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L-Carnitine vs Acetyl-L Carnitine

Posted , 5 users are following.

lisandra_90524
lisandra_90524

What is the difference between L-Carnitine vs Acetyl-L Carnitine? Also, what recommended brands are more effective?

2 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • linda187
    linda187 lisandra_90524

    Edited

    Here's what I know.

    Regular L-Carnitine has a lot of carnitine and a little bit of Acetyl in it and Acetyl L-Carnitine has a little bit of carnitine and a lot of Acetyl in it.  I think that is why the research study I saw tested Regular L-Carnitine  in Hyperthyroid patients because it is safe and does not cause rapid changes in lab test results, although it will cause some changes.  My TSH began to rise for the first time in 2 years when I first took Regular L-Carnitine.

    Because Acetyl-L-Carnitine has a lot of Acetyl in it, it crosses the blood-brain barrier.  This means when I took it along with Methimazole, it carried the Methimazole and the carniitne across the blood brain barrier.and it affected my TSH level rapidly raising it from essentially 0.12 to 0.70 and later all the way to 2.5. 

    I hesitate to tell patients to use Acetyl because most people are not knowledgeable in how to use it while preventing hypothyroidism.  This requires a lot of knowledge and skill to be on top of lab results and your doc to lower Methimazole dosage while you adjust the Acetyl dosage or discontinue it altogether.  I have seen far too many people who took too high a dose to start with and continued to take it without the extreme monitoring and dose adjustment requirements and suffered severely from extreme hypothyroidism very quickly.  I was very fortunate to have a GP who helped me follow thyroid testing at least every 3 weeks.  And a good endocrinologist who knew how to adjust methimazole dosages based on my lab tests.  .  In Medicine Acetyl L Carnitine is used in Neurology for Alzheimers and dementia.

    So I would recommend the Regular L-Carnitine to start with.  Then gage how you are feeling.  Many hyper patients who do this notice that their muscles feel better.   All the patients in the research study benefitted from using the Regular L-Carnitine.  As well as feeling better, thyroid storms were not as severe.  As far as brand names, I used mostly Genestra L-Carnitine and Acetyl-L-Carnitine.  I have also used other brands so I don't think brand names makes much difference.

    Many if not most hyperthyroid patients are often deficient in Vitamin D, and Magnesium.  Getting all 3 values tested (Total and Free Carnitine, vitamin D and Magnesium) and if deficient using supplements to improve them makes good sense.  If not deficient, then I wouldn't take it.

    • madge1979
      madge1979 linda187

      Posted

      Thank you Linda .... for the benefit of your vast knowledge on this subject As always .. Great advice .. Gratefully accepted and proven to be of help to

      Many of us ...

      Luv Mx🌹

    • ellen13805
      ellen13805 linda187

      Posted

      Thank you, Linda! I found some studies and one that was of special interest to me (iatrogenic hyperthyroidism). Sadly, I can't access the full article. I am usually hypo with Hashimoto's, but currently badly over-medicated on Levothyroxine. I am trying to take the edge of the hyper with sports, but I am afraid that it symptoms might get worse. I feel like having constant panic and close to a nervous breakdown.

      Doctor decided to increase my dose 2 weeks ago and only 6 weeks after last increase, despite of me telling him that I feel fine, so purely based on my TSH. At the same time I had a digestive problem clear up, which probably means that the dose increase from before that is now hitting me fully.

      I am afraid, that my body will not tolerate me getting more hyper. I will try and see if I can get any L-Carnitine today.

      Seeing elimination half-life of L-Carnitine is around 60 hours, I guess it is not going to be a quick fix.

      Has anyone tried this and could share any experiences as to how long it will take for things to improve?

    • ellen13805
      ellen13805

      Posted

      Here is an update in case anyone stumbles across this post:

      I went to the pharmacy on Saturday and got L-Carnitine, started right away on a dose of 4 grams per day. Noticed a very slight improvement on Sunday and woke up today (Monday) without feeling completely panicky. Heart palpitations are better. Heart rate is still elevated and I am still feeling shaky, so I doubt that my over-medication on Levo has already ebbed off.

      I also did some reading on L-Carnitine and it looks like some Hypos may have low levels. This might explain, why I used to get this hyper but hypo feeling, where my lab work is okay, but I am suffering from palpitations. I am planning to continue for a week on the 4 grams and then switch to 1 g per day.

      From what I have read, if you are hyper, it will lower your heart rate variability (HRV), while L-Carnitine seems to do the opposite, ie increase HRV. High HRV is what you have when you are relaxed, low HRV is what you have when you are stressed.

      I recently bought a smart watch which measures HRV. I was wandering why my body battery is not recharging and stress-levels seem to be extremely high. I am aware that my smart watch is probably not very accurate, but readings align nicely with how I am feeling. Before taking the L-Carnitine, stress-levels kept rising and body battery kept recharging less - basically it wasn't recharging at all on Friday.

      On Sunday, body battery went up by 5 points out of 100 over night and today it had gone up by 6 points.

      I will try to see whether getting my Levo-dose sorted out in combination with the L-Carnitine will show up on my smart watch.

      I think I have completely forgotten what normal feels like - well, I don't really know what normal is. I sometimes see people doing all sorts of things during the day easily and without being exhausted. Looking back, I believe that even when I had a good phase and did loads of things, I was still stretching myself. Monitoring my body battery might help me give me some idea of what is normal.

      I am 47-years-old now, having suffered from Hashimoto's for at least 37 years. Basically, I am fine with having to work double or triple to keep my weight and get any results when I train. At least I am seeing results. But at the moment I am cautiously hopeful that maybe I might one day lead a more normal life.

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