A little drowsy after starting L-carnitine. Is it normal?
 

About a week ago i dediced to add 50mg of L-carnitine to my current stack, I'm taking it after lunch.

The first night i couldn't sleep and i felt a little anxious but now it's the complete opposite; I'm usually very drowsy after taking it. Is it a normal side effect?

L-carnitine is used in body building. What purpose are you taking it for ?

I had read here and elsewhere that there were some neurological benefits. I can't post the link but there are many resources available online. Am i wrong?

I have read about acEtyl l-carnitine. A few studies show that it helps neurotransmission, something which can be damaged after brain injury. Others say is shows promise for diseases like alzheimers. It is a bit different than l-carnitine, I think.
I have some but have yet to try it. Which one is yours?

L-carnitine is used to enhance metabolism of fats. I don't remember it being recommended for neurological needs.

I'd like to step in here a bit about carnitine.

Acetyl carnitine is the preferred form for this now, and has been used for over a decade for peripheral nerve damage.(The HIV community uses it to offset the nerve damage from the antiretrovirals they use).

The acetyl group on the carnitine makes it slightly more absorbed in the GI tract. The acetyl group also donates to the
formation of acetylcholine which is a neurotransmitter in the brain.

l-carnitine and acetyl carnitine are mitochondrial support nutrients. They help transport essential fatty acids thru the membranes of the mitochondria so they can be sources of energy when glucose is low.
This is a post about mitochondria in our cells.
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...t=mitochondria

Toxins and drugs may damage mitochondria. And research today is suggesting that damage to these energy producing parts of our all our cells may be the cause of some illnesses.

The mitochondria need magnesium to function properly. They need ribose (from riboflavin B2) to make ATP.

The amount of carnitine you are using, Rob, is not very much.
Probably, about 1/2 your dose may not even be absorbed.

Patients on chemo for cancer take about 2 grams a day (2000mg) for help prevent damage to the mitochondria.

Some drugs, like Depakote (valproic acid) deplete this nutrient. Also as I mentioned the anti-retrovirals used to prevent AIDs also deplete it.

Bodybuilders use this because it is needed when building muscle. Our muscles use alot of carnitine as one might expect.
Under normal conditions we make our own carnitine.

This link explains how we synthesize carnitine if all systems are working properly.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnitine

Getting sleepy after food, is often a sign of eating too many carbs and or sugar. A meal high in carbohydrate will trigger serotonin release and hence drowsiness. This has to do with over secretion of insulin. Try having more protein for lunch and less carbs. If your drowsiness is only after eating, I'd look to your food intake and make some adjustments. A lighter meal, and more protein will usually fix this.

Hi! Thanks for clearing it out for me. I had no idea that there was a difference between Acetyl-Carnitine and L-Carnitine. I'll try to get the Acetyl form and try it out.

Now that you mention Depakote. I'm also taking anti-convulsive medication, although it's Topiramate for me. What dosage do you recommend?

I don't have enough points to post a link but there's a study on the NCBI website titled: "Reversing brain damage in former NFL players: implications for traumatic brain injury and substance abuse rehabilitation." You can look it up on google and it will appear.

They're using a stack with:
Fish Oil
Multi-Vitamins
ginkgo and vinpocetine
acetyl-l-carnitine and huperzine A
alpha-lipoic acid and n-acetyl-cysteine

Topamax does not have this depletion aspect for carnitine that has been discovered yet. Only the Depakote.

Most people don't need carnitine because our body makes it.
But that can fail. It would show up low on blood testing.

For your purposes, I cannot say. That would be your decision.
But I seriously doubt it is making your drowsy at the dose you are using. Carnitine would be energizing, for the most part. It
prevents muscle fatigue in those exercising alot.

I have the L-carnitine form but mrsD just suggested that the acetyl l-carnitine form may be the correct one

Here is the link rob d87 was referring to


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21615001

@rob:

One thing Topamax does do in about 40% of patients, is
lower bicarb in the blood. This can lead to acidosis, which
does have confusion and fatigue as one symptom.

Doctors were sent letters by the FDA and the manufacturer, for doctors to test the blood of patients using Topamax regularly.

This letter lists the symptoms to look out for:
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Safety/.../UCM169494.pdf

So please discuss this "drowsiness" with your doctor and it
would be wise to have some blood work done.

The same thing happened to me with aceytl-l-carnitine
 

When I first started aceytl-l-carnitine (for PCS), it gave me energy. But then after a week or so, I started to feel very tired after taking it and had to lie down for several hours. I had to stop taking it. I thought it was just me, since I can have weird reactions to things.

Did you ever find out what why that happened? Did you stop taking it?

No, the drowsiness symptoms have diminished a little so maybe i just have to get used to it. Next week I'll start with the acetyl-l for and see how it goes.

I know this is an old thread, but I have been experiencing the same symptoms, and I am very curious to know if the fatigue continued to fade with time. Also, if it did fade with time, did it disappear entirely?

Thank you!

aaron_c,

Welcome to NeuroTalk

Nobody who posted in this thread has been around in quite some time.

Please feel free to start your own thread and tell us about your injury, your symptoms, any diagnostics, treatments, etc.