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Although it’s generally safe, considering it’s a natural amino acid, there are some potential L- arginine side effects to be aware of. If you have a history of heart disease, low blood pressure, diabetes, kidney problems or an active virus (like herpes or shingles), it’s not recommended to supplement with it until you speak with a doctor first.
There’s some research suggesting that taking arginine supplements after a heart attack may be dangerous. Because there’s a possibility of this supplement leading to complications n people with a history of heart attacks, avoid taking arginine supplements if this applies to you.
Is L-arginine safe to take daily? Consuming it from natural food sources isn’t harmful, but daily high doses might complicate your condition, especially if you take other medications or a series of supplements.
Talk to your doctor about what dose might be most beneficial for you and whether or not you should worry about adverse reactions based on your current situation.
If you’re generally healthy and taking a dose around one gram daily, it’s still possible to experience short-term side effects like abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, gout, worsened allergies or asthma, and low blood pressure.
It’s also possible that this supplement can cause allergic reactions or increased swelling in the lungs and airways, so people with existing allergies or asthma should use L-arginine with caution.
Finally, L-arginine appears to be safe for pregnant women and even children, although there’s not much research on the effects within these populations so it’s best to stick to a low dose or act your doctor. *
Arginine is approved as a nutritional supplement and is a safe amino acid to ingest. Dosages that exceed 10,000 mg a day may lead to slight irritations of the stomach and intestinal tract. These irritations generally go away once the digestive tract has grown accustomed to the supplementary amount of L-arginine. In rare cases, sleep disturbances are reported with dosages in excess of 10,000 mg.
In existing Herpes infections, taking L-arginine may lead to worsening symptoms. It is suspected that this is a result of L-arginine’s effects on the immune system. Combining L-arginine with lysine can significantly reduce the Herpes activating effects as lysine may reduce the proliferation of the Herpes virus.
Very high amounts of L-arginine, in excess of 15,000 mg per day, may also have a dehydrating effect. Therefore, it is recommended that dosages over 7,000 mg are spread across several times a day.
In animal testing, L-arginine has proven toxic at doses of 5 – 12 grams per kg of body weight. For humans, this translates to approx. one half to one kilogram L-arginine per day.
Drug Interactions
Due its properties, L-arginine may increase the effects of medications to treat high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction. If you are taking any of these medications, you should consult your physician or pharmacist before supplementing with L-arginine. *