Hi Dr. Phelps,
A study was published in the May 16th issue of Nature 2002;417:292-294 that I was curious about. After reading it I ran a quick google search on inositol and thyroid and was amazed to see relationships. Could you please review that article and also run a quick thyroid/inositol search when you get time and see what you think? In short according to this study all 3 medications (lithium Valproic acid and carbamazepine) given to treat BP depletes the amount of inositol inside the nerve cells. I also did a quick check on the contents of True Hope Vitamins  and they contain inositol...just a after thought LOL.TY Dr. Phelps....It helps me as a mom with a very sick son to be in discussions like this..Hopefully he will come up for a consultation soon but he is having a hard time now. ALso how are the Thyroid studies going?  Thanks again..


Dear Ms J -- 
Thanks for the tip.  I'll have our librarian get it for me and check it out.  The abstract (linked for other readers) suggests this could be pretty major.  You probably have seen that there's a lot of work implicating inositol, including some folks who've studied giving inositol alone (e.g Chengappa).  For fun, try entering inositol and bipolar on PUB MED.  It'll give you a sense of what's cooking there, even just by skimming the titles of the articles. 

You must be an interesting person, reading Nature and recognizing the importance of this work.  Great to have people like you out there snooping the non-psychiatric literature for us all!  

Dr. Phelps

 

Published July, 2002