Can I Get Chest Pain From Acetyl-L-Carnitine w/ Alpha Lipoic Acid?

Question

I've gotten chest pain from the normal L-Carnitine, and apparently, I'm not alone in that effect. I'm pretty sure it is the ACL and not the B-100 Vitamin because 1/2 hr after I took them both last night and this morning, I got a little chest pain, uncomfortable, but not intense. I noticed that this went away with the regular L-Carnitine over time (but I haven't taken it in months). The chest pain only lasted 10 to 20 minutes...so my questions are...

Are they not that different from each other?

What is giving me this discomfort?

Answer 1

I really don't think you can get chest pain as you described from those supplements unless you're overdosing on it or something !?

Where exactly is the chest pain ? On the left or right side or all over ?

If you have a fatty liver then taking supplements could prove to be too much for the liver to handle and can cause pain.

Try the supplements in powder form that way it isn't so tough on the liver.

Answer 2

Well, the main reason that L-Carnitine would give you chest pains for 10-20 minutes is an allergic reaction, an interaction with a drug, or heartburn. If it's heartburn, it just means you probably have too much acid in your stomach and should stay away from this until you get your acidity down. If it's not heartburn, it's probably best not to take it until you could eliminate the cause of the problem (like the drug that's interacting with it, since you can't easily get rid of an allergy).

That being said, Acetyl-L-Carnitine is a form of L-Carnitine, but it's processed differently. Some people that have allergies to L-Carnitine aren't able to take ALC either... but some can. ALC is primarily good for brain health and memory, though, not as much just for heart health, so you shouldn't expect it to work the same.

If you want to see if it will help you, all I can say is to try it out. Good luck!