Drug & supplement interaction

Acetyl-l-carnitine + Clonidine

Clonidine brand name: Catapres.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Acetyl-l-carnitine and Clonidine in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Acetyl-l-carnitine and Clonidine

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Clonidine and Acetyl-l-carnitine in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Acetyl-l-carnitine safety at a glance

Acetyl-l-carnitine overall Use caution Generally well tolerated short-term, but long-term safety is not fully established.
Pregnancy Avoid There is not enough reliable safety information, so it is best avoided unless your doctor advises otherwise.
Breastfeeding Avoid Safety while breastfeeding is unknown, so avoiding it is the safer choice.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Clonidine and Acetyl-l-carnitine? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Clonidine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Clonidine is filed under 4 classifications — including alpha-adrenergic agonists, antihypertensive drugs, oral drugs. Acetyl-l-carnitine has documented interactions with 4 drug classes — the most serious being acenocoumarol (sintrom) (moderate), serotonergic drugs (moderate) and thyroid hormone (moderate) — and none of Clonidine’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Acetyl-l-carnitine Does Interact With Other Medications

Acetyl-l-carnitine has 203 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Clonidine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 203 No known interaction 2,627 (incl. Clonidine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Acetyl-l-carnitine

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Acetyl-l-carnitine. Pick one to open its full report.

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Acetyl-l-carnitine and Clonidine May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do. One of them is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Raised blood pressure Worth acting on reported in 5.7% of FDA reports for Clonidine Additional detail

    Acetyl-l-carnitine

    “Orally, one patient in a pharmacokinetic study reported high blood pressure 8 hoursafter taking acetyl-L-carnitine 500 mg; however, it is unclear if this was due to acetyl-L-carnitine or another factor.”

    Acetyl-l-carnitine · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in hypertension.

    1 source cited
    1. 95061. Baek SM, Zheng R, Seo EJ, Hwang DY, Kim BH. Pharmacokinetic comparisons of two acetyl-L-carnitine formulations in healthy Korean volunteers. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2015;53(11):980-6. PubMed

    Clonidine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Clonidine, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Mood changes or irritability Additional detail

    Acetyl-l-carnitine

    “Orally, acetyl-L-carnitine may cause headache and insomnia. In one clinical trial, two patients with antiretroviral toxic neuropathy reported paresthesia, pain, and neuropathy after taking acetyl-L-carnitine 1000 mg daily. A case of mania has been reported for a patient with bipolar I disorder currently in remission.”

    Acetyl-l-carnitine · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in bipolar disorder.

    5 sources cited
    1. 90760. Ledinek AH, Sajko MC, Rot U. Evaluating the effects of amantadin, modafinil and acetyl-L-carnitine on fatigue in multiple sclerosis--result of a pilot randomized, blind study. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2013 Dec;115 Suppl 1:S86-9. PubMed
    2. 90767. Martinotti G, Andreoli S, Reina D, Di Nicola M, Ortolani I, Tedeschi D, Fanella F, Pozzi G, Iannoni E, D'Iddio S, Prof LJ. Acetyl-l-Carnitine in the treatment of anhedonia, melancholic and negative symptoms in alcohol dependent subjects. Prog Neuropsychop PubMed
    3. 95063. Bruno A, Pandolfo G, Crucitti M, Lorusso S, Zoccali RA, Muscatello MR. Acetyl-L-Carnitine Augmentation of Clozapine in Partial-Responder Schizophrenia: A 12-Week, Open-Label Uncontrolled Preliminary Study. Clin Neuropharmacol. 2016;39(6):277-80. PubMed
    4. 58342. Youle, M. and Osio, M. A double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, multicentre study of acetyl L-carnitine in the symptomatic treatment of antiretroviral toxic neuropathy in patients with HIV-1 infection. HIV.Med. 2007;8(4):241-250.
    5. 95062. Goodison G, Overeem K, de Monte V, Siskind D. Mania associated with self-prescribed acetyl-l-carnitine in a man with bipolar I disorder. Australas Psychiatry. 2017;25(1):13-4.

    Clonidine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Clonidine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Dry mouth / Reduced appetite Additional detail

    Acetyl-l-carnitine

    “Orally, acetyl-L-carnitine may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, hiccups, abdominal distension and gastrointestinal upset or pain. However, gastrointestinal symptoms do not usually occur more often in patients receiving acetyl-L-carnitine than in patients receiving placebo. Acetyl-L-carnitine may also cause dry mouth and anorexia.”

    Acetyl-l-carnitine · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in anorexia.

    2 sources cited
    1. 58342. Youle, M. and Osio, M. A double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, multicentre study of acetyl L-carnitine in the symptomatic treatment of antiretroviral toxic neuropathy in patients with HIV-1 infection. HIV.Med. 2007;8(4):241-250.
    2. 90441. Brennan BP, Jensen JE, Hudson JI, Coit CE, Beaulieu A, Pope HG Jr, Renshaw PF, Cohen BM. A placebo-controlled trial of acetyl-L-carnitine and a-lipoic acid in the treatment of bipolar depression. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2013 Oct;33(5):627-35.

    Clonidine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Clonidine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Trouble sleeping / Headache reported in 6.0% of FDA reports for Clonidine Additional detail

    Acetyl-l-carnitine

    Recorded for Acetyl-l-carnitine in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Dry mouth / Reduced appetite above.

    Clonidine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Clonidine, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Constipation / Nausea reported in 6.1% of FDA reports for Clonidine Additional detail

    Acetyl-l-carnitine

    Recorded for Acetyl-l-carnitine in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Dry mouth / Reduced appetite above.

    Clonidine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Clonidine, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Acetyl-l-carnitine but not commonly for Clonidine: stomach upset, bloating or gas, mania or an unusually elevated mood and anxiety or restlessness.

Effects for Clonidine come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Acetyl-l-carnitine come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 57,112 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Clonidine that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Overlapping uses

What Clonidine Is Prescribed For, and What Acetyl-l-carnitine Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Clonidine is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Acetyl-l-carnitine is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Clonidine is prescribed for: Clonidine is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Several products — including Clonidine Hydrochloride tablets, Javadin oral solution, Nexiclon XR extended-release tablets, and Catapres-TTS skin patches — are approved for this use, either alone or combined with other blood pressure medicines. Extended-release formulations — including Onyda XR oral suspension and clonidine hydrochloride extended-release tablets (such as Kapvay) — are approved to treat ADHD in children and teenagers ages 6 to 17, either on their own or alongside stimulant medications. Separately, clonidine injection products (Duraclon and others) are used alongside opioid pain medicines to treat severe cancer pain that opioids alone cannot control adequately.

Acetyl-l-carnitine has been studied for:

  • Stroke studied, not established Acetyl-l-carnitine has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Acetyl-l-carnitine for stroke

    It is unclear if oral acetyl-L-carnitine is beneficial following a stroke.

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Clonidine on your own; if you are taking Acetyl-l-carnitine for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Acetyl-l-carnitine or Clonidine

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Acetyl-l-carnitine or Clonidine, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Clonidine

This page covers Acetyl-l-carnitine only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Clonidine page lists 138 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), American Mistletoe (major), Tyramine (major) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 113 moderate · 21 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Clonidine page

“American hellebore is the ingredient I would want a clonidine (Catapres) patient to know about first. Its alkaloids lower blood pressure even in small doses and slow the heart, both things clonidine already does, so the combination can drop someone dangerously low.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Clonidine interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Acetyl-l-carnitine as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 405 real supplement products containing Acetyl-l-carnitine, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Acetyl-l-carnitine. Even though Acetyl-l-carnitine itself has no known interaction with Clonidine, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Acetyl-l-carnitine and Clonidine Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Acetyl-l-carnitine
Top 10%

#95 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Clonidine
Top half

#786 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Acetyl-l-carnitine reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Acetyl-l-carnitine and Clonidine records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Acetyl-l-carnitine

What is Acetyl-l-carnitine?

Acetyl-l-carnitine
  • Memory and cognitive support
  • Nerve pain (neuropathy)
  • Energy and fatigue
  • Age-related decline
  • Male fertility
  • Mood support

Acetyl-L-carnitine is a form of the amino acid carnitine that the body uses to help produce energy in cells. It is most studied for nerve pain and memory-related conditions, though the evidence is mixed and often limited. It is generally well tolerated for short-term use, but you should talk with your pharmacist or doctor before starting it.

Not applicable (a naturally occurring compound made in the body) · Capsules, tablets, powder, and liquid

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Acetyl-l-carnitine is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Acetyl-l-carnitine record says about it on its own.

Acetyl-l-carnitine: dosing

There is no single official dose of Acetyl-L-carnitine for any condition. Taking it with food may help reduce stomach upset. Do not assume that taking more will work better, as higher amounts can increase the chance of side effects.

From our Acetyl-l-carnitine monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Acetyl-l-carnitine monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Clonidine

What Is Clonidine Used For?

Brand name: Catapres

Clonidine is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Several products — including Clonidine Hydrochloride tablets, Javadin oral solution, Nexiclon XR extended-release tablets, and Catapres-TTS skin patches — are approved for this use, either alone or combined with other blood pressure medicines.

Extended-release formulations — including Onyda XR oral suspension and clonidine hydrochloride extended-release tablets (such as Kapvay) — are approved to treat ADHD in children and teenagers ages 6 to 17, either on their own or alongside stimulant medications. Separately, clonidine injection products (Duraclon and others) are used alongside opioid pain medicines to treat severe cancer pain that opioids alone cannot control adequately.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Clonidine

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (57,112 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fatigue 3,519 reports
Nausea 3,475 reports
Headache 3,432 reports
Hypertension 3,275 reports
Dyspnea 2,748 reports
See full Clonidine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Acetyl-l-carnitine

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Acetyl-l-carnitine — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
203Moderate
0Minor
2,626No known interaction
203 Moderate 2,626 No interaction
Moderate

203 interactions

Showing 60 of 203 moderate interactions — see all 203 on the Acetyl-l-carnitine page.

No interaction 2,626 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Acetyl-l-carnitine against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,626 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Acetyl-l-carnitine list.

See the full Acetyl-l-carnitine interactions page
See every supplement checked against Clonidine, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Acetyl-l-carnitine References

The 22 references that drive our Acetyl-l-carnitine monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Thal LJ, Carta A, Clarke WR, et al. A 1-year multicenter placebo-controlled study of acetyl-L-carnitine in patients with Alzheimer's Disease. Neurology 1996;47:705-11. PubMed
  2. Sano M, Bell K, Cote L, et al. Double-blind parallel design pilot study of acetyl levocarnitine in patients with Alzheimer's Disease. Arch Neurol 1992;49:1137-41. PubMed
  3. Spagnoli A, Lucca U, Menasce G, et al. Long-term acetyl-L-carnitine treatment in Alzheimer's Disease. Neurology 1991;41:1726-32. PubMed
  4. Brooks JO 3rd, Yesavage JA, Carta A, Bravi D. Acetyl L-carnitine slows decline in younger patients with Alzheimer's disease: a reanalysis of a double-blind, placebo-controlled study using the trilinear approach. Int Psychoger 1998;10:193-203. PubMed
  5. Pettegrew JW, Klunk WE, Panchalingam K, et al. Clinical and neurochemical effects of acetyl-L-carnitine in Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging 1995;16:1-4. PubMed
  6. Rai G, Wright G, Scott L, et al. Double-blind, placebo controlled study of acetyl-l-carnitine in patients with Alzheimer's dementia. Curr Med Res Opin 1990;11:638-47. PubMed
  7. Benvenga S, Ruggeri RM, Russo A, et al. Usefulness of L-carnitine, a naturally occurring peripheral antagonist of thyroid hormone action, in iatrogenic hyperthyroidism: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Clin Endocrinol Meta
  8. Montgomery SA, Thal LJ, Amrein R. Meta-analysis of double blind randomized controlled clinical trials of acetyl-L-carnitine versus placebo in the treatment of mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease. Int Clin Psychopharmacol 2003;18:61-71.. PubMed
  9. Martinez E, Domingo P, Roca-Cusachs A. Potentiation of acenocoumarol action by L-carnitine. J Intern Med 1993;233:94.
  10. Hudson S, Tabet N. Acetyl-L-carnitine for dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2003;2:CD003158.. PubMed
  11. Bachmann HU, Hoffmann A. Interaction of food supplement L-carnitine with oral anticoagulant acenocoumarol. Swiss Med Wkly 2004;134:385. PubMed
  12. De Grandis D, Minardi C. Acetyl-L-carnitine (levacecarnine) in the treatment of diabetic neuropathy. A long-term, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Drugs R D 2002;3:223-31. PubMed
  13. 12761 Benvenga S, Amato A, Calvani M, Trimarchi F. Effects of carnitine on thyroid hormone action. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2004;1033:158-67. PubMed
  14. Sima AAF, Calvani M, Mehra M, et al. Acetyl-L-carnitine improves pain, nerve regeneration, and vibratory perception in patients with chronic diabetic neuropathy: An analysis of two randomized, placebo-controlled trials. Diabetes Care 2005;28:89-94.
  15. Youle, M. and Osio, M. A double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, multicentre study of acetyl L-carnitine in the symptomatic treatment of antiretroviral toxic neuropathy in patients with HIV-1 infection. HIV.Med. 2007;8(4):241-250.

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Acetyl-l-carnitine and Clonidine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Acetyl-l-carnitine with Clonidine?
We do not list a known interaction between Acetyl-l-carnitine and Clonidine. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Do Acetyl-l-carnitine and Clonidine have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 8 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
Are Acetyl-l-carnitine and Clonidine used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Acetyl-l-carnitine in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Clonidine is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Acetyl-l-carnitine and Clonidine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Clonidine is filed under 4 classifications, and Acetyl-l-carnitine has documented interactions with 4 drug classes — none of Clonidine's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Acetyl-l-carnitine interact with any other medications?
Yes. Acetyl-l-carnitine has 203 documented drug interactions in our database — Clonidine is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Clonidine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Clonidine has documented interactions with 138 supplements in our database — Acetyl-l-carnitine is not one of them. The Clonidine interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Where next

Keep Exploring

Acetyl-l-carnitine monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Clonidine drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Clonidine supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Clonidine, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 22 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.