Effects of L-carnitine on Hypothyroidism

Korea University

Status and phase

Completed

Phase 4

Conditions

Hypothyroidism

Treatments

Drug: Placebo

Drug: L-carnitine

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Industry

Identifiers

NCT01769157

LC-TH-1101

Details and patient eligibility

About

L-carnitine and thyroid hormone tended to antagonize reciprocally in human body. Urinary excretion of L-carnitine decreased in hypothyroid patients, and levothyroxine supplementation increased excretion of L-carnitine. The investigators hypothesized that supplying L-carnitine to hypothyroid patients with fatigue symptom could improve the quality of life, and fatigue score in them. Therefore, the investigators planned to compare the efficacy of L-carnitine and placebo in hypothyroid patients who had taken levothyroxine.

Enrollment

60 patients

Sex

All

Ages

20 to 70 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Clinical diagnosis of hypothyroidism with fatigue symptom
Currently use of the same amount of levothyroxine over at least six months
Normal serum free T4 level

Exclusion criteria

Current smoker
Serum hemoglobin level of under 12mg/dL
Clinical diagnosis of diabetes mellitus or fasting serum glucose level ≥ 126mg/dL or HbA1c level ≥ 6.5%
History of significant heart failure
History of large amount of alcohol consumption
Uncontrolled hypertension (systolic blood pressure ≥ 160 millimeter of mercury (mmHg) or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 100 mmHg
pregnant, or planning to be pregnant, or breast feeding women
aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≥ 2 times of normal limit
serum Cr level > 2.0mg/dL