Patient info

Carnitor® 1 g Oral Solution – patient leaflet, side effects, dosage

Updated:
Key facts
Status:
No longer supplied
Medicine strength:
1 g
Other strengths and forms:
Contains active substance:
ATC code:
Similar medicines:

Sources: Original (products.mhra.gov.uk) · About this document

Patient leaflet - Carnitor 1 g oral solution

1. What Carnitor solution is and what it is used for

Carnitor solution contains levocarnitine which is a type of protein. It is used to treat primary and secondary carnitine deficiency in adults and children over 12 years of age.

Carnitine deficiency occurs when the body has a shortage of levocarnitine. Carnitor solution makes up for your bodies lack of levocarnitine and helps give your body more energy.

2. Before you take Carnitor solution

Do not take Carnitor solution:

  • if you are allergic to levocarnitine or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).

If this applies to you, do not take Carnitor solution. Warnings and precautions

Talk to your doctor before taking Carnitor solution if:

  • you have severe kidney problems or kidney disease and are having dialysis
  • you are diabetic and taking insulin, or any other drug to treat your diabetes
  • you are taking anticoagulant medicine, such as warfarin, or any other drug to reduce blood clotting.

If any of the above applies to you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Other medicines and Carnitor

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines.

Tell your doctor if you are taking anticoagulant medicine, such as warfarin, or any other drug to reduce blood clotting. Your doctor may need to change how often you are tested to see how fast your blood clots. Carnitor solution with food and drink

Not applicable.

Pregnancy and breast- feeding

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant or if you become pregnant while taking Carnitor solution. Your doctor will decide whether or not you should continue to take your medicine. If you wish to breastfeed, ask your doctor for advice.

Driving and using machines

You can drive or use machines whilst taking Carnitor solution.

Carnitor solution contains methyl hydroxybenzoate (E219), propyl hydroxybenzoate (E217) and sodium

This product contains methyl hydroxybenzoate (E219) and propyl hydroxybenzoate (E217) which may cause allergic reactions (possibly delayed).

This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per 1 ml of oral solution, that is to say essentially “sodium-free”.

3. How to take Carnitor solution

Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. Check with your doctor if you are not sure.

How much Carnitor solution should you take

Your doctor will carefully calculate the amount of Carnitor solution that you should take and may vary it depending on your response to the treatment. Your doctor may take blood and urine samples to check the amount of the drug in your body.

Method of administration

Carnitor solution is for oral use. It can be drunk directly or diluted further with water or fruit juices.

Primary and secondary Carnitine deficiency

The usual dose of Carnitor solution is 200 mg per kg of your body weight per day. This should be taken over 2-4 doses. Higher doses of up to 400 mg per kg of your body weight per day may be necessary. Your doctor will tell you exactly how much to take and when to take it.

Maintenance therapy for haemodialysis patients

If significant benefit was gained by a first course of Carnitor injection, then ongoing therapy of 1 g per day of Carnitor solution may be taken. On the day of dialysis, Carnitor solution should be taken at the end of the session.

If you take more Carnitor solution than you should

If you take too much Carnitor solution, contact your doctor or immediately go to the nearest hospital casualty department.

If you forget to take Carnitor solution

Do not take a double dose to make up for the forgotten dose. Simply continue with the next dose as planned.

If you stop taking Carnitor solution

Do not stop taking this medicine without first talking to your doctor.

If you have any further questions about the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

4. Possible side effects

Like all medicines Carnitor solution can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

Side effects are:

  • Mild stomach upsets such as stomach cramps and diarrhoea, or you may feel or be sick for a short time.
  • For people also taking anticoagulant medicine, such as warfarin, tests may show your blood is taking longer than usual to clot.
  • Drug-related body odour. Your doctor may reduce your dose to help lessen or stop the odour.

Reporting of side effects

If you get any side effects, talk to you doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

L-01-2491-01

5. How to store Carnitor solution

Keep out of the sight and reach of children.

Do not use Carnitor after the expiry date stated on the bottle. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.

Do not store above 25°C. Keep the bottles in the original packaging in order to protect from light.

Medicines should not be thrown away in waste wastewater or household waste. Return any medicine you no longer need to your pharmacist.

If your medicine shows any signs of discolouration or deterioration consult your pharmacist for advice.

6. Contents of the pack and other information

What Carnitor solution contains

  • The active substance is levocarnitine. Each bottle contains 1 g of levocarnitine
  • The other ingredients are malic acid (E296), saccharin sodium (E954), sodium methyl hydroxybenzoate (E219), sodium propyl hydroxybenzoate (E217) and purified water.

What Carnitor solution looks like and contents of the pack

Carnitor solution is a clear colourless liquid. It comes in 10 ml clear glass bottles with fully removable plastic caps.

Manufactured by: Alfasigma S.P.A, Via Pontina km. 30,400, 00071 Pomezia (Rome), Italy. Procured from within the EU. Product Licence Holder: Quadrant Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Lynstock House, Lynstock Way, Lostock, Bolton, BL6 4SA. Repackaged by: Maxearn Limited, Unit 29, Oakhill Trading Estate, Devonshire Road, Worsley, Manchester, M28 3PT.

PL 20774/2491 – Carnitor 1 g Oral Solution

Carnitor is a registered trademark.

Date of Preparation: 19th December 2022

Blind or partially sighted?

Is this leaflet hard to see or read? Contact Quadrant Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Tel: 01204 471 269

L-01-2491-01

POM

About this document

Source: MHRA - Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (products.mhra.gov.uk) · Marketing authorisation: PLPI 20774/2491

Last revision stated in the text: 19 December 2022 · MHRA data as of 13 October 2026

Found a mistake? Tell us on the contact page.

The information on this site does not replace the advice of a doctor or pharmacist.

Facts about Carnitor 1 g oral solution

Active substance Levocarnitine
Strength 1 g
Is it available? No, all its packs are listed as discontinued (NHS Dictionary of Medicines and Devices – not a record of current supplies)
Drug group (ATC)
  1. A Alimentary tract and metabolism drugs
    1. A16 Other alimentary tract and metabolism products
      1. A16A Other alimentary tract and metabolism products
        1. A16AA Amino acids and derivatives
          1. A16AA01 levocarnitine
Marketing authorisation PLPI 20774/2491

Sources: the MHRA product information (products.mhra.gov.uk) and the NHS Dictionary of Medicines and Devices (dm+d), release 10.3.0 of 26 October 2026, NHS Business Services Authority. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.