DOUBLE-BLIND, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED, CROSSOVER TRIAL OF INOSITOL TREATMENT FOR PANIC DISORDER

Objective: Because they found in an earlier study that inositol, an im portant intracellular second-messenger precursor, was effective agains t depression in open and double-blind trials, the authors studied its effectiveness panic disorder with or without agoraphobia completed a d ouble-blind, placebo-controlled, 4-week, random-assignment crossover t reatment trial of 12 g/day of inositol. Results: The frequency and sev erity of panic attacks and the severity of agoraphobia declined signif icantly more after inositol than after placebo administration. Side ef fects were minimal. Conclusions: The authors conclude that inositol's efficacy, the absence of significant side effects, and the fact that i nositol is a natural component of the human diet make it a potentially attractive therapeutic for panic disorder.