how much is a recommended daily dose of....

[gold55]

Hi,
What do you guys suggest (dose) for taking ALA and L Carnitine?  I'm finding it in 200 and 400mgs in one tablet.  Also, do you suggest taking MSM if one has osteoarthritis?  If so, how much?  thanks....I'm always investigating natural remedies for my issues and there's so much to know prior to taking!

[engy]

I take what my doctor recommended.

300 mg ALA
500 mg L carnitine

I take them once a day.

Good luck! Carie

[gold55]

thanks Carie!

[jazzlover]

You can take 4 to 8 grams of MSM a day. I take 4.  Same as 4,000 mg.

[Sooki]

Acetyl L carnitine is different from L-carnitine.  I think the combo pills contain the L-carnitine form.  According to Wikipedia, a portion of L-carnitine is converted to the acetyl form in the body, but with my weak metabolism, I don't rely on that.  I take Acetyl L-carnitine. 

Joe wrote that he takes 500 mg twice a day.  That was too much for me; I started getting jittery.  I take 250 mg twice a day.

[Sooki]

And 300 mg ALA once a day.

[soycoffee]

I have been taking a larger variety of supplements for the last six or seven years, fewer before then.

To me, it isn't just the supplement, but the brand of supplement as well. One company, Jarrow, supplies a consistent, full strength product. Fpr the same supplement, Doctor's Best supplies the next most consistently strong product, at about 85% of the Jarrow brand standard. I avoid Source Naturals for almost everything. If you read their reviews on Amazon carefully, you may be able to tell that a number of the the positive reviews are "cooked," and lack a sense of reality about them. There are some other higher priced brands that I trust, but they usually produce a lot of mixes, which I avoid -- and of course they cost more.

Now, on L-Carnitine, I take a variety called L-Carnitine Fumarate, in the Doctor's Best brand. It comes as 855 mg capsules (possibly also as a powder) and promotes mitochondria energy production within the body's cells. I try to guess how much to take depending on the time of morning I'm taking it, and what my plans for the day are. The usual amount is 3 or 4. If it's later in the day, I take 2 or 3, since it has a "wake-up" effect.

I take it second thing in the morning, before most other supplements except Jarrow SAM-e 400, another supplement that is good for energy production. I take 2 in the morning, on an empty stomach. SAME-e should NOT be taken if you are on either MAO inhibitor or SSRI -type antidepressant medication. Also, the range is from 1 200 mg capsule to two 400 mg capsules, taken together first thing in the morning.

I had been taking Doctor's Best Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), 600 mg in the morning. I have switched now to Jarrow R-Lipoic Acid (R-ALA), 100 mg capsules, 2 in the morning and 2 at night. I haven't quite worked out whether that's the equivalent of the fairly high dose of plain ALA I took in the morning, one 600 mg capsule.

They are all available from iHerb.com, with a $5 coupon for your first order, if you use the code SIG531. And there's free shipping, if you can wait for UPS to get it to you by land from California. Last I checked, they were competitive with VitaCost, but don't offer VitaCost's terrible house brand.

Generally on "how much is a recommended daily dose . . ." check with the reviews on iHerb, because they often tell how much of a product they are taking and what they are taking the product for.

I have had so many problems with prescription drugs that I now prefer supplements for most problems, except for Prednisone and Gabapentin, and maybe Restasis!

Best,
Soycoffee

[valene2009]

what does the alpha lipoic acid do for all of you?? i used to take it about 10 years ago when i wasnt (or didnt feel i was ill)... i used it as a supplement to working out-my ex boyfriend had me take it to help build muscle.. muscle recovery and help with sleep. what do you gals take it for??? just curious!!!

[Joe S.]

L-Carnitine repairs mitochondria DNA. Alpha or R Lipoic Acid remove the debris from the repair. Think of ALA or RLA as a superman Vitamin C on steroids.

[engy]

What Joe said.

I take it to help my PN & it has helped.

Carie