L-Carnitine (injection) 200 mg vial dosage

What L-Carnitine (injection) is

Class:

Amino-acid derivative (levocarnitine) - not a peptide

Also called:

Levocarnitine, Carnitor, Carnitor SF

Used for:

FDA-approved, as CARNITOR, for treating carnitine deficiency (a defined metabolic/biochemical condition): the injection also for the prevention and treatment of carnitine deficiency in dialysis patients, and the tablets and oral solution (including sugar-free CARNITOR SF) for primary and inherited-metabolic-disorder carnitine deficiency. This page covers the injection. Sold off-label, and through compounding and aesthetic-medicine clinics, as a "fat-burning" or metabolism-support injection for people without diagnosed deficiency.

Human evidence:

Strong human evidence. FDA approved CARNITOR injection based on trials in its approved population: patients with an inborn error of metabolism causing secondary carnitine deficiency, and dialysis patients with carnitine deficiency, including a dose-ranging study in end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis. That approval and evidence base is specific to diagnosed deficiency, not to fat loss in someone without it. For the separate off-label weight-loss use, the best evidence I verified is a meta-analysis of 37 randomized trials of oral (not injectable) L-carnitine, finding a modest reduction in body weight and fat mass in adults, though only the body-weight effect held in the high-quality trials and the dose-response link was for body weight alone - real human RCT evidence, but for a different route and a different population than the injection sold in weight-loss clinics.

US status:

FDA-approved · prescription only. Levocarnitine injection (CARNITOR) is FDA-approved specifically for treating carnitine deficiency due to an inborn error of metabolism and for carnitine deficiency in dialysis patients - a prescription-only product for a defined biochemical condition, not a general-purpose fat-loss approval. Injectable levocarnitine used off-label for weight loss, alone or compounded into "LIPO-C"/MIC+carnitine blends at aesthetic-medicine clinics, is the same prescription-only substance used outside its approved indication and dose - not a separately approved product, and not a dietary supplement the way oral carnitine capsules are.

The full picture, with every study: L-Carnitine (injection) guide.

How to mix a 200 mg L-Carnitine (injection) vial

For this vial: 10 mL of bacteriostatic water makes 20 mg/mL, so 200 mg is 10 mL (more than one 1 mL syringe holds). Pick a different volume from the units table if you want bigger or smaller draws; the number of doses stays the same.

1. Wipe the rubber stoppers of both the peptide vial and the bacteriostatic water vial with an alcohol swab and let the alcohol dry. ^[3][4]
2. With a new sterile needle and syringe, draw up the amount of bacteriostatic water you have chosen for the dilution. ^[3][4][5]
3. Inject the water into the peptide vial by aiming the stream against the inside glass wall, which helps prevent foaming. ^[6]
4. Swirl or roll the vial gently until the powder has fully dissolved; do not shake it. Do not inject the solution if it is cloudy or has particles in it. ^[3][4][6]
5. Label the vial with the date and time it was mixed, the amount of water added and how long it can be used after mixing. ^[3]
6. Store the mixed vial in the refrigerator at 2-8°C (36-46°F) and do not freeze it. ^[6]

Step by step with pictures: how to reconstitute peptides. About the water itself: bacteriostatic water.

Storing L-Carnitine (injection) vials

• Freeze-dried (lyophilized) peptide keeps far longer than peptide in solution; peptide suppliers advise storing the powder at -20°C away from bright light. ^[7]
• Protect peptide vials from heat and light. ^[7][8]
• Avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles; a prescription peptide label also says not to freeze a vial once it has been mixed. ^[6][7]
• Once a multi-dose vial, such as bacteriostatic water, has been opened (needle-punctured), date it and discard it within 28 days unless its manufacturer states another date. ^[9][10]

More detail: peptide storage and shelf life.

Injecting safely

The common L-Carnitine (injection) protocol is an intramuscular injection, so the subcutaneous technique used for most peptides does not apply here; see the full L-Carnitine (injection) dosing page.

Hygiene and warning signs

• Use a new sterile needle and syringe for every injection and every time you enter a vial; never reuse them. ^[5][9][11]
• Never share needles, syringes or pens with anyone, even if the needle is changed; unsafe injection practices spread hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. ^[5][8][9]
• Put used needles and syringes in a sharps disposal container straight away (FDA-cleared if possible), never loose in the trash, recycling or toilet, and dispose of the container following your community's guidelines. ^[12][13]
• Contact a health care provider if the injection site shows signs of infection, such as redness, swelling, red streaks or a fever. ^[11]

How L-Carnitine (injection) works

• Levocarnitine is a small, naturally occurring molecule (molecular weight 161), not a peptide. It carries long-chain fatty acids across the inner mitochondrial membrane so they can be burned for energy - the main fuel source for skeletal and heart muscle. ^[14]
• In certain inherited metabolic disorders, toxic acyl-CoA compounds build up. Levocarnitine clears them by forming acylcarnitines, which are quickly excreted. ^[14]
• People on long-term haemodialysis can run low on carnitine because they eat less meat and dairy, their kidneys make less, and dialysis removes it. Injected levocarnitine raises their plasma levels. ^[14]

What the L-Carnitine (injection) research found

Human evidence: strong human evidence. Each result says what was studied.

• FDA labelIn a dose-ranging study of about 30 haemodialysis patients per group given 10, 20 or 40 mg/kg three times a week after dialysis, trough plasma carnitine levels were higher at higher doses after 12 and 24 weeks. The label states that effects on symptoms of deficiency and on clinical outcomes in this group have not been determined. ^[14]
• Human studyA 2021 meta-analysis of 18 randomised trials (1,090 haemodialysis patients) found L-carnitine raised plasma carnitine and lowered the doses of anaemia drugs (erythropoiesis-stimulating agents) needed, but did not significantly raise haemoglobin or haematocrit. ^[15]
• Human studyA 2020 meta-analysis of 37 randomised trials (2,292 participants) of L-carnitine supplements found modest reductions in body weight (1.21 kg), BMI and fat mass (2.08 kg). There was no effect on waist circumference or body fat percentage, and when only high-quality trials were counted, only the body-weight effect held. ^[16]
• Human studyIn a 24-week randomised, double-blind trial of 14 healthy men, 2 g of oral L-carnitine tartrate taken twice daily with 80 g of carbohydrate raised muscle carnitine by 21%. During low-intensity exercise this group used 55% less muscle glycogen than the carbohydrate-only group, and it raised its work output in a performance test by 11%, while the carbohydrate-only group did not change. ^[17]
• Animal studyGut bacteria break down dietary L-carnitine, leading to production of TMAO. In mice, long-term L-carnitine supplementation raised TMAO and increased atherosclerosis, and omnivorous people produced more TMAO than vegans or vegetarians after an L-carnitine dose. The heart-disease link rests on mouse and observational data, not trials of injected carnitine. ^[18]

L-Carnitine (injection) side effects and risks

This safety data comes from the approved use in diagnosed deficiency and dialysis; no trial has recorded side effects of off-label carnitine injections for fat loss in people without deficiency.

• FDA labelSerious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, throat (laryngeal) swelling and bronchospasm, have been reported, mostly in dialysis patients. Some occurred within minutes of an IV dose. ^[14]
• FDA labelSeizures have been reported after approval with oral or IV levocarnitine, in people with and without a seizure history. In those who already had seizures, they became more frequent or severe. ^[14]
• FDA labelTransient nausea and vomiting have been observed. Body odour and gastritis are less frequent, and large doses may cause diarrhoea. ^[14]
• FDA labelIn two placebo-controlled trials in haemodialysis patients, injection-site reactions were reported in 27% to 38% on levocarnitine, but in 59% on placebo, so the reactions were not clearly caused by the drug. ^[14]
• FDA labelRises in INR have been reported in people taking warfarin, and long-term high oral doses in people with severely reduced kidney function or on dialysis may let the potentially toxic metabolites TMA and TMAO build up. ^[14]

Other things to know

• FDA's label warns of serious hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, laryngeal edema and bronchospasm, some within minutes of IV administration, especially reported in dialysis patients - the label advises stopping treatment if this occurs.
• Postmarketing reports include seizures, in patients both with and without a prior seizure history, with increased frequency and severity in those who already had seizures.
• Injection-site reactions were common in the label's hemodialysis trial data: 27-38% of patients on levocarnitine and 59% on placebo, so the reaction itself is common but not clearly dose-related.
• The FDA approval and its safety data are specific to the deficiency indication; using the same injectable off-label for fat loss in someone without deficiency is not covered by that trial population, and the weight-loss evidence that exists is from oral dosing, not injection.

Reported side effects and what the studies measured: L-Carnitine (injection) side effects.

Where this vial size comes from

L-Carnitine (injection) is sold as a 200 mg vial by the pages below, each checked on the date shown. I list them as evidence that this size exists, not as a recommendation to buy from them.

• Nationwide PeptidesvendorLists it as: Vial size options: 200 mg, 400 mg, 600 mg, 1200 mg · checked 2026-09-28
• Pure Lab PeptidesvendorLists it as: "L-Carnitine 200mg" listed as the product size throughout · checked 2026-09-28

The doses come from the sourced common protocol on the L-Carnitine (injection) dosing page, and every number on this page is arithmetic on those doses and this vial size.

Questions

How much water do I add to a 200 mg L-Carnitine (injection) vial?

There is no single correct amount: water changes how many units a dose is, not how many doses the vial holds. With 10 mL the vial is 20 mg/mL and 200 mg is 10 mL (more than one 1 mL syringe holds). The units table gives 5, 10 mL.

How many doses are in a 200 mg L-Carnitine (injection) vial?

1 dose at 200 mg.

How long does a 200 mg L-Carnitine (injection) vial last?

At 200 mg a dose and 1-3 times a week by intramuscular or subcutaneous injection, about 0.3-1 weeks. How long a mixed vial keeps is a separate limit; see storage below.

How many 200 mg vials do I need for a 4-week run?

4 vials at 200 mg 1 time a week for 4 weeks; 120 vials at 2,000 mg 3 times a week for 4 weeks.

What does 1 unit equal in a 200 mg L-Carnitine (injection) vial?

400 mcg with 5 mL, 200 mcg with 10 mL of bacteriostatic water, on a U-100 syringe.