L-arginine is an amino acid that your body uses to produce urea and facilitate the removal of toxic ammonia, MayoClinic.com says. L-arginine is also used to facilitate vasodilation and may be useful in treating clogged arteries, coronary disease and blood vessel swelling. L-arginine sometimes causes adverse reactions and side effects. Finding a safe dosage for L-arginine largely depends on why you are taking it. Always use L-arginine supplements at the doses recommended by your doctor.
Dosing for Children
Clinical trials aimed at evaluating the use of L-arginine in intrauterine growth restriction therapy have been conducted, Drugs.com explains. Pregnant women were given 3 g of L-arginine daily over the course of 20 days, causing no harm to their babies. This resulted in improved birth weight for the newborn infants relative to those that were not exposed to L-arginine during the course of their embryonic development. L-arginine has been given to premature infants to prevent digestive tract inflammation in doses calculated at 261 mg/kg of body weight, MedlinePlus, a service of the National Institutes of Health, says. Nevertheless, due to the current lack of scientific evidence, L-arginine is generally not recommended nor considered safe for children.
Dosing for Adults
There is no current recommended dose for adults. However, L-arginine has been used to treat conditions such as congestive heart failure and chest pain safely, MedlinePlus explains. L-arginine used to treat congestive heart failure in adults has been safely administered in daily doses ranging from 6 g to 20 g divided into three doses throughout the day. The chest pain associated with coronary artery disease has been treated safely at three daily doses of 3 g to 6 g administered for up to a month.
Gastrointestinal Adverse Reactions
Despite being used safely at doses of up to 30 g/day, L-arginine has still caused adverse reactions such as nausea and diarrhea, Drugs.com reports. However, such incidents were generally infrequent and may be related to nourishment levels. No such adverse reactions occurred with L-arginine doses of 9 g/day given over six months.
Other Adverse Reactions and Possible Interactions
L-arginine has caused other adverse reactions such as low blood pressure and electrolyte imbalances such as elevated potassium and chloride levels, MayoClinic.com explains. L-arginine has also caused elevations in blood sugar levels. However, such adverse reactions were not reported in studies that administered 2 g to 3g doses three times daily. Aside from adverse reactions L-arginine may potentiate the effects of certain medications such as blood pressure medication, MedlinePlus says. Caution is advised for people who control their blood pressure with a maintenance medication such as captopril, enalapril or valsartan.
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