[Jesse M]

Has anyone known Acetyl-L-carnitine to cause Hypothyroidism?

Acetyl-L-carnitine has recently been more scrutinized with a link between it and Hypothyroidism. I've seen several articles about concerns it might aggravate Hypothyroidism or even cause it (which is what I'm afraid of). It seems to help a lot of people, now- including me.

Since I have been taking it, just over a month now, at what some consider a low dose (300mg) ...(Is that a low dose?) I have felt a dramatic reduction in pn pains. Though I still have the pins & needles pains very often, most of the other types of deep cramps, stabbing, or burning have been reduced considerably.

In accordance, it also seems to help people with certain cognitive disorders, some of which I have had for years.

However, Acetyl-L-carnitine is now being linked with Urinary Track Infections and most notable metabolic hypothyroidism.

Because of this, I'm thinking of dropping it off my supplements list, which I really don't want to do, because I feel it has genuinely helped me, not only with nerve pains, but also in other health issues I have such as COPD and OCD.

Ironically, Hypothyroidism is also a condition that can cause Neuropathy itself, so here is another reason to shed light on this concern.

My question is -- has anyone known Acetyl-L-carnitine to cause Hypothyroidism or any other detrimental health risks???

[mrsD]

You are reading sites with questionable information. We have discussions about this here, if you use the search function.

I have medical explanations about carnitine and thyroid.

It would be very helpful if you would LINK to what you found,
so we can all discuss it.

Here is a LEF article explaining some new research about carnitine and the thyroid, and its usefulness in both conditions.

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/...thyroid_02.htm

I really have to urge you to provide your sources of information.
This is a written venue....and without sources we cannot really discuss anything.

Here is another paper, discussing the importance of carnitine for both hyper and hypo thyroid patients:

Muscle Nerve. 2005 Sep;32(3):357-9.
Muscle carnitine in hypo- and hyperthyroidism.
Sinclair C, Gilchrist JM, Hennessey JV, Kandula M.
Source

Department of Neurology, Rhode Island Hospital, Brown Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island 02903, USA.
Abstract

Weakness is common in both hyper- and hypothyroidism, and skeletal muscle L-carnitine may play a role in this regard, as suggested by studies indicating abnormal levels of carnitine in serum and urine of patients with thyroid dysfunction. Skeletal muscle samples were obtained for carnitine analysis from control subjects, and from hyperthyroid and hypothyroid patients before and after treatment. There was a significant reduction in carnitine, especially the esterified portion, in hyperthyroid individuals, with a return to normal as euthyroid status was regained. In hypothyroid patients, there was a trend for carnitine to be lower than normal and for improvement once euthyroid status was attained. Our data indicate that muscle carnitine levels are affected by both hypo- and hyperthyroidism. A decrease in muscle carnitine in both conditions may contribute to thyroid myopathy.

PMID:
15803480
[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

I strongly (pun intended) suspect you are using Livestrong site too much. That site is often not accurate. You should use PubMed, which is the direct source of information more often.
Most information on the net is dated, and can be old. So you need to read back several years to see if new information is accurate to replace the old.
But there is no one source of accurate information on any supplement or DRUG because people vary genetically and studies may be flawed or incomplete.

This is often a more accurate source of information:
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/c...e-l-000291.htm

Beware of sites that paraphrase OTHER sites.

Your dose of carnitine is very low BTW.

Lysine is the precursor of carnitine manufacture in the body.
If you are afraid of carnitine, you can try taking the lysine instead and hope you will make more of your own. Carnitine is made in the body under normal circumstances. But this process may fail over time with aging or exposure to drugs and toxins.

Carnitine is used quite a bit now by the medical community. There are many many papers about it now on PubMed. This is unusual for a supplement and illustrates how important carnitine can be.

Here are some other links about Carnitine and the bladder:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18931555

Linus Pauling Institute is one of the best sources of information:
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocente...uts/carnitine/

[Sallysblooms]

Yes, LEF is great. I get their magazine and look to them for information online. I take it daily.

[Jesse M]

Well, first off, I want to thank you for posting those links, as I have had a hard time getting credible information on this issue. I, too, am skeptical about a lot of things on Live-strong, as far as credible information goes.

In fact, it's very frustrating trying to separate facts from rumors!

What did bug me was the links below, more so the WEB MD one, where it gives a clear warning on taking A L Carnitine, with an "Inferred" notion that it might worsen or even cause hypothyroidism. I hope you read the links and let me know what you think about them.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/well...carnitine3.htm

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supple...yl-l-carnitine

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART03059...ine-ALCAR.html

http://alcar.blogspot.com/

http://forums.phoenixrising.me/index...rnitine.17671/

I feel that AL Carnitine has helped me quite a bit. I feel it has helped me to protect my nerves, grow nerve tissue, as well as helped me with my COPD lung issues, as well as my tinge of OCD. That said, I'd hate to stop taking it.

But I'm mainly concerned about the growing notion that it could have some nasty effects on our metabolic and thyroid health. After all, my sister had her thyroid removed, probably from her taking a weight-loss supplement years ago called Phen-Phen (or something like that).

Regarding thyroid issues, I, myself, feel fine, and think my thyroid is working fine, but who really knows about these things??? It's not something most people check up on regularly.

Furthermore, I keep my personal dosage down to 300mg per day, although they recommend dosages for PN - for those with diabetes is between 15000mg and 3000mg per day -I'm only taking a fraction of that, due to uncertain health rumors.

Also, (and this is quite important to me) I have found no place where a dosage is recommended for toxic neuropathy, as I have PN from Cipro.

Does Acetyl-LCarnitine help Toxic Neuropathy in the same manner it does for diabetics or other PN cases???

I'm aware that your PN may in some part be thyroid related (I think) so your personal opinion on this growing rumor and concern is particularly important to me. Still, I appreciate so much any help I can get regarding credible information of the so-called "risks" of Acetyl-L-Carnitine.

With more and more people taking it for weight loss, I fear it's true benefits in helping with neurological conditions are being overlooked (I also fear that the demand for it from athletes will hike up prices, too).

...Thanks for your time and consideration.

..
.................

[mrsD]

Mayo and WebMD are quite skeptical of supplements. You will rarely find accurate information there. They reflect doctors in practice this way, as "anti-supplement".

For example when Dr. Weil suggests: "some evidence" suggests.... this is because the studies keep changing on this.
If you go to PubMed and put in acetyl carnitine, into the search you will find THOUSANDS of papers from all over the world.
Some of them will be better done studies than others.

Linus Pauling Institute usually has the most recent information.
But you will NEVER find 100% endorsement of any supplement anywhere. I wouldn't exactly call that RUMOR, but I would call it incomplete or non corroborated data.

This is also a good link. Your dose is not much more than found in beef steak.

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Car...hProfessional/

The newest carnitine scare is mentioned in this article, about intestinal bacteria creating TMAO and perhaps leading to
some cardiovascular risks. But more work needs to be done on that. Carnitine is used in many medical treatment conditions today, and even in protection of mitochondria during chemo treatments with toxic drugs.

The "thyroid" worries are older data...new studies are showing the opposite.

[Jesse M]

Yeah, I get what you're saying. It seems to me, that ALC is a very promising supplement for a wider variety of conditions as time goes on.

I plan on taking the 300mg every day, with the idea that it is low enough to be safe, yet just large enough to provide some type of nerve and PN treatment. I also take 600mg of Alpha Lipoic Acid, too -and I hear the combination of those two supplements can be very effective in treating PN pain and nerve growth.

I had kidney stones last year, so I just recently stopped taking my Slow-Mag and only take it twice per week, as my doctor told me that the calcium in it might have contributed to stone growth. ...Don''t know if that's true, but I like to play it safe.

I do eat a lot of meat, much containing vital B vitamins and other beneficial nutrients needed for PN treatments anyway.

Yesterday, was the evil anniversary marking the day I took the 3 week treatment of the florquinlone drug, Ciprofloxcacin. It has now been a full year since I got PN from it. However, from an entire host of horrific pains, the only remainder of this still bugging me is the "Pins & needles" which seem to effect any part of my body, but now just in periodic, light flare ups.

Although I'm clearly and undoubtedly much better, I do wonder if I've done everything I could to help heal myself. Doctors seem clueless about my type of PN and basically just throw stuff like gabapentine in my face and say take that for pain. (BTW, I do not).

I'm so close to my goal, which is reaching a point where pn pains are not strong or frequent enough to hinder my quality of life. (I no longer feel I have to heal completely to be happy)

My current vitamin regiment has been altered now, with it catering more to my "specific" needs. They may seem too low in dosage to many, but I take them everyday.

Currently:
2500mcg of B12 methylcobalmin 1 per day
200mg of B1 regular thiamin 1 per day
300mg of Acetyl L Carnitine 1 per day
300mg (twice per day) of Alpha Lipoic acid
200mg of vitamin C 1 per day
Slowmag Magnesium 143mg-with 238 calcium (now only twice a week)
Omega 3 300mg via purified fish oil pills 1per day
Lycopene 10mg (for prostate health) 1 per day

I'm curious as how my regiment differ with others suffering with PN. I do not want to be a vitamin addict, and even my wife now says I take too many vitamins as it is. Odd, since she takes a women's one-a-day every day, and that makes me think she's taking more than I do to some extent.LOL

Basically, I sure would like to know what doctors can't or won't tell me - is this vitamin regiment beneficial for my "toxic" neuropathy?

[zygopetalum]

THANKS! I didn't know Linius Pauling Institute was at OSU. I don't live too far from there and its a highly respected school full of very smart people.

judi

[mrsD]

The amount of calcium in that SlowMag is really small.

If you worry about that anyway, find another... like magnesium
glycinate, or gluconate. You need that magnesium..it is very
important.

You can now buy the new Epsom Lotion by Morton's at WalMart, or Amazon. It is only $5.98 at WalMart and rubbed into your
feet or hands/wrists where the veins are near the surface will get into your blood stream easily. Use about a quarter's diameter only on each foot/hand/wrist. A little goes a long way. It is really fantastic and can replace oral if you do it correctly.

If you go to Juvenon.com you can read about carnitine there...as Dr. Ames' supplement is designed to prevent aging effects and perhaps Alzheimer's. He has lots of discussion about it. Juvenon has carnitine and lipoic acid in it. You don't have to buy his product (which tends to be expensive) but his information may be helpful to you.

You are not going to get many answers from doctors to your questions. And in addition some answers they provide are not based on fact or data.
They are not trained about nutrients, unless you see an integrative or holistic physician.

They rely on drug salespeople almost exclusively for their information. And that is often skewed and falsified in some cases.
example:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread190054.html
Our PD forum goes a long way in revealing dishonest Big Pharma.

[Jesse M]

On doctors: ...I totally agree - that's how I got PN in the first place. A urologist gave me Cipro for 3 weeks and then told me it was perfectly fine to take Naproxen at the same time, while knowing on was on the Benzo Clonazepam...2 big No-No's he SHOULD have been aware of that cost me my health. This guy's incompetence and my trust in his judgments poisoned me big time.

Anyways, Walmart is starting to carry a lot of the supplements I need, so I will be looking into that lotion, it sounds easy to use and maybe is more bioviable in some way. That is where I get my B12 Methylcobalamin from.

The weird thing is that GNC has failed to get me the type of B1 I've been trying to get, the Benofiathiamine. Also, they only provide the Oxide form of Magnesium, so I find it hard to get the right magnesium, too. I will ask for the glycinate, or gluconate forms I had not heard of that. Perhaps Walmart has that, too.

I realize the Magnesium is very important and I really want to keep taking it, but don't know if I should just get the Oxide form, hoping it helps until I get the other types - or if Oxide Magnesium is useless???

Also, I figured because magnesium leaches out toxins and such, that I would take it at night before bed, with the notion that it would both settle in my body better and not interfere with bioavailability of my other vitamins. Does that sound logical???

Once again, thanks for the advice, you have been a big help with this.

................................

[mrsD]

Magnesium oxide is useless orally if your goal is to get it absorbed into the body. Today we know this, and it is made as a LAXATIVE which it is when it remains in the bowel like it does. It is called Phillips Caplets.(the company that makes Milk of Magnesia).

GNC is vastly overpriced for what you get. They have missed the boat commerically IMO for the needs of people today.

However it IS difficult to get benfotiamine locally in stores. If you do find it, it will be ferociously expensive. Online it is very reasonable. I get my Doctor's Best form 150mg from Amazon. It lasts me 4 mos @ $13.99, you can't beat that for value!
Someone here did have a pharmacy order benfotiamine for them and it was way more $$ than Amazon's.... almost double.
http://www.amazon.com/Doctors-Best-B...I1N7ETK6YLBBNT

If you fear using a credit card online, get one that you recharge with cash only, and keep that for online purchases. That is one thing they are good for. Limit your cash on it for specific amounts. Or get PayPal, which has guarantees built in.

Being able to buy online is essential to quality supplement choices, and affordability. We typically use here non-mainstream items, but some of them are finally making it to outlets like Costco and WalMart...but slowly. You are spinning your wheels and wasting precious healing time at GNC etc, IMO.