Do Arginine Supplements Cause BUN Level to Elevate

Arginine is an amino acid that plays a key part in the urea cycle, which enables your body to rid itself of excess nitrogen. Your body converts nitrogen to ammonia. Ammonia then undergoes a series of chemical reactions in the liver that lead to arginine reacting with the enzyme arginase to produce ornithine and urea. The urea cycle is essential for life in humans and other mammals since it rids the body of ammonia, which is toxic.

Slightly elevated BUN levels cause no symptoms and are nothing to worry about. An excessively high BUN level is a condition called "uremia," which causes symptoms such as confusion, thirst, fatigue, dry mouth and rapid pulse. Uremia can cause a decrease in urination and sometimes an increase in urination at night. You may also experience swelling, abdominal pain and paleness if you are suffering from uremia. Severe uremia is dangerous and can lead to acute kidney failure.

Treatment for uremia depends on its severity and can include blood transfusion and intravenous fluids, medications to increase cardiac output and hemodialysis.
According to MayoClinic.com, people with asthma should not use arginine because it may increase airway inflammation. Arginine can cause outbreaks in people with the herpes virus and flare-ups in gout sufferers. Pregnant or nursing women should not take arginine supplements because their safety during pregnancy and nursing has not been proven. Also, women with breast cancer should not take arginine supplements. Don't take arginine if you are also taking nitrates, medication for high blood pressure or phosphodiesterase inhibitors such as Viagra or Cialis.

If you find your high BUN level is caused by kidney damage, then the best way to lower high BUN level is to repair kidney damage and recover kidney function. If you don’t want to experience dialysis or kidney transplant, you should learn more about treatment options which can recover kidney function. If you need any help, you can leave us a message or send us an email to doctornickzhang@hotmail.com.