I'm curious what people's experiences have been with this, and whether they find it worthwhile. It's supposed to be taken on an empty stomach, usually 500 mg to 1 g, though I've safely taken 6 g. Given all the diverse supplements, this is one of the few that I think is actually worth taking, particularly if you don't have all the money in the world to spend on supplements.

I've noticed a very light effect on 1-2 grams, where I was able to enter a deeper state of hypnosis with greater ease. It's hard to describe, but there is a small but significant shift in my mental state.

I also have taken 500 mg - 1 g with 600 mg of Vinpocetine which produces a more pronounced alteration of consciousness. I usually smoked a very small amount of high grade cannabis with the above combination to achieve a somewhat hazy but prolonged high.

I just took 4 g on a full stomach, so I'll stop by here a bit later to elaborate on the effects.

Tom

Sorry that my methods are fairly unscientific...

A few hours after taking the 4 grams on a full stomach I could feel a change in my brain, just like on smaller amounts only amplified. I noticed some recurring time distortion which may have been magnified by the 4 g of Alcar. I have had some successful self induced time distortions (using NLP and self-hypnosis) previous to this one in the absence of any mind altering drugs but the time distortion I experienced on the 4 g of Alcar was unique.

Usually, when I choose to alter my perception of time my thoughts shift in tempo first and my sense of time is gradually affected in accordance. Basically, this is the most effective way I currently know how to do it. While I was on the 4 g of Alcar, however, my thoughts seemed to speed up while my perception of time seemed to slow down and could be sort of disorienting at times.

I don't know if this had to do with the Alcar at all, or if it had more to do with the other things I have been practicing lately - Taoist sexual techniques in conjunction with related self hypnosis sessions could have had more to do with it, but who knows?

Tom, it should work better if you take it on an empty stomach

I have found that L-Carnitine gives me a very nasty case of the farts. When I stop taking it the farting ceases. Therefore, I feel it is the Carnitine that is doing it.

Guest, did you take 'L-Carnitine' or 'acetyl-l-carnitine' (aka ALCAR)? They're different things. I have heard that acetyl-l-carnitine is much better than l-carnitine, but I don't have the specifics about the difference onhand.

I have been taking in the range of 1-4 g daily for just over a year. I have never noticed any subjective effects from it, although I wasn't looking for any. I think that it is definitely one of the few "must have" supplements.

There are many resources that indicate that there is a large difference between L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine, but they are mistaken. They do play very different roles in the body, yes. However, supplemental acetyl-L-carnitine is rapidly deacetylated in the intestine yielding L-carnitine. The carnitine, whether it originated from ALCAR or L-carnitine, is reacetylated in various tissues later on. So supplementation with either will increase tissue levels of both. You will generally find ALCAR to be a lower price though.

Acetyl L-Carnitine is an amino acid-like compound that is related to choline and may assist in the conversion of choline into acetylcholine.

N-Acetyl-L-Carnitine at 1,500-3,000 mg seem to have a potent effect on physical energy with a lesser effect on mental energy for me.

ALCAR is one of the non-vitamin/mineral supplements I've stuck with recently. I never got anything from a single dose, but taking about 500mg three times a day seems to decrease general fatigue over time. It's not stimulation, more like "I'm not as wiped out as I normally would have been."

I recently switched to PLCAR (propiony l-carnitine) to see how it compares. I've only been on it a couple days, but it seems like a sedative. I've been whooped for the past couple days, but I'm going to give it a trial of couple weeks. Any opinions on PLCAR? It doesn't seem to get much lovin'.

There's lots of goodies about ALCAR on PubMed (search for the full name "acetyl l-carnitine" or "propionyl l-carnitine". Here's a couple:

Carnitine v. Androgen

PLCAR v. ALCAR in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome