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My TSH results with Acetyl-L-carnitine, advice pls?

Posted , 5 users are following.

Cecelo
Cecelo

I was diagnosed with graves in June 2016 and been on tapazole/methamazole for 10 months and while my T4 and T3s have been in range from the meds, my TSH stayed suppressed at <0.01 and my endo was ready to increase my meds Which I was not happy about!

I posted my dilemma here and Linda recommended that o try acetyl-l-carnitine. I started taking 500mgs 4 weeks ago and had my lab done today and my TSH went up from undetectable to 0.26!!!! It's still low but it's definitely a vast improvement and I will say the ONLY thing I've done different was to take acetyl-l-Carnitine so I'm fairly confident it helped with my TSH. Thank you so much Linda for your advice.

Now my next question is, my t4 and t3s both dropped a bit (lower end of range). I'm currently on 2.5mgs and 5mgs tapazole on alternate days. Should my next step be decreasing my dosage to maybe 2.5mgs everyday and see where it goes? I don't see my endo for another month but she gave me permission to play with my dosage if I feel unwell, and I have an extra blood lab script in case I need to get tested.

Thank you!

1 like, 21 replies

21 Replies

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  • Karmaway
    Karmaway Cecelo

    Posted

    Hey Cecelo when you started ALC did you stop your thyroid meds or if not what dose were you taking? ♥️
    • Cecelo
      Cecelo Karmaway

      Posted

      Hey karmaway,

      When I started ACL I kept everything the same. I continued to take my tapazole (alternating between 2.5mgs and 5mgs daily). When i went for my blood test 4 weeks later and saw that my TSH has risen, and frees went down, I lowered my meds to now taking 2.5mgs everyday. I'm getting my blood work done again next week, fingers crossed hope my TSH is still improving and I get to lower my meds again.

    • linda187
      linda187 Cecelo

      Posted

      I always worked with my doctor.  He would change my meds dose based on my results and I would alter my Acetyl dosage downward or discontinue it altogether based on my results.  I also reported on how I was feeling to him so he could make the necessary adjustments.  Unlike Regular L-Carnitine, Acetyl-L-Carnitine is extremely powerful and I have seen too many people go hypo on it very fast.  The research study was done with Regular L-Carnitine, not Acetyl-L-Carntine and while Acetyl helped my recovery immensely, I did not go it alone.  Even with my first Endo who adjusted my meds too much downward, I called her and discussed it before it was raised again.  I cannot stress this enough.  You have to work WITH your doc to get the best results.
    • Karmaway
      Karmaway Cecelo

      Posted

      That's amazing! Did you feel more tired when introducing the ALC? I seemed to be and it's probably because my levels are lowering and TSH rising! My Dr has no idea about thyroid meds or ALC and my endo is useless so no help there !! Ugh! Thanks for your help you two!! ??

    • Karmaway
      Karmaway linda187

      Posted

      They know nothing of ALC Linda it's quite scary really! I'm relying on my blood test the week after next! I'm pretty good at telling how my body works so will gauge it from that at at mo 👌

    • linda187
      linda187 Karmaway

      Posted

      I know that they know nothing about ALC, but the medication dosage is their area and they do know about that so I feel they should always be informed about meds dosage, have it charted and be on top of it.  Even if I disagree with their advice about meds dosage, I discuss it with them letting them know my symptoms so we can agree on a meds dosage.  I am not saying meds should not be adjusted, what I am saying is that I feel it is only fair to include the doc in meds dosage adjustments so that when you show up for your follow ups, the dosage you are taking is not a surprise to them.  I only adjusted supplement dosge based on my labs and how I was feeling but I always invoved the doc on meds dosages.  
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