Is Inositol Effective for OCD?

Previous controlled studies have shown that 12 mg per day of inositol (a naturally occurring component of the vitamin B complex and a simple sugar and isomer of glucose) is effective for treating depression and panic disorder. This placebo-controlled six-week crossover study examined the efficacy of 18 mg per day of inositol in 13 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who had been unresponsive to clomipramine or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or had suffered from side effects with previous treatment. The higher dose of inositol was selected based on observations that higher doses of SSRIs are usually required for a treatment response in OCD than in depression.

Treatment with inositol led to significant improvemen…