Vitamin B8 / Inositol; Deficiency Symptoms, Food Source, Health Benefit

Last updated: February 7, 2026Reviewed date: February 7, 2026Reading time: 6 min read

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For severe symptoms, danger signs, pregnancy, child illness, or sudden worsening, seek urgent medical care.

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Article Summary

Vitamin B8 also known as inositol is a water-soluble vitamin that is required in very small amounts in the body. As it is a water-soluble vitamin, it is not stored in the body and excess amounts of it is flushed out with urine. Hence, it becomes all the more important for us to ensure that our diet supplies adequate amount of this vitamin daily. Followed...

Key Takeaways

This article explains Symptoms of Vitamin B8 / Inositol Deficiency in simple medical language.
This article explains Food Sources of Vitamin B8 in simple medical language.
This article explains Health Benefit of Vitamin B8 in simple medical language.

Educational health guideWritten for patient understanding and clinical awareness.

Reviewed content workflowUse writer and reviewer profiles for stronger trust.

Emergency safety firstUrgent warning signs are highlighted below.

Seek urgent medical care if you notice

These warning signs are general safety guidance. Local emergency numbers and clinical judgment should always come first.

Severe symptoms, breathing difficulty, fainting, confusion, or rapidly worsening illness.
New weakness, severe pain, high fever, or symptoms after a serious injury.
Any symptom that feels urgent, unusual, or unsafe for the patient.

Emergency now

Use emergency care for severe, sudden, rapidly worsening, or life-threatening symptoms.

See a doctor

Book a professional medical evaluation if symptoms persist, worsen, recur often, affect daily activities, or occur in a high-risk patient.

Learn safely

Use this article to understand possible causes, tests, treatment options, prevention, and questions to ask your clinician.

Vitamin B8 also known as inositol is a water-soluble vitamin that is required in very small amounts in the body. As it is a water-soluble vitamin, it is not stored in the body and excess amounts of it is flushed out with urine. Hence, it becomes all the more important for us to ensure that our diet supplies adequate amount of this vitamin daily. Followed by niacin, our body has the second highest store of inositol.

Symptoms of Vitamin B8 / Inositol Deficiency

Deficiency of vitamin B8 is unlikely. However, a word of caution for coffee lovers—they need to restrict their daily intake to 2 cups as excessive coffee can deplete the vitamin stores. The symptoms resulting from a deficiency of vitamin B8 include:

skin diseases
reduced production of RNA and DNA
insufficient synthesis of glucose from the food digested
decreased functioning of hormones
onset of candida albicans
nausea, vomiting
muscle ache
lethargy
hallucinations
depression
irritability,
confusion,
drowsiness,
muscle weakness,
lung infections,
heart abnormalities,
elevated levels of cholesterol,
constipation,
vision problems,
dermatitis,
hair loss,
eczema and ataxia.

Various serious complications of vitamin B8 deficiency include metabolic acidosis, organic aciduria, liver steatosis, convulsions, hyper ammonemia, acidocetosis, hypotonia and hyperlactettemia. If vitamin B8 deficiency is not arrested in time and the symptoms are not controlled, one may even go into coma.

Food Sources of Vitamin B8

Inositol is available externally through dietary sources and is even made inside the body by intestinal bacteria. Our body can make its own inositol from glucose with the help of intestinal bacteria. Hence, external sources are of help only in conditions when the body is incapable of making its own vitamin. Sources of vitamin B8 consist of the following:

nuts
oilseeds
whole grains
egg yolk
legumes
banana
yeast
mushroom
sardines
cauliflower
swiss chard

Other sources include the following:

lecithin
liver
wheat germ
raisins
peanuts
cabbage
all citrus fruits except lemons
cantaloupe
lima beans

Health Benefit of Vitamin B8

insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।" data-rx-term="diabetes" data-rx-definition="Diabetes is a condition where blood sugar stays too high because insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।">Diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes) – Taking a certain form of inositol called myo-inositol along with folic acid during pregnancy seems to reduce the chance of developing insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।" data-rx-term="diabetes" data-rx-definition="Diabetes is a condition where blood sugar stays too high because insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।">diabetes during pregnancy by 60% to 92% in women who are at risk. Lower doses of inositol taken without folic acid don’t seem to work.
Side effects caused by lithium – Taking inositol by mouth seems to improve psoriasis, a skin condition caused by lithium. But it doesn’t seem to help psoriasis in people not taking lithium. Inositol doesn’t seem to improve other side effects caused by lithium.
Metabolic syndrome – Taking inositol with or without alpha-lipoic acid seems to improve insulin resistance, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and blood pressure in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome.
Panic disorder – Inositol shows some promise for controlling panic attacks and the fear of public places or open spaces (agoraphobia). One study found that inositol is as effective as a prescription medication. However, larger clinical studies are needed before inositol’s effectiveness for panic attacks can be proven.
An ovary disorder known as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – Taking particular forms of inositol (D-chiro-inositol or myo-inositol) by mouth seems to lower triglyceride and testosterone levels, modestly decrease blood pressure, and improve the function of the ovaries in overweight or obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Myo-inositol may be as effective as the prescription drug metformin. Some research also shows that taking the two forms of inositol together improves ovulation better than taking D-chiro-inositol alone. Also, the combination seems to improve blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood insulin levels better than taking myo-inositol alone.
A breathing problem in premature babies known as “acute respiratory distress syndrome” – Giving inositol intravenously (by IV) to premature babies with respiratory distress syndrome seems to improve breathing. Also, giving these babies inositol by mouth or intravenously (by IV) seems to decrease the risk of death, the risk of developing a condition that can cause blindness, or the risk of bleeding in the brain.
Alzheimer’s disease – Taking inositol by mouth doesn’t seem to improve symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Anxiety – Taking inositol by mouth doesn’t seem to improve the severity of anxiety symptoms.
Autism – Taking inositol by mouth doesn’t seem to improve symptoms of autism.
Depression – Most research shows that inositol doesn’t improve symptoms of depression. While some early research shows that depressed people receiving inositol for 4 weeks may improve at first, they seem to get worse again after a while. There was also some expectation that inositol might make antidepressant medications called SSRIs work better. But research so far hasn’t shown this to be true.
Schizophrenia – Taking inositol by mouth doesn’t seem to improve symptoms of schizophrenia.
Nerve problems caused by insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।" data-rx-term="diabetes" data-rx-definition="Diabetes is a condition where blood sugar stays too high because insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।">diabetes – Taking inositol by mouth doesn’t improve the symptoms of nerve pain caused by insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।" data-rx-term="diabetes" data-rx-definition="Diabetes is a condition where blood sugar stays too high because insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।">diabetes.

Insufficient Evidence for

Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – Early studies show inositol might not help improve ADHD symptoms.
Bipolar disorder – Early research in children with bipolar disorder shows that taking inositol with a certain omega-3 fatty acid improves mania and depressive symptoms.
insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।" data-rx-term="diabetes" data-rx-definition="Diabetes is a condition where blood sugar stays too high because insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।">Diabetes – Early research shows that taking a combination of folic acid and a form of inositol called D-chiro-inositol decreases blood glucose more than taking folic acid by itself in overweight people with type I insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।" data-rx-term="diabetes" data-rx-definition="Diabetes is a condition where blood sugar stays too high because insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।">diabetes.
Lung cancer – Early research shows that taking inositol does not reverse the growth of pre-cancer cells in people at high risk for lung cancer.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) – There is some evidence that people with OCD who receive inositol by mouth for 6 weeks experience an improvement in OCD symptoms. However, inositol doesn’t seem to improve OCD symptoms in people already being treated with medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – Early research shows that taking inositol by mouth doesn’t improve distress in people with PTSD.
Pregnancy-associated complication – Taking a certain form of inositol (isomer myo-inositol) plus folic acid by mouth during pregnancy seems to reduce the number of babies weighing more than 8 pounds 13 ounces at birth. However, the combination doesn’t seem to reduce high blood pressure during pregnancy, the risk of preterm delivery, the rate of caesarean section, or the risk of the baby having a certain breathing problem after birth.
Compulsive hair pulling (trichotillomania) – Taking inositol by mouth doesn’t seem to improve symptoms of compulsive hair pulling.
Cancer.
Hair growth.
High cholesterol.
Problems metabolizing fat.
Trouble sleeping (insomnia).

References

Safety note: This is not a prescription or diagnosis. For severe symptoms, pregnancy danger signs, children with serious illness, chest pain, breathing difficulty, stroke-like weakness, or major injury, seek urgent care.

Which doctor may help?

Start with a registered doctor or the nearest qualified health center.

What to tell the doctor

Write when the problem started and how it changed.
Bring old prescriptions, investigation reports, and current medicines.
Write allergies, pregnancy status, diabetes, kidney/liver disease, and major past illnesses.
Bring one family member if the patient is weak, elderly, confused, or a child.

Questions to ask

What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
Which danger signs mean I should go to hospital quickly?
Which tests are necessary now, and which can wait?
How should I take medicines safely and what side effects should I watch for?
When should I come for follow-up?

Tests to discuss

Vital signs: temperature, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen saturation
Basic physical examination by a clinician
CBC, urine test, blood sugar, or imaging only when clinically needed

Avoid these mistakes

Do not use antibiotics, steroid tablets/injections, or strong painkillers without proper medical advice.
Do not hide pregnancy, kidney disease, ulcer, allergy, or blood thinner use.
Do not delay emergency care when danger signs are present.

Medicine safety and first-aid guide

This section is for patient education only. It does not replace a doctor, pharmacist, or emergency care.

Safe first steps

Drink warm safe fluids and avoid smoke/dust exposure.
Use a mask and seek testing advice if infection is suspected.
Breathing difficulty should be treated as a warning sign.

OTC medicine safety

Cough syrups are not always needed; ask a clinician or pharmacist, especially for children.
Do not use leftover antibiotics for cough without medical advice.

Avoid these mistakes

Do not start antibiotics without a proper medical decision.
Do not use steroid tablets or injections casually for quick relief.
Do not delay emergency care because of home remedies.

Get urgent help if

Shortness of breath, blue lips, chest pain, coughing blood, severe weakness, or low oxygen needs urgent care.

Medicine names, dose, and timing must be decided by a qualified clinician or pharmacist after checking age, pregnancy, allergy, other diseases, and current medicines.

For rural patients and family caregivers

Patient health record and symptom diary

Write your symptoms, medicines already taken, test results, and questions before visiting a doctor. This note stays on your device unless you print or copy it.

Doctor to discuss: Doctor / qualified healthcare provider

Tests to discuss with doctor

Basic vital signs: temperature, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen level if needed
Relevant blood, urine, imaging, or specialist tests only after clinical assessment

Questions to ask

What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
Which warning signs mean I should go to emergency care?
Which tests are really needed now?
Which medicines are safe for my age, pregnancy status, allergy, kidney/liver/stomach condition, and current medicines?

Emergency warning signs such as chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, sudden weakness, confusion, severe dehydration, major injury, or loss of bladder/bowel control need urgent medical care. Do not wait for online information.

Go to emergency care if you notice:

Severe or rapidly worsening symptoms
Breathing difficulty, chest pain, fainting, confusion, severe weakness, major injury, or severe dehydration

Doctor / service to discuss: Qualified healthcare provider; specialist depends on symptoms and examination.

Step 1
Check danger signs first
If danger signs are present, seek emergency care and do not wait for online information.
Step 2
Record the symptom story
Write when symptoms started, severity, medicines already taken, allergies, pregnancy status, and test results.
Step 3
Visit a qualified clinician
A doctor, nurse, or qualified healthcare provider can examine you and decide which tests or treatment are needed.
Step 4
Do only useful tests
Do tests after clinical assessment. Avoid unnecessary tests, random antibiotics, or repeated medicines without diagnosis.
Step 5
Follow up and return early if worse
If symptoms worsen, new warning signs appear, or treatment is not helping, return for review quickly.

Rural patient practical tips

Take a written symptom diary and all previous prescriptions/test reports.
Do not hide medicines already taken, even herbal or over-the-counter medicines.
Ask which warning signs mean urgent referral to hospital.

This roadmap is for education. A real diagnosis and treatment plan requires history, examination, and clinical judgment.

RX Patient Help

Ask a health question safely

Write your symptom story. A health professional or site editor can review it before any answer is prepared. This box is not for emergency care.

Emergency first: Severe chest pain, breathing trouble, unconsciousness, stroke signs, severe injury, heavy bleeding, or rapidly worsening symptoms need urgent local medical care now.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this article a replacement for a doctor?

No. It is educational content only. Patients should consult a qualified clinician for diagnosis and treatment.

When should I seek urgent care?

Seek urgent care for severe symptoms, rapidly worsening condition, breathing difficulty, severe pain, neurological changes, or any emergency warning sign.