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Lipoic Acid and Acetyl-L-Carnitine May Decrease Back Pain

In this study, 64 people with acute backache and moderate sciatica were given either 600 mg a day of lipoic acid or 1,180 mg/d of Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC) for 60 days. Greater improvements were found in patients who received lipoic acid compared to ALC in both pain and on nerve testing. 71% of those on lipoic acid needed less pain medicine as opposed to 45.5% of patients taking ALC. The authors conclude that, "Thioctic acid (lipoic acid) 600 mg/day appears to be at least as effective as ALC in the treatment of sciatic pain caused by a herniated disc and may be associated with an improvement in symptom scores and reduced need for analgesia."

References

"Thioctic Acid and acetyl-L-carnitine in the treatment of sciatic pain caused by a herniated disc: a randomized, double-blind, comparative study," Memeo A, Loiero M, et al, Clin Drug Investig, 2008; 28(8): 495-500.





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Some information on this site is from the book From Fatigued to Fantastic! Third Edition by Jacob Teitelbaum MD, copyright 2007 by Jacob Teitelbaum MD. Used by permission of Avery Publishing, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.