paleo when leaving out sweeteners and such), will cut liver and visceral fat first. There's a great thread about it in one of the other groups I'm on. I think it is the first but could be the second.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1143-keto

Good luck!

Hello fellow Canadians
Here are a couple of Canadian websites that I found that carry Inositol. I haven't ordered from either yet. I got my first bottle of Inositol powder about 5 weeks ago through Amanzon.ca but it shipped out of the US (no duties or import taxes though - it just took a while).

Please let me know if you've found a good Canadian supplier! I'll need to order soon!

https://well.ca/products/now-foods-inositol-powder_18788.html
http://www.nationalnutrition.ca/SearchResult.aspx?KeyWords=Inositol&All=True

I think I am going to ask my doc about myo-inositol-- I am on metformin now but it doesn't help with sugar cravings or energy level. I think I want to add this to my regimen

blukitten wrote: »

I think I am going to ask my doc about myo-inositol-- I am on metformin now but it doesn't help with sugar cravings or energy level. I think I want to add this to my regimen

@blukitten When I went on Metformin, until I dropped my carbs below 50 grams for day, I didn't get the full efficacy of the Met or the ease in cravings or boost in energy. So if you carbs are higher than 100 grams per day, I would highly recommend dropping them by 10 daily grams once per week. So each Monday, lower your goal to 10 less grams than the previous week - until you find your sweet spot of eased cravings and boosted energy.

Remember, too, that as you lower carbs you must up fats for balance (carbs are fuel and fat is fuel, but protein is NOT fuel, so you need to up fats, even if you up your proteins a little, because otherwise you are cutting your body off from fuel...)....

rowclic wrote: »

blukitten wrote: »

I think I am going to ask my doc about myo-inositol-- I am on metformin now but it doesn't help with sugar cravings or energy level. I think I want to add this to my regimen

When I asked my nurse practitioner about Inositol she looked at my like I had three heads. Never heard of it! She really wanted me to go back to Metformin but I refused. I'm curious to hear what your doctor says about combining the two.

My endocrinologist had heard of it, but if you follow the research, it is considered a pseudo vitamin or some nonsense, because our body produces some levels of it naturally. Just like with everything else PCOS screws up, with those of us who suffer it (PCOS, that is), our body generally does not produce ENOUGH of it (Inositol, that is!), and therefore, we need to supplement. It also may be covered under some of the B-Complex formulas, as it is also known as B8.

42carrots wrote: »

rowclic wrote: »

blukitten wrote: »

I think I am going to ask my doc about myo-inositol-- I am on metformin now but it doesn't help with sugar cravings or energy level. I think I want to add this to my regimen

When I asked my nurse practitioner about Inositol she looked at my like I had three heads. Never heard of it! She really wanted me to go back to Metformin but I refused. I'm curious to hear what your doctor says about combining the two.

Ugh, this just happened to me today. My Endocrinologist's office called me about some blood work, and I mentioned to her (whoever she was, his secretary I think) that I've started taking Inositol and thought I should pass it on just so it's on my chart or whatever (can you tell how much I'm not impressed with doctors?), and she paused, asked me how to spell it, and then condescendingly asked me what it does and why I'm taking it. I tried to tell her, in a polite way, that there's a good amount of clinical research to support it's use for those with PCOS symptoms, but I was so thrown off by her attitude that I didn't really express myself very well, I don't think.

All I can say is I'm thankful for forums like this, because every doctor I've seen over the past few years has been virtually useless, I usually just end up feeling hopeless and generally worse. Not once have any of them seemed interested in anything other than giving me a medication or a bandaid solution for an individual symptom and then sending me on my way, rather than trying to actually address root causes. Just venting, sigh.

Unfortunately, this is quite common. I hope you can find a doctor that will at least work with you.

One thing I've done to help myself on this front is to look less for a doctor that understands PCOS (if I find one, great), and look more for one that's willing to listen to and work with me. Finding one that's willing to run the blood tests and write the prescriptions when necessary is a good stop gap.

It does mean that you can't rely on them to educate you about PCOS, but frankly, you couldn't rely on them for that to begin with, so nothing's really changed. What has changed is that by doing the above, you take your healthcare into your own hands and go from a passive recipient of doctor advice, to an active participant in your healthcare. This is often called "patient centered health" or "participatory health," so it might help to search for doctors off those keywords and see if you can find anyone that way.

It does take some practice, though, and a doctor willing to have that kind of relationship. Don't be afraid to drop your current one like a sack of bricks and find someone else until you find a good fit.