Agmatine

Other names Agmatine Sulfate

Agmatine is considered by many users as a mood-booster and spatial memory enhancer. But how science-backed is it really? Read on to find out.

This nootropic has no healthy human placebo-controlled studies that meet our inclusion criteria. Negative side effects can occur if used carelessly, so make sure you’re aware of the risks of Agmatine.

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Benefits

Read about the effects of Agmatine in relation to the amount of evidence we've found

Will agmatine improve your mood?

No studies on the effects of agmatine supplementation on mood in healthy humans have been conducted.

In three people with major depressive disorder, 2-3mg of agmatine for 3-4 weeks had beneficial anti-depressant effects [1]. It is unclear from this study what form of agmatine was used. It does not appear to have been agmatine sulfate, which is the commonly supplemented form.

In another study, agmatine sulfate reduced pain and improved quality of life in people with neuropathic pain [2]. This study is the best evidence available as regards what effects agmatine might have in healthy humans, but it is also quite limited by the fact that the 99 people who participated in the study had severe pain, so the quality of life improvements may be thanks to the pain-relieving effects of agmatine. The study authors hypothesized that agmatine helped in the recovery process for the specific injury that participants suffered from. This indicates that the pain-relieving effects noted are likely not generalizable to other sorts of pain. The transferability of the quality of life improvements seen in this study to people without this specific injury is therefore low, meaning that these findings on their own are not practically useful for healthy humans looking to understand if agmatine can boost their mood.

Several animal studies have shown anti-depressant effects from agmatine sulfate administration [3][4].

The studies that do exist on the effects of agmatine on mood have shown promising results. However, they are not in healthy humans and have not shown enhancement effects from a normal baseline, but effects toward baseline from depressed states. The generalizability, and transferability of the findings to healthy humans, is low. Currently, no evidence-backed conclusions can be provided with good confidence as regards whether or not agmatine is an effective mood booster in healthy humans.

Can agmatine enhance your spatial memory?

No studies on the effects of agmatine supplementation on spatial memory in healthy humans have been conducted.

"It has been detected in axon terminals that synapse with pyramidal cells in the hippocampus, a brain region that is critically involved in spatial learning and memory. However, the role of agmatine in learning and memory is poorly understood." [5]

The evidence available on how agmatine is involved in spatial learning and memory formation as well as in the recall of learned spatial information is of low relevance to healthy humans who might want to use agmatine for cognitive enhancement purposes since it comes only from animal studies. This information is presented here for educational purposes, not as an endorsement of agmatine for use as a nootropic since the evidence for its effectiveness as such is next to non-existent.

Agmatine appears to be involved in spatial learning in rats [6].

What has been found in several studies is that groups of rats who have trained in a spatial learning task have increased levels of endogenous (produced-by-the-body) agmatine in the hippocampus, a brain area involved in spatial learning and memory when compared with rats that haven't trained in such a task before. This might mean that agmatine is crucial in the recall of previously learned spatial information, or that it impairs the learning of new spatial information.

The research on agmatine's effects on spatial learning and memory is very preliminary. It does not appear to be the case that agmatine simply "boosts" spatial learning or memory. Instead, agmatine's involvement in learning and memory is complex, and supplemental ingestion might have both positive or negative effects. More high-quality data on its effects in healthy humans is needed.

For anecdotal reports from people who have used agmatine, see the FAQ's below.

Risks

The legality and side effects of Agmatine

You should always consider the risks of a nootropic before you use it.

Negative side effects of agmatine

In the only human study that exists in which agmatine sulfate was administered, the following was the dosage regimen for the 99 participants:

"1.335 g/day agmatine sulfate for 10 days, 2.670 g/day for 10 days, 3.560 g/day for 10 days, and 3.560 g/day for 21 days. Participants in the follow-up study were assigned to receive either placebo or agmatine sulfate, 2.670 g/day for 14 days." [2]

The study authors concluded:

"Results of the present studies clearly indicate that dietary agmatine sulfate can be considered safe for human use when taken under the specified dose-range and duration."

Only in the largest dose condition were there mild side effects (nausea and diarrhea), in three participants. These may very well have been to other factors than agmatine.

In a case study, two different people took 2670mg agmatine sulfate daily for 5 years, with no apparent negative side effects [9].

To conclude, the negative side effects of agmatine are next to none. However, more data needs to be collected for the risk of rare adverse events to be assessed adequately.

Side effects

Interactions

Supplements and drugs can interact with Agmatine to increase or decrease the positive or negative effects you experience. If you are already using any supplements or drugs, speak with your trusted medical professional before you experiment with Agmatine. To learn more about the potential interactions between Agmatine and other substances, use interaction-checker.

Legality

Is your country not included? Learn how to find out if Agmatine is legal in your country.

Legality Disclaimer

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about Agmatine

How does it feel when you take agmatine?

The following qualitative user experience reports and reviews are included to give you an understanding of what the experience of taking agmatine is like.

Anecdotal agmatine experience reports and reviews from Reddit

Many people report a dissociative, "spacey" feeling:

"I have tried to love agmatine. I don't. I get a weird, spacey feeling within a couple of days. This is with only 500mg per day." [10]

Other users reported physical energy boosts [11], but one user reported brain fog and fatigue after his workout when he took 500mg agmatine before it [12].

Another person reported stress relief and anxiolytic effects from agmatine [13].

And finally, one redditor reported that agmatine sulfate had the following effects:

"

mood-enhancer

This is agmatine's primary effect. I would describe it as a potent reducer of "world-weariness." It is much easier to remain positive in the face of challenges and to take things with a sense of humor, etc.

Reduces negative thought patterns, and obsessive thinking

This feeds into the mood-enhancing effects for sure, but I mention it because I think this effect is agmatine's most "nootropic" characteristic, in the traditional sense. It is much easier to focus on the task in hand when your not stuck in an unhelpful thought loop." [14]

Should you use agmatine?

One thing that is certain about the effects of agmatine is that we know relatively little about them. There is a lack of high-quality research, especially in healthy humans.

Because of the lack of research on agmatine, we never recommend that people use it.

If you have already decided to use it, here are some guidelines to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks.

How much and how often should you dose agmatine?

In the only study that exists that examined the effects of agmatine sulfate in humans, 1.3-3.6g were used daily.

Anecdotal reports by self-experimenters posting how they use it on the web tend to be lower, around 100mg-1g.

Is agmatine neuroprotective?

Yes, agmatine has been reported to be neuroprotective in several studies [15][16].

Here are some of the situations in which animal and cell studies have found it beneficial:

"The neuroprotective effects have been observed in various CNS cell lines and animal models against the excitotocity, oxidative damage, corticosteroidid induced neurotoxicity, ischemic/hypoxic or oxygen-glucose deprivation toxicity, spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury." [17]

How does agmatine work?

The neuropsychopharmacological effects of agmatine have not yet fully been discovered by researchers.

Here are some of the mechanisms which researchers have explored and found involved in the effects of the compound on mood and cognition:

In stressed mice [3]:
- Reduces acetylcholinesterase. Acetylcholinesterase is an enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine, and inhibition of it likely leads to increased levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine which is involved in memory.
- Reduces oxidative stress markers
- Increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor
- Reduces corticosterone
In rats:
- "These results indicate that regulation on 5-HT1A/1B and alpha2 receptors, and activation AC in the frontal cortex is one of the important mechanisms involving in agmatine's antidepressant-like action." [4]
- "These findings further implicate agmatine as an endogenous neurotransmitter which may be co-stored with L-glutamate and may act in part in the rat hippocampus as a blocker of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor and nitric oxide synthase." [20]
- Blocks nicotine receptors [21]
- Regulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase [22]

Studies

Studies conducted on the effects of Agmatine in healthy humans

Last updated Saturday, June 10, 2023