L-Carnitine

[Diana5000]

Hello to everyone. I am new to this website in regards to posting although i have scanned many many threads trying to educate myself with L-carnitine. My son has just developed his 3rd tic in his lifetime. He is 11 years old and is approx. 100 pounds. His first one came when he was 8 and his 2nd one last year and finally his third one just last month. We have never see a doc. for them because they never last very long. However this particular head shaking has lasted the longes. Just at 5 weeks now.

He has never had any treatment or even seen a doc. for these however, i have discussed them by phone with his pediatrition. Particularly recently about the L-Carnitine. He had not heard of it and recommened a specialist. I would like to try the l-carnitine first and have devoured this website and another website trying to find out the dosage of L-carnitine I went out and bought some tonight and unfortunatly i don't have a clue if i bought the right one. I feel so lost when i read the post about the supplements. I was hoping someone could help me as to what kind to buy, where to buy it, and what amount to give him. He is not on any other supplements or medications. He does have bouts of OCD and was treated for one episode two years ago with Luvox for 3 months. I would sooo greatly appreciate any help you could offer. The amount of information in this forum is amazing and so wonderful. However i seemed to be spinning in circles. Thank you

Diana

[Chemar]

Hi Diana and welcome

 

the form of L-Carnitine that we used was acetyl L-carnatine and my son's recommended dose was 500mg per day. He was almost twelve at the time and around 130 lbs.

 

The carnitine was very helpful for him initially, and many perople have found it especially beneficial for eye/head tics. However, after a while it started to have an adverse reaction by making him feel edgy and disorientated. Our physician felt this was most likely due to the fact that my son's entire system had stabilised so after 2 years of comprehensive and very specific supplementation and other treatments, that he no longer needed the extra L- carnitine

 

Here is some info on it from the excellent iherb.com ( they dont mention its beneficial use for tics as I dont believe there is any actual scientific research on this...only anecdotal evidence that it helps)

 

http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent....&chunkiid=21450

 

Once again, as I always try to point out, with supplements as with any medication, it really is a good idea to work with a knowledgable physician...especially as there is now such clear evidence (anecdotal and scientific) that even tho a supplement may be very beneficial in many cases, yet, depending on the unique metabolism and physiological/biochemical makeup of the individual, some people react well and some adversely to the same supplement. There is much talk on this forum as to the underlying issues that cause this individual variation.

 

If you are going to try any supplement, including the L-carnitine, without doctor supervision, my personal opinion is to always start at a lower dose and work up to the recommended dose or stay at the lowest effective dose....allow 2 weeks to determine whether there is benefit and stop IMMEDIATELY if any notable or unpleasant side effects occur.

 

HTH