Agmatine Sulfate
Arginine metabolite sold for pumps and mood, but human data is thin.
What is Agmatine Sulfate?
Agmatine Sulfate is a performance supplement used for neuropathic pain relief. NutriDex grades the human evidence as Preliminary. Agmatine is a metabolite of the amino acid arginine, marketed both as a pre-workout 'pump' and nitric-oxide aid and as a mood/nootropic agent. The strongest human evidence is for nerve pain: a randomized, double-blind trial gave 2.67 g/day of agmatine sulfate to people with herniated-disc sciatica for two weeks and saw larger pain and quality-of-life gains than placebo, and open-label pilots in small-fiber neuropathy reported roughly 46% pain reduction. For depression, only a 3-patient open pilot exists. Crucially, the bodybuilding 'pump,' strength, endurance and focus claims rest almost entirely on rodent studies — no human randomized trial confirms an ergogenic or cognitive benefit. Doses are typically 1.3–2.67 g/day. Reported side effects in trials were mild (mainly GI), but trials are small and short, so the marketed performance uses remain unproven rather than disproven.
Purported Benefits
Evidence by outcome
The same supplement can be well-proven for one use and unproven for another — here is the human evidence graded outcome by outcome.
| Outcome | Evidence | Effect | Studies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neuropathic pain reliefOne small double-blind RCT in sciatica plus open-label pilot (~46% reduction); short and small. | Preliminary | ↑ benefit · moderate | 2 |
| Mood / depression supportOnly a 3-patient open pilot exists; human depression evidence essentially absent. | Preliminary | ↑ benefit | 1 |
| Workout pump / ergogenic effectNo human RCT; performance claims rest entirely on rodent studies. | No Evidence | — no effect | |
| Focus / nootropic effectNo human cognitive trial supports a focus benefit. | No Evidence | — no effect |