in ideal circumstances, carnitine is made in the body...but that is subject to
failure.

Drugs...Depakote mostly and most HIV drugs seriously impair carnitine synthesis in the body. The HIV community has used carnitine for over a decade for
their drug induced neuropathies.

I buy mine at iherb...the NOW brand. It tends to be expensive. But it is worth a try...since it does not do harm unless you get to over 15 grams or so, and then diarrhea might develop.

I used it alot when I was working out alot...it helps with muscle fatigue and pain also. But now I am truly a slug... since my leg injury...and planning on getting back to my old workout routines, soon.

I read a website devoted to mitochondrial disorders years ago. And on it was this theory:
That while it takes 2 copies of a gene from both parents to manifest as serious in childhood, that one copy ~~the recessive may be responsible for disorders in later adulthood. Since the mitochondria run our cells providing energy..we are dependent on them for everything we do. Muscles, nerves, everything. Carnitine and CoQ-10 are carriers for fatty acids into the mitochondria to substitute for glucose, to maintain energy.

You can get a blood test for it. I believe someone here has done that.
Or you can try it and see if you respond. We had a long discussion on our old board about it...which was really great. But of course it is lost with all the other good stuff in that crash. I don't believe we will see one word from all those archives! (but that is another issue).

You need alot of carnitine and it is not cheap. I got away with 1 gram for a long time. But some need 2 grams or more depending. Since I use SAMe and that is pretty expensive, I tend to not use other really expensive things unless there is dramatic payoff for me. My PN is pretty stable now, does not progress and even the burning improved from this summer. (it was getting terrible, the burning on vacation! Whew).

If you try the l-carnitine buy a very good brand like NOW. They are quality and affordable. Online is much less $$ than in stores.

This is the one I use when I use it:
http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails....1&pid=316&at=0
The acetyl form is better absorbed, so you may get by with lower doses.
It also provides the acetyl group which is used to make acetylcholine in the brain. I used to use the plain l-carnitine, but switched the the acetyl later.
It worked as well. If you choose large doses, space them, as there is a ceiling for absorption for each dose.