To those who take actetyl-L-Carnitine, when to stop?

Hi there,

A bit of my background, I was diagnosed with Graves in May 2016 and while my Tfrees have been normal after meds my TSH stayed suppressed (<0.01) for the longest time until I started taking acetyl-L-carnitine. My TSH is now in normal range and my endo says my blood work is "excellent". I went from taking ACL 500mgs every day to now every other day bc my TSH is consistently rising. My question is, when do I stop taking it? I know it's not supposed to be a long term thing and my goal is to be meds free altogether. Any advice would be appreciated 🙂

Hi Cecelo, if your blood work is excellent I take it that you are euthyroid. In that case, it is much less likely that you are Carnitine deficient. I took AL-Carnitine 500mg for about 2 years. After feeling better I forgot most days about Carnitine and afterwards did not bother to take it. 

It is a better idea to taper your dose like you are doing and then eventually stop taking it. 

 

Hi Cecelo

I had the same history.  I stopped taking mine when my doctor confirmed my antibodies were measuring normal as well as ALL my thyroid tests.  I had hit a TSH of 2.5 when I stopped taking it and it gradually fell over the next 8 months or so and then all of a sudden on its own it started to rise again and stayed there for quite a while.  Recently, it started to drop again after I experienced a lot of stress so I have restarted 500 mg of Acetyl.  I agree with what Dan said.  Gradual decreases are best.