L-Carnitine effectiveness?

[Wordz_Worf]

How effective is L-Carnitine when dosed orally? I understand that injecting it is a lot better, but would 2-3 grams of L-Carnitine L- Tartrate be an alright dose?

 

[Resolve10]

It is plenty effective orally. Just go with the appropriate form for the benefits you would like.

 

[kisaj]

I've taken it just as part of a staple for many years but I really don't know why I keep it because I don't notice when I do or don't. However, I can attest to how incredible it is injected based on several guys I know doing so. They look like they are on a mild cycle- leaned up a lot and muscle appears much fuller.

 

[xR1pp3Rx]

L-Carnitine L- Tartrate may be useful, but I would not rely on it solely.

 

[Rocket3015]

I noticed nothing from it orally

 

[AndroRage]

I've taken it just as part of a staple for many years but I really don't know why I keep it because I don't notice when I do or don't. However, I can attest to how incredible it is injected based on several guys I know doing so. They look like they are on a mild cycle- leaned up a lot and muscle appears much fuller.

Which form are they running and how much?

 

[Rostam]

Anybody tried transdermal carnitine?. Thinking of trying this.

 

[Rocket3015]

Anybody tried transdermal carnitine?. Thinking of trying this.

I have not see that ??

 

[Rostam]

I have not see that ??

There were and are few products with some carnitine in them for localized use. I was wondering of using a carrier and adding carnitine to see if it works systemically. The molecular weight of carnitine is low enough (around 160D) to allow transdermal delivery in theory.

 

[SBH]

There were and are few products with some carnitine in them for localized use. I was wondering of using a carrier and adding carnitine to see if it works systemically. The molecular weight of carnitine is low enough (around 160D) to allow transdermal delivery in theory.

Applying it right at fat stores might be effective.

 

[Rocket3015]

Applying it right at fat stores might be effective.

How much would it take to fill a bath tub.

 

[baldwanus]

There were and are few products with some carnitine in them for localized use. I was wondering of using a carrier and adding carnitine to see if it works systemically. The molecular weight of carnitine is low enough (around 160D) to allow transdermal delivery in theory.

Unless I'm misremembering..... Matt used Carnitine and PLCAR in EvoMuse Eviscerate and Eviscerate Smolder.

 

[khall1974]

I just inject it...been on it close to a year

 

[Rocket3015]

I just inject it...been on it close to a year

I would love to hear your protocol, thoughts and feedback ???

 

[khall1974]

I generally inject 300mg pre-workout combined with my intraworkout and carbs

 

[khall1974]

I have gone as high as 800mg but couldn't really tell a difference

 

[khall1974]

It is like creatine where it works behind the scenes...great for fat loss and overall health

 

[Rocket3015]

It is like creatine where it works behind the scenes...great for fat loss and overall health

Do you notice an increase in sweating ??

 

[khall1974]

Do you notice an increase in sweating ??

Yes indeed...especially at higher mg

 

[Rostam]

Unless I'm misremembering..... Matt used Carnitine and PLCAR in EvoMuse Eviscerate and Eviscerate Smolder.

Yes, I remember these. But these where for localized fat loss.

 

[leahwallace62fl]

this is the most controversial supplement. Lots of people say that its super effective, and lots say that it's just useless. I have personally taken it for 2-3 months and didn't notice and effect at all, idk

 

[Rocket3015]

I am on week two or three, getting leaner and more vascular daily !!

 

[Rostam]

I am on week two or three, getting leaner and more vascular daily !!

Are you using injectable carnitine? What dosage?

 

[Rocket3015]

Are you using injectable carnitine? What dosage?

Yes, 200mg daily at 4am Fasted Pre-Workout

 

[Rocket3015]

Has anyone noticed poor sleep with injectable L-Carnitine ?

 

[khall1974]

At 600 a day I haven't noticed any affects on sleep.

 

[Rocket3015]

At 600 a day I haven't noticed any affects on sleep.

Thank you for your response.

 

[khall1974]

I have been pinning daily since last August

 

[jgntyce]

900 mgs pinned daily for the last couple of months. Fat loss has ensued.

 

[Smont]

Something else I found effective if you don't wanna pin daily. The oral version is only marginally effective and requires rediculous doses. But, you can pin around 1000mg 3-4x week and use 2000-3000mg oral pre workout on the days you don't pin and it's enough to keep the Carnitine stores High. It's less effective but still works if you can't keep up with daily pins. But I think if your not gonna pin it at bare minimum 3x week your wasting your time

 

[Rocket3015]

Seems like for fat loss the more the better. I've had many guys report they found 1000mg a day to be the sweet spot. I've also seen ppl use up to 3000mg a day, you read that correct 3000 and that was where they found diminishing returns.

I don't think there's much of a difference between 1000-3000 going by his results.

Chase irons has a YouTube channel where he use to talk a lot about carn and he also went up to 3000+ and said similar things

I don't agree with everything the guy says but he probably has more Carnitine experience then anyone else I've come across.

900 is a solid dose. Increased sweating, increased muscular endurance and fat loss is all very noticeable at this dose.

Even at 300mg it's noticable

I am having good results at 300mg per day, I may try 400 down the road.

 

[Rocket3015]

300 was where I first started using it at and it worked absolutely fine, not to mention those 600mg/ml bottles last a long time on 300. The only thing I wanna say is if you're going to raise the dose then make a bigger jump because you won't notice a difference between 300-400. But if you go from 300-600 it will definitely be noticable.

Now you have me curious, I my have to try 600 this morning for International Chest Day !!

 

[Smont]

Now you have me curious, I my have to try 600 this morning for International Chest Day !!

Go for it! Today's a rest day for me

 

[Resolve10]

This is false

Effect of Acute and Chronic Oral l-Carnitine Supplementation on Exercise Performance Based on the Exercise Intensity: A Systematic Review - PubMed

l-Carnitine (l-C) and any of its forms (glycine-propionyl l-Carnitine (GPL-C) or l-Carnitine l-tartrate (l-CLT)) has been frequently recommended as a supplement to improve sports performance due to, among others, its role in fat metabolism and in maintaining the mitochondrial acetyl-CoA/CoA...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

It depends on your goals and expectations but people have been using various forms of carnitine for a pretty long time, you can even search this specific forum if actual science isn’t your thing.

 

[Resolve10]

I'm cool with the actual science that's important but also was real world experience and stuff that happens outside of studies you read on the internet with people you've never met in your entire life. L-Carnitine has a very very low oral bioavailability and it's effectiveness is minuscule in comparison to injecting it. Scientific studies are nice and they're a place to begin your research but they very rarely pan out outside of the lab and most of them aren't worth the paper they're written on when it comes to showing those results first hand

Then search the forums. There’s plenty of people who regularly ask for other forms of carnitine and have used it with varying effects on here.

 

[Resolve10]

You can literally find a study to support either side of any argument you want if you look hard enough. I'm pretty sure there was a study that showed apples cause cancer. Maybe we should all stop eating apples lol

Ok so you don’t understand how to interpret research that’s not my fault.

 

[hyperCat]

Was just perusing and this thread caught my eye. Assuming this would be sub-q pins? I’ve never pinned anything other than test.

 

[Resolve10]

Ok so I am going to get a little preachy here for a second (even though you've ignored me I know people lurk so maybe it will help someone else out anyways).

Exchanges like this are why it is hard to come to this forum anymore. I've been a member here longer than most people have even been training (I've lurked before a required account was needed to read and this isn't my first account).

I don't need to defend myself in an argument that 99% of us already know the answer to and that answer is oral L-Carnitine is very marginally effective. The majority of us know that the sky is blue when we don't have to keep repeating it over and over again prove to someone that the sky is blue, so You enjoy your labor day bud

Instead of posting anything substantial we get a retort about people knowing what is correct and a clear sense of a lack of nuance. There are plenty of people on forums that do feel oral Carnitine isn't effective, especially comparative to injected versions . Instead of linking anything no one in this thread did anything other than provide anecdotal feedback (which is perfectly fine, I mean that is close to literally the point of the forums to share anecdotal feedback on what we have liked and disliked).

These things are nuanced so it isn't enough to just focus on the idea that lots of people believe something so it must be true. There have been plenty of circumstances on forum culture to believe something is unequivocally true, only for it not to be true (the obsession with CEE comes to mind).

This is also a good example of just how weird people's egos are. I never stated injectable Carnitine is ineffective, I never even commented on oral vs injected. I left my opinion, was told I was wrong, then when backing it up I just got a string of things sent that don't actually counter what I said.

FWIW Carnitine probably isn't crazy effective anyways, I am not some Carnitine mass defender, but to write off oral Carnitine use with feedback on this very board as not important but the word of feedback for injectable all over as important just isn't fair. Tons of people ask for GPLC in SNS threads when they ask for new products, tons asked Dsade for various forms when he asked what people want, etc. there is obviously demand for this ingredient even if the results aren't earth shattering.

Yep there's a bunch of people who say it's effective who never post pictures of themselves never show progress and don't have any results. They just say that it works with no results whatsoever zero

I don't see how this is relevant. You don't know what they look like or how strong they are just because they don't have an avatar. I bet I outlift lots of people on the forums in certain areas, but not sure how that should immediately offset their feedback. Same with how some people post a ton and some just lurk, posting more shouldn't be an automatic signifier of one being more correct than another.

I probably lost my point somewhere along the way so I'll stop for now. Just a rant from an old head.

 

[aaronuconn]

Is there any literature comparing injectable L-Carnitine to oral LCLT/ALCAR/PLCAR from a pharmacokinetic perspective?

Never have used injectable carnitine (and won’t- just not my thing), but I do anecdotally find nice results from 2-3g of LCLT regarding recovery. Less DOMS. LCLT + carbs pre/intra workout seems to work well for me when I do use it.

 

[Resolve10]

Is there any literature comparing injectable L-Carnitine to oral LCLT/ALCAR/PLCAR from a pharmacokinetic perspective?

Never have used injectable carnitine (and won’t- just not my thing), but I do anecdotally find nice results from 2-3g of LCLT regarding recovery. Less DOMS. LCLT + carbs pre/intra workout seems to work well for me when I do use it.

I honestly haven't kept up with it as much recently, but in regards to performance I don't recall any or even many for injectable Carnitine in general.

In regards to "absorption" (used broadly) it did appear to be more effective than oral given the right circumstances and end goals last I had seen.

 

[shockrock3]

Really want to try this but already injecting and have lost sites due to scar tissue etc lol...was hoping for Sub Q instead of IM.

 

[Rocket3015]

Go for it! Today's a rest day for me

I Did, I will post the Results in my thread later today !!

A Day In The Life Of Rocket - AnabolicMinds.com

I would see if your Dr. would prescribe Proviron. not just for the low libido but, not being able to sleep and getting fatigued. it will also help with focus. my dad use to take it. made a big difference for him. I think its way made by Bayer? Thanks for the info, to start I think I am going...

anabolicminds.com

 

[Rocket3015]

My personal experience (and I will post a pic if you like) Injectable is 100 times more effective than oral, and I went thru many bottles of oral. (Campus used to give them away with orders!)

 

[sns8778]

It is plenty effective orally. Just go with the appropriate form for the benefits you would like.

Agreed. A lot of people overlook that there are different types of L-Carnitine and that while they all share some similarities, there are also some notable differences and a person should select the type that best suits their individual needs. A good example of this is that we use Acetyl L-Carnitine (ALCAR) in Focus XT because it is the form that helps with the nootropic (cognitive enhancing) benefits the most.

Effect of Acute and Chronic Oral l-Carnitine Supplementation on Exercise Performance Based on the Exercise Intensity: A Systematic Review - PubMed

l-Carnitine (l-C) and any of its forms (glycine-propionyl l-Carnitine (GPL-C) or l-Carnitine l-tartrate (l-CLT)) has been frequently recommended as a supplement to improve sports performance due to, among others, its role in fat metabolism and in maintaining the mitochondrial acetyl-CoA/CoA...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

It depends on your goals and expectations but people have been using various forms of carnitine for a pretty long time, you can even search this specific forum if actual science isn’t your thing.

Agreed. Supplementation in general is about expectations and if people have the proper expectations from L-Carnitine supplementation, then there has been tons of positive feedback going back 20+ years and its supported by dozens, if not hundreds of clinical studies.

I'm cool with the actual science that's important but also was real world experience and stuff that happens outside of studies you read on the internet with people you've never met in your entire life. L-Carnitine has a very very low oral bioavailability and it's effectiveness is minuscule in comparison to injecting it. Scientific studies are nice and they're a place to begin your research but they very rarely pan out outside of the lab and most of them aren't worth the paper they're written on when it comes to showing those results first hand

I never saw Resolve say anything about comparing oral L-Carnitine supplementation to injecting it.

L-Carnitine's oral bioavailability is low compared to injecting it, but that would apply to almost anything. That's why when determining oral dosages, one would use say 1 to 3 grams of oral per day versus injecting 100 to 300 mg per day. And I'm not saying that even then it would work as well as injecting it, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't work and that a lot of people aren't very pleased with L-Carnitine supplementation.

There are definitely examples of studies on supplements that don't pan out in the real world and those are usually supplements that don't stand the test of time very well. They're also normally on supplements that don't have many studies..

L-Carnitine, in its different forms, has dozens if not hundreds of studies on it and has 20+ years of overall positive feedback. It is one of the most popular weight loss ingredients on the market and ALCAR is one of the most popular nootropic ingredients on the market, and they have been for many years with a lot great real world feedback.

Then search the forums. There’s plenty of people who regularly ask for other forms of carnitine and have used it with varying effects on here.

Agreed on this point too. We've been asked to do a powdered L-Carnitine supplement many times on here and outside of AM, its been one of our most requested products and is one of the best selling supplement categories in the sports nutrition supplement market.

I don't need to defend myself in an argument that 99% of us already know the answer to and that answer is oral L-Carnitine is very marginally effective. The majority of us know that the sky is blue when we don't have to keep repeating it over and over again prove to someone that the sky is blue, so You enjoy your labor day bud

I don't understand the argument here and I mean that sincerely. I'm not meaning to be disrespectful at all; I like both of you and I just don't understand why you went at him the way you have because you're going at him like he said that oral supplementation was better than injectable and I never saw him even mention injectable.

The original poster in this thread himself said that:
How effective is L-Carnitine when dosed orally? I understand that injecting it is a lot better, but would 2-3 grams of L-Carnitine L- Tartrate be an alright dose?

So, Resolve simply answered his question and he answered this months ago back in May. This thread hadn't been posted in since June until you bumped it to today and said that what he said was false; and then his first reply back to you he even mentioned that it depended on goals and expectations.

If there's another issue with the two of you that I don't know about, I apologize and that's between the two of you. I just don't understand the hostility towards him for answering a direct question about a supplement on a supplement forum.

I don't think that anyone in this thread ever said that injectable Carnitine doesn't work nor that oral L-Carnitine supplementation was better than injectable Carnitine but this is a supplement forum and people come to ask questions about supplements and many people read here to get answers about supplements - and oral L-Carnitine is a supplement; injectable L-Carnitine is not. And while some people here may like and prefer injectable L-Carnitine, 99% of general supplement consumers are never going to inject anything.

So think that its important that they are able to come here and get their questions answered too; and insulting those that are trying to answer them causes this forum to lose good members and posters.

I don't know about that, but we do know that oral Carnitine is only about 10-12% bioavailability and injectable is 100%

So on paper the 2-3 grams oral is equal to about 200-300mg injectable. But from my own experience and other people I've personally spoken and trained with, there no comparison between the 2 in effects.

I'm not saying oral dosent work. It does, but it works at a fraction of it's injectable counterpart when it comes to increasing muscular endurance, speeding up fat loss, hair, skin, nails, libido, cognitive function ect.

For recovery purposes..... No clue. I never found it to be something that does a ton for recovery. But I also don't have issues with recovery.

I agree that oral L-Carnitine is less bioavailable than injectable but that is the case with almost anything. The dosages for most oral supplements in general aren't based around you getting 100% bioavailability. Whereas you may go 100 to 300 mg. per day on an injectable, one may have to go 1000 to 3000 mg. per day to get the same dose from an oral.

In the original posters post to start this thread, he didn't ask if oral supplementation would be comparable to injectable; he himself acknowledged that injecting would be better, but he asked if 2 to 3 grams per day would be an alright dose.

That's where I don't understand why this thread got bumped today after being dead since June and turned into something negative bc the subject of the thread was never meant to be injectable versus oral carnitine use.

I see in this part of your reply, you said that you aren't saying that oral doesn't work, but I think that's where the entire argument/debate between you and him started was that it seemed like you were saying that oral wasn't effective. (Because no one was disagreeing that injectable isn't better; its just that 99% of people are never going to inject anything).

I hope all of that makes sense and I mean it in the most respectful way possible.

There's been so much negativity here over the last few years and we've lost so many good posters that don't come here because of it anymore; and I myself have taken breaks from here because of it. I just want to see the forum continue to exist and be a place where people can come to learn about supplements.

 

[Resolve10]

Agreed.
Edited to save space, not to disregard what was said

FWIW I was a bit rude with the comment about understanding studies. I am in general a bit of a dick, just get a little annoyed because I've had people bump old threads of mine in the past like this or downvote things with no actual backing up of claims. I am admittedly "evidence biased" in many scenarios.

 

[sns8778]

My point was plain and simple, oral l Carnitine is not comparable to Injectable Carnitine on any level. I at no point said oral Carnitine does not work. But if anyone is saying that oral carnitine is just as effective or even remotely as effective as injectable L-Carnitine they are straight up lying, or have never used injectable Carnitine

My point was that no one said that it was and it didn't seem like you to bump a months old thread to tell him he was wrong when he was answering a question specifically about oral L-Carnitine supplementation and didn't mention injectable L-Carnitine at all.

The original post in the thread was:
How effective is L-Carnitine when dosed orally? I understand that injecting it is a lot better, but would 2-3 grams of L-Carnitine L- Tartrate be an alright dose?

^^^ Right off the bat, the member who posted the thread said that he already understood injecting it was better - but was specifically asking a question about oral L-Carnitine supplementation.

His reply was post #2 in the thread and was a direct answer to the above post about oral L-Carnitine supplementation and all he said was:
It is plenty effective orally. Just go with the appropriate form for the benefits you would like.

That's why I don't understand why after 3 months this thread got bumped and became an argument.

 

[sns8778]

@sns8778 I'm not trying to fight or argue with you I'm just trying to make a point

at no point did I say oral does not work and I even talked about ways that I have successfully used oral Carnitine in conjunction with the injectable.

I'm not trying to argue with you either. I like you and normally enjoy your posts.

I don't disagree with you that many people may find that injectable L-Carnitine will work better for them than oral L-Carnitine; but that wasn't what the thread was about. The original poster had said in his original post that he knew injectable L-Carnitine was better but was asking specifically about oral L-Carnitine supplementation and if that was an alright dose.

Resolve replied that it was an alright dose and emphasized the importance of people picking the correct form of carnitine for their individual needs and this was the correct answer for oral L-Carnitine supplementation because the 2,000 to 3,000 mg. per day range is the dosage range is the range commonly used in studies and also that has a lot of real world feedback on it.

He never said that oral L-Carnitine supplementation was better than injectable Carnitine, he didn't even mention injectable at all; he just answered the original poster's question about oral L-Carnitine dosages.

You said in this post that I'm replying to above that you never said that oral Carnitine supplementation doesn't work. The reason that I took yours posts to be saying or implying that was:

Resolve's original post:
It is plenty effective orally. Just go with the appropriate form for the benefits you would like.

You bumped the thread to quote that and say:
This is false

Then he posted a study and mentioned the positive feedback on oral L-Carnitine supplementation over the years.

You replied:
I don't need to defend myself in an argument that 99% of us already know the answer to and that answer is oral L-Carnitine is very marginally effective. The majority of us know that the sky is blue when we don't have to keep repeating it over and over again prove to someone that the sky is blue, so You enjoy your labor day bud

Yep there's a bunch of people who say it's effective who never post pictures of themselves never show progress and don't have any results. They just say that it works with no results whatsoever zero

The thing is, you bumped this thread to tell him a post from almost 6 months ago was false even though it was factually correct in terms of oral L-Carnitine supplementation. You came at him like he was saying that oral L-Carnitine supplementation was better than injectable but that wasn't what his post was about and it had already been acknowledged in the original post of the thread that injectable was better but the member was asking about oral L-Carnitine supplementation. I would have understood this more if Resolve had said oral was better than injectable but he never even mentioned it. He was just answering the OP's question and the answer was correct as pertains to oral L-Carnitine supplementation.

I understand that you love injectable L-Carnitine, but please understand my side of this that this is a supplement forum and 99% of people that come on AM to read and gain knowledge about supplements are never going to inject anything; so to them, its not injectable versus oral. They're looking at threads like this as - hey, is 2 to 3 grams of L-Carnitine a good dose if I'm going to take L-Carnitine? And for them, the answer is yes.

I like Resolve and I like you, and it does make me sad to see the way this thread turned but my main intention with my posts isn't to play peacemaker between the two of you; my main intention is to clarify things for people that may read this thread and not post in it, whether it be today, tomorrow, or 6 months or 3 years from now that yes, while injectable L-Carnitine may be more effective than oral L-Carnitine, one doesn't have to inject to get the benefits from L-Carnitine and shouldn't dismiss L-Carnitine just bc they're not willing to inject it. And that for oral L-Carnitine supplementation, the effective dosage range is generally regarded as 1 to 3 grams per day.

I hope that makes sense.

 

[Smont]

All right guys, I went back and I think I removed every post I made today, hopefully il stop getting dragged back into this thread now. Everyone have a wonderful day

 

[Smont]

I'm not trying to argue with you either. I like you and normally enjoy your posts.

I don't disagree with you that many people may find that injectable L-Carnitine will work better for them than oral L-Carnitine; but that wasn't what the thread was about. The original poster had said in his original post that he knew injectable L-Carnitine was better but was asking specifically about oral L-Carnitine supplementation and if that was an alright dose.

Resolve replied that it was an alright dose and emphasized the importance of people picking the correct form of carnitine for their individual needs and this was the correct answer for oral L-Carnitine supplementation because the 2,000 to 3,000 mg. per day range is the dosage range is the range commonly used in studies and also that has a lot of real world feedback on it.

He never said that oral L-Carnitine supplementation was better than injectable Carnitine, he didn't even mention injectable at all; he just answered the original poster's question about oral L-Carnitine dosages.

You said in this post that I'm replying to above that you never said that oral Carnitine supplementation doesn't work. The reason that I took yours posts to be saying or implying that was:

Resolve's original post:
It is plenty effective orally. Just go with the appropriate form for the benefits you would like.

You bumped the thread to quote that and say:
This is false

Then he posted a study and mentioned the positive feedback on oral L-Carnitine supplementation over the years.

You replied:
I don't need to defend myself in an argument that 99% of us already know the answer to and that answer is oral L-Carnitine is very marginally effective. The majority of us know that the sky is blue when we don't have to keep repeating it over and over again prove to someone that the sky is blue, so You enjoy your labor day bud

Yep there's a bunch of people who say it's effective who never post pictures of themselves never show progress and don't have any results. They just say that it works with no results whatsoever zero

The thing is, you bumped this thread to tell him a post from almost 6 months ago was false even though it was factually correct in terms of oral L-Carnitine supplementation. You came at him like he was saying that oral L-Carnitine supplementation was better than injectable but that wasn't what his post was about and it had already been acknowledged in the original post of the thread that injectable was better but the member was asking about oral L-Carnitine supplementation. I would have understood this more if Resolve had said oral was better than injectable but he never even mentioned it. He was just answering the OP's question and the answer was correct as pertains to oral L-Carnitine supplementation.

I understand that you love injectable L-Carnitine, but please understand my side of this that this is a supplement forum and 99% of people that come on AM to read and gain knowledge about supplements are never going to inject anything; so to them, its not injectable versus oral. They're looking at threads like this as - hey, is 2 to 3 grams of L-Carnitine a good dose if I'm going to take L-Carnitine? And for them, the answer is yes.

I like Resolve and I like you, and it does make me sad to see the way this thread turned but my main intention with my posts isn't to play peacemaker between the two of you; my main intention is to clarify things for people that may read this thread and not post in it, whether it be today, tomorrow, or 6 months or 3 years from now that yes, while injectable L-Carnitine may be more effective than oral L-Carnitine, one doesn't have to inject to get the benefits from L-Carnitine and shouldn't dismiss L-Carnitine just bc they're not willing to inject it. And that for oral L-Carnitine supplementation, the effective dosage range is generally regarded as 1 to 3 grams per day.

I hope that makes sense.

Does this look like I dismissed oral Carnitine?

I'd appreciate it if I can leave this thread now without being dragged back in. I get a alert just like everyone else when my posts are quoted. I'm trying to walk away from this thread. I'd greatly appreciate not being dragged back into it

 

[Hyde]

Is there any literature comparing injectable L-Carnitine to oral LCLT/ALCAR/PLCAR from a pharmacokinetic perspective?

Never have used injectable carnitine (and won’t- just not my thing), but I do anecdotally find nice results from 2-3g of LCLT regarding recovery. Less DOMS. LCLT + carbs pre/intra workout seems to work well for me when I do use it.

I purchased Alex Kikel’s Carnitine ebook, so most of what I believe comes down to his opinions after reviewing various studies and using carnitine with many of his athletes, and the anecdote of some other coaches he has consulted with. In that book, he posts more than a handful of studies he believes are relevant to help show how L-carnitine can be useful to performance & physique-based athletes.

Of note, he points out that there is nothing concrete in the literature he’s reviewed that examines effects of L-Carnitine when injected intramuscularly. There is a great study showing the difference between oral and IV administration to dialysis patients, and between the massive differences seen there as well as all his real-world anecdote, THAT is purely what he bases his recommendations on.

The science on IM use isn’t there. But the IV dialysis study is really very cool. It shows the oral totally fails to maintain sufficient elevations in levels, but IV does allow hyper elevations. That does NOT totally discount benefits of chronic acute oral use. Just that for someone willing to go further, more can be had from pinning.

As a practical N=1 example, I often use Focus XT for the nootropic benefits of ALCAR & AlphaGPC. However, I also have an injectable preparation of L-Carnitine & Choline Chloride that I have been applying in certain scenarios. But I don’t always want/have the means to inject myself, so the powder is a great fallback option.