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L-Carnatine as an Energy Booster?

AngelM

Senior Member
Messages
150
Location
Oklahoma City
Or would a can of Red Bull have the same effect?

I stumbled onto L-carnitine by accident. But in powdered form, it is so easy to take, I thought why not? I. The first thing I noticed was that if I took the supplement late in the day, I had difficulty getting to sleep. Not insomnia, but a sense of having a bit more energy than usual—at least enough to make me want to get up and “do something,” — which I noted was remarkable. That experience made me wonder how the supplement would affect my energy level if I took the it first thing in the morning. But you know how it is! So darned hard to determine with any certainty whether a supplement or medication really works because we want so desperately to tbelieve any positive “effect” we might have from using it is real and not imagined. ‍♀️⛹‍♀️

L-carnatine is far from a miracle. The supplement DOES make a positive difference in my IBS issues—though hasn’t that fact already been determined to be true by studies done over time with chemo patients? And if L-Carnatine really does increase energy, how might that possibility be related to recent research indicating a gut connection to CFS?
 

Bansaw

Senior Member
Messages
521
Acytle-L-Carnatine worked well for mental energy for a while for me, but eventually the effect wore off.
I think there's a way of getting your body to 'not get used to it' by not taking it every day or missing weekends or something. You can look that up.
 

dannybex

Senior Member
Messages
3,561
Location
Seattle
L-carnitine* helps to transport fat, particularly long-chain fatty acids, into the mitochondria of cells where they're oxidized—used as fuel—to generate adenosine triphosphate, or ATP.

*not 'carnatine'. ;)
 

dannybex

Senior Member
Messages
3,561
Location
Seattle
And no, a can of Red Bull would not have the same effect, due to all the sugars and other 'stuff' in it, to put it politely.
 

Wishful

Senior Member
Messages
5,665
Location
Alberta
I took l-carnitine for a while. Fatty acids would make my symptoms worse unless accompanied by adequate carnitine. After a year or so, I no longer needed extra carnitine. I didn't notice any energy boost or other effects from it.
 

AngelM

Senior Member
Messages
150
Location
Oklahoma City
And no, a can of Red Bull would not have the same effect, due to all the sugars and other 'stuff' in it, to put it politely.

Thank you. I knew that if I were to find any informed information, it would be on this forum. I’m getting better at understanding how these things work, but I have a lot more to learn. For me, having a basic understanding of the chemical mechanism of supplements and/or drugs and how they metabolize in the body or otherwise affect its systems, makes all the difference in whether I continue to take them. I have a cabinet full of supplement I was once told to buy, but have no idea why. Looking back, that is an insane way to address any physical issue, much less a serious and misunderstood disorder like CFS.
 

Wishful

Senior Member
Messages
5,665
Location
Alberta
That's definitely a poor response from doctors. Some of it is ignorance (Feel tired? Try these supplements and exercise more!). Some of it may be that they hate admitting ignorance, so they'll prescribe something in the hopes that it might help, or just to get you to go away. Some might dismiss your complaints as psychosomatic, so any prescription might work as a placebo.

Hmmm, some might get the impression that my experiences with the medical system weren't very positive... :grumpy: