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Did they work for you? Acetyl L-carnitine and alpha lipoic acid

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    #76
    Originally posted by Shashi View Post
    Elmo, you would need to take them when you first get up in the morning. I take mine with a bit of applesauce, then wait about 20 minutes before I eat breakfast (but that's more to do with another med I take than the ALC/ALA.)

    Is the ALC you bought 100 mg or 1,000 mg? The theraputic dosage for fatigue in MS is around 1,000 to 2,000 mg of ALC, so I hope you got a strong enough dosage for it to be helpful.

    Let us know how you do.

    Hugs,

    Lisa
    Shashi-my pills are 400 mg ALC, and 200 ALA. I've been taking one in AM and one in PM. So you think it might work better if I took it all in the AM?

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      #77
      I have been taking the recommended ALC and ALA for about a week now and have not noticed anything, but I never gave any thought about when I take it. I can't take it first thing in the morning because I have a thyroid med that has to be taken first thing in the morning and 4 hours before any !vitamins or supplements. I'm not sure my stomach is ever empty at other times of the day. Anybody else run into this?

      I started too many things at the same time to now know what is what. I think I am going to stop the ALC and ALA for a month, see what I feel like with my other new stuff from my doc, and then restart when I have a better baseline.

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        #78
        Splendid, did you check with your doctor before starting the ALC/ALA? You have to be careful if you are taking thyroid medications as they can increase the effectiveness of the meds. If you haven't checked, be sure you do, as you have to be very careful, even with supplements. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you.

        Ginny Ruth, I've found that taking my ALC/ALA in the morning works best for me. The effects seem to last throughout the day and keep me going even though I work until almost 10 p.m. at night.

        Of course, if it's working for you by splitting the dosage, don't change it. But I know some people find that they get too much energy in the evenings if they take the supplements later in the day and then have problems sleeping.

        You may have to experiment with the dosages and times to find the right combination for you. For me, 1,000 mg of ALC and 200 mg of ALA taken when I first wake up work the best for me. Some folks might need more (I think the university studies were using 2,000 mg of ALC) and some might need less. Whatever works best for you.
        Joy is not the absence of suffering. It is the presence of God.
        Cut aspartame from my diet in 2012 and my symptoms have slowly disappeared. Interesting!
        Alpha Lipoic Acid (200 mg) + Acetyl L-carnitine (1,000 mg) = No more fatigue for me!

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          #79
          trial

          Thanks everyone for posting. I have learned more and I am going to add this supplement and respond in a month or so to report my experience.

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            #80
            This is wonderful!

            I started this about a week ago and have seen great results. I take one ALC 1000mg as soon as I wake up. Then around 11 (before lunch) I take another. The ALA (200) is added after breakfast with the rest of my vitamins. Thank you so much for this info!!

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              #81
              Originally posted by bschoor View Post
              I started this about a week ago and have seen great results. I take one ALC 1000mg as soon as I wake up. Then around 11 (before lunch) I take another. The ALA (200) is added after breakfast with the rest of my vitamins. Thank you so much for this info!!
              Great! I'm so glad they're working for you. I know what a relief it is not to have to deal with horrible fatigue. I've been taking these supplements for one year now. I would not be able to function without them!
              Joy is not the absence of suffering. It is the presence of God.
              Cut aspartame from my diet in 2012 and my symptoms have slowly disappeared. Interesting!
              Alpha Lipoic Acid (200 mg) + Acetyl L-carnitine (1,000 mg) = No more fatigue for me!

              Comment


                #82
                Who is taking the r-fraction type? I read somewhere that it is much more effective. Any thoughts on that?
                Take care, Wiz
                RRMS Restarted Copaxone 12/09

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                  #83
                  Originally posted by ewizabeth View Post
                  Who is taking the r-fraction type? I read somewhere that it is much more effective. Any thoughts on that?
                  I am. Judging by my blood glucose readings (I'm diabetic), it is indeed much more effective.

                  Good info on this can be found at the Oregon State University's Linus Pauling Institute website:

                  http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/othernuts/la/

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                    #84
                    Originally posted by Sequoia View Post
                    I am. Judging by my blood glucose readings (I'm diabetic), it is indeed much more effective.

                    Good info on this can be found at the Oregon State University's Linus Pauling Institute website:

                    http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/othernuts/la/
                    So do you take the r-fraction formula but at the same dose others are taking? I don't think I'm taking as high a dose as most others are here. I need to order again soon and I might get the higher dose formulation if it will work better. I am taking the r-fraction type now though.
                    Take care, Wiz
                    RRMS Restarted Copaxone 12/09

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                      #85
                      Where do you get the r-fraction formula? What I'm taking now works great, but if there's something that works better, I'm always willing to experiment.

                      Ewizabeth, there are some folks here for whom ALA and ALC haven't worked. After thinking about it for awhile, I wonder if it's because they need to take the higher dosages used in the studies. I wish some of them would try again. I'd love for everyone to get the benefits that I have from these supplements. (I am a true ALA/ALC fanatic!! LOL!)
                      Joy is not the absence of suffering. It is the presence of God.
                      Cut aspartame from my diet in 2012 and my symptoms have slowly disappeared. Interesting!
                      Alpha Lipoic Acid (200 mg) + Acetyl L-carnitine (1,000 mg) = No more fatigue for me!

                      Comment


                        #86
                        I get mine from Swansons vitamins online. The R fraction formula is more expensive but reading the reviews there most people say it is more effective. I need to go back and see what doses you're taking and compare to what I take. I started low but maybe I need a higher dose.
                        Take care, Wiz
                        RRMS Restarted Copaxone 12/09

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                          #87
                          The Linus Pauling Institute recommends 200-400 mg/day of racemic LA for "generally healthy people." They also report that studies show that 600 mg/day is an effective dose for some conditions, including diabetes.

                          I also read recently that newer studies (the LP Institute info is from 2006) indicate that the effectiveness of R-LA is not dose-dependent, at least not for diabetes. In other words, past a certain point increasing the dosage doesn't produce better results. I'd go looking for that citation but my eyes are really wonky these days and I can't be online for very long at all.

                          I take 200 mg a day and haven't found that increasing my dosage results in better blood glucose readings, but I'm thinking about going up at least to 400 mg a day just for my MS.

                          Oh, almost forgot...I get mine online from iHerb.com

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                            #88
                            If you are on thyroid meds...

                            Who have you asked about supplements? My endocrinologist seems like the best candidate, but he's not very knowledgeable about supplements. I can try my PCP...I definitely don't feel like messing with my thyroid meds at this point! Thanks.

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                              #89
                              Shashi,

                              Thanks for the warning!!! I had no idea. Luckily I stopped it before I read this anyway because I did not feel any difference.

                              I have not been good about checking with a doc before starting new things because he is so slow at getting back to me. Guess it would be in my best interest to do be more patient.

                              Splendid

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                                #90
                                I just wanted to say the ALA and ALC combo really saved my neck yesterday. I had to work in a town about 75 miles from home, and late in the afternoon, just as I was heading home, I was overwhelmed with fatigue. I mean, my eyes hurt and it felt like my feet were encased in cement. Not to be histrionic, but truly thought I would have to sleep in the car until I could get my power back.

                                I have a prescription for Provigil but hadn't brought it with me, so I looked up this thread on my trusty iPhone and found a vitamin store in a mall. I bought some ALC and ACA and took it right there in the store. (How frustrating, by the way, that you can't buy supplements with your heath saving account).

                                But it was like Popeye downing his spinach. I found a place to sit down in the mall and within 20 minutes I was starting get pumped up again. Made the 2 hour drive back home in rush hour traffic with no problem, although I did feed the dog and take her out and then go directly to bed.

                                Anyway, I just wanted to say this stuff works for me. It bailed me out in a situation where I thought I would be stranded far from home.

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