Most cases of hyperthyroidism are treated with antithyroid medicines or radioactive iodine therapy. If you have a mild to moderate case of hyperthyroidism and wish to try a natural approach, review this study with your doctor. Researchers recruited patients with TSH levels between 0.1-0.4 mIU/L (a low TSH level is a sign of an overactive thyroid). Normal TSH levels range between 0.5 to 4. Subjects received orally for one month one tablet containing 500 mg of l-carnitine and 83 mcg of selenium. The results showed improvement in symptoms after treatment. During the following 1-month period without treatment, symptoms became worse again. Thyroid hormones and auto-antibodies remained in their normal range. The researchers conclude, "The present pilot study has shown that a combination of carnitine and selenium reduced symptoms associated with hyperthyroidism, improving quality of life of patients, without significant modifications of their hormone levels. In addition, it is noteworthy that the extension of treatment seems necessary to prevent symptoms reappearance."
Comments: This was a small study so I am not ready to jump to conclusions that carnitine treatment is an effective approach to treat symptoms of overactive thyroid, but I did find it interesting. The dosage of selenium can range from 50 mcg to 100 mcg, it does not have to be 83 mcg. You could try carnitine between 250 mg to 500 mg. Please discuss with your health care provider before making any major changes. Perhaps the use of carnitine could reduce the dosage of anti-thyroid medications, but this has yet to be studied.