L-Carnitine (Levocarnitine)_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as levocarnitine, Carnitor, L-carnitine tartrate, acetyl-L-carnitine
An approved drug for a rare deficiency, sold as a fat-loss injection.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is L-Carnitine (Levocarnitine)?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
It is the shuttle that moves fat into the part of the cell that burns it.
Levocarnitine is a naturally occurring compound that carries long-chain fatty acids across the mitochondrial membrane so they can be burned for energy.
What it's used for
A carnitine deficiency drug, also sold as a supplement and as an injectable fat-loss aid, which is the one use it has no approval for.
How does L-Carnitine (Levocarnitine) work?
What it does in the body, and where.Carnitine has one job, and whether that job is a bottleneck decides whether extra helps.
- 01It carries long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondriaFatty acids cannot cross that membrane on their own. Carnitine is the ferry.
- 02In a true deficiency, adding it back changes everythingThis is the approved use, and in some patients presenting with cardiomyopathy the label describes symptoms improving rapidly.
- 03In someone with normal levels, the ferry was not the hold-upAdding more shuttle capacity to a system that has enough is the central reason the fat-loss results are underwhelming.
- 04Muscle carnitine is also hard to raiseSkeletal muscle holds most of the body's carnitine, and getting more into it by mouth is slow and requires insulin. That is a separate practical problem from whether it would help.
A schematic of the compound's mechanism, not a diagnostic image.
What else is it used for?
Each use below carries its own evidence level. Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.
- Primary systemic carnitine deficiencyFDA-approved
- Secondary carnitine deficiency from an inborn error of metabolismFDA-approved
- Carnitine deficiency in people with end stage renal disease on dialysisFDA-approved
- Fat loss and exercise performanceResearch only
The published record
Papers and trials about L-Carnitine (Levocarnitine)
305 papers tagged human · 131 not reviews or lab · 32 clinical trial publications
316 registered trials · 7 with posted results
Furthest stage reached: Approved in the US
Counted from Europe PMC indexing, not read by a person; a human tag can land on reviews, commentary or lab papers; clinical trial publications is the narrower count. 499 papers and 100 trials indexed in detail.
At a glance
Four things to know about L-Carnitine (Levocarnitine)
Evidence
FDA-approved
Category
Weight loss and metabolic
Common vial
Varies
Half-life
About 15 hours after an oral dose
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.Varies widely by route and purpose, daily by mouth, or two to three times a week by injection. Continuous, since the approved use is a permanent deficiency FDA label
Carnitine deficiency does not resolve, so the approved use is lifelong. Nothing in the label or the trials addresses the cycled use common on the research market, and nothing suggests a break serves any purpose.
About 15 hours after an oral doseFDA label
Reported at roughly 15 hours for the oral product. This is one of the less useful half-life figures on the site, because the body maintains its own carnitine pool and regulates it, so plasma clearance does not describe tissue levels.
Not yet traced to a primary source.
You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.
How is it given?
Dosing context and source notes.The label doses this by condition and by body weight rather than by a single figure, and the injection is intravenous only. Because the approved use is a deficiency state and the use people buy it for is fat loss, no single range applies to both, so no range is shown here. Read the label for the product you actually have.
L-Carnitine (Levocarnitine) starts at $24.99 across 24 vendors, typically $0.06 – $0.23 per mg.
30 listings, last read Oct 11, 2026. Shipping and card fees are not included.
How do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Dry powder in the freezer or fridge. Once mixed, fridge, and use within about a month.
Unmixed lyophilized L-Carnitine (Levocarnitine) keeps for a long time cold. Once you add water the clock starts: most reconstituted vials hold up for roughly 28 to 30 days at fridge temperature. Keep it out of light, and do not freeze it after mixing.
What are the side effects and cautions?
Known cautions and warnings for this compound.Who should avoid it
- Taking warfarin, without INR monitoring
- Seizure disorders, where the label notes seizures have occurred and may become more frequent
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding, without a specific reason and supervision
- Kidney disease outside dialysis, where clearance is altered
Stop and get help
- A seizure, or an increase in seizure frequency
- Unusual bruising or bleeding, if you take warfarin
- Spreading redness or swelling at an injection site
- Signs of an allergic reaction such as face or throat swelling, hives, or trouble breathing
Common effects
- Nausea, cramping or diarrhea, usually from taking a large oral dose too fast
- A fishy body odor, from gut bacteria converting it
- Injection site soreness
- Restlessness or difficulty sleeping if taken late
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is L-Carnitine (Levocarnitine) approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.Yes. L-Carnitine (Levocarnitine) is FDA approved and available on prescription in the United States.
- Injected into muscle and Injected under the skinResearch onlyNot approved by this routeThe intramuscular vials sold on the research market use a route the approved product does not cover, and the approved oral solution is labeled not for parenteral use.
- By mouthFDA-approvedFDA-approvedCarnitor tablets and oral solution are approved prescription products for carnitine deficiency. The same molecule is also sold separately as an unregulated dietary supplement.
- Into a veinFDA-approvedFDA-approvedCarnitor injection is approved for intravenous use only, for carnitine deficiency.
- RouteBy mouth, into a vein, or into muscle
- Checked24 August 2026
- DoseFrom community reports. No regulator or trial established this dose.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- Sources
What has happened recently
Approved as Carnitor for three things: primary systemic carnitine deficiency, secondary carnitine deficiency caused by an inborn error of metabolism, and the prevention and treatment of carnitine deficiency in people with end stage renal disease on dialysis. Fat loss is not among them. The route detail matters as well. Carnitor injection is approved for intravenous use only, and the approved oral solution carries the statement that it is for oral or internal use and not for parenteral use. The intramuscular vials sold for fat loss are neither the approved product nor the approved route.
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
If you're weighing L-Carnitine (Levocarnitine), it's worth reading HGH Fragment 176-191, Adipotide, and Tesofensine in the same class.
An approved drug for a rare deficiency, sold as a fat-loss injection.
- Dose
- Varies widely by route and purpose
- How often
- Daily by mouth, or two to three times a week by injection
The fat-burning piece of growth hormone, aimed at stubborn fat.
- Dose
- 0.25 up to 0.5 mg per day (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- Daily
An experimental fat-loss peptide considered dangerous, with no safe human use.
- Dose
- 0.03 mg/kg per day
- How often
- Daily for 28 days in the trial
An experimental appetite-suppressing pill with strong weight-loss numbers.
- Dose
- 0.25 up to 0.5 mg per day
- How often
- Daily
Guides for this compound
- How to Reconstitute a Peptide
Mix peptide powder with bacteriostatic water, step by step.
- How to Read an Insulin Syringe
Read the units, convert to millilitres, and draw the exact dose.
- mcg vs mg: The Peptide Dosing Mistake to Avoid
Your vial says mg and your protocol says mcg. Here is the conversion and how to check it.
- Semaglutide vs Tirzepatide vs Retatrutide
One receptor, two, or three. Mechanism, trial weight loss, side effects, and real cost.
Sources
- Carnitor injection prescribing information, DailyMed(2025)Three approved indications, and intravenous use only for the injection.
- Carnitor tablets and oral solution label PDF, FDA Drugs@FDA(2018)Oral solution labeled not for parenteral use, and the warfarin INR interaction.
Beyond these, 599 records are indexed. Browse the records