L-carnitine Reduces Muscle Cramps in Patients With Cirrhosis.

Abstract

We performed a prospective study to evaluate the ability of L-carnitine, which is involved in the β-oxidation of fatty acids, to reduce muscle cramps in patients with cirrhosis. Consecutive patients with cirrhosis and muscle cramps were given L-carnitine 300 mg, 3 times/day (900 mg/day, n = 19) or 4 times/day (1200 mg/day, n = 23) for 8 weeks. The frequency of muscle cramps was assessed by questionnaires, and the degree of muscle cramping was assessed by using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Muscle cramping was reduced in 88.1% of all subjects at the end of the 8-week study period and disappeared for 28.6% of patients. Overall VAS scores decreased significantly from 69.9 ± 22.5 at baseline to 26.2 ± 29.1 after 8 weeks (P < .0001). The dose of L-carnitine was significantly associated with percentages of patients with reduced muscle cramps after 8 weeks (43.5% in the 1200 mg/day group vs 10.5% in the 900 mg/day group, P = .037) and VAS scores at 8 weeks (9.9 ± 13.5 in the 1200 mg/day group vs 39.6 ± 31.9 in the 900 mg/day group, P = .003). No adverse events were reported. Therefore, L-carnitine appears to be safe and effective for reducing liver cramps in patients with cirrhosis.

• Authors: Hiroyuki Nakanishi, Masayuki Kurosaki, Kaoru Tsuchiya, Natsuko Nakakuki, Hitomi Takada, Shuya Matsuda, Kouichi Gondo, Yu Asano, Nobuhiro Hattori, Nobuharu Tamaki, Shoko Suzuki, Yutaka Yasui, Takanori Hosokawa, Jun Itakura, Yuka Takahashi, Namiki Izumi
• Journal: Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol) Vol. 13 Issue 8 Pg. 1540-3 (Aug 2015) ISSN: 1542-7714 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 25496816 (Publication Type: Clinical Study, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2015 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Carnitine

Topics

• Carnitine (administration & dosage, adverse effects)
• Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions (epidemiology)
• Humans
• Liver Cirrhosis (complications)
• Muscle Cramp (drug therapy, pathology)
• Prospective Studies
• Severity of Illness Index
• Surveys and Questionnaires
• Treatment Outcome