Citrulline

[green]

I have seen an improvement in my symptoms while taking citrulline. Specifically, my post-exercise malaise has improved dramatically, and my brain fog is noticeably better.

Citrulline is an amino-acid that has been found to have vasodialating properties - consuming it raises the amount of nitric oxide in the blood.

I have been taking 3 g/day of citrulline malate as a powder manufactured by "NOW Nutracuticals" for five days. Previously, I had been taking 1.5 g/day of L-citrulline in capsules made by Puritan's Pride that use magnesium stearate and rice flour as a filler. The Puritan's Pride formulation hadn't been doing much for me, but I wanted to try a different formula because supplements with mangesium stearate constipate me and my intuition is that I don't absorb food properly when constipated. Unfortunately, I don't have enough information to determine whether the difference in effects I'm experiencing is due to the presence of citrulline malate v. L-citrulline, the increase in dosage, absence of magnesium stearate, or some combination of the three.

My interest in Citrulline dates back to an article I posted about on this forum some months ago, comparing the effects of Citrulline to Viagra. Since then I found some more articles about Citrulline, including:

http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/36/4/282.long

>>But I don't have a subscription to this journal so I haven't read the article.

AND

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubme/10812668...mp;ordinalpos=5

>>But, this is one of those weird Eastern European journal articles that you can find on just about any supplement, herb or vitamin. Not to sound too closed-minded but I tend to assume that research isn't legitimate unless it's conducted in the U.S., Western Europe, Japan or Israel. ... I was surprised to see Citrulline being used specifically for dysautonimia.

[Notgivinup]

Thanks for the info. And I found this...

Cardiovascular Health

L-Citrulline?s primary benefit is in the opening and relaxing of blood vessels. A healthy increase in blood flow increases the transportation of oxygen and nutrients through the body. An important intermediate in the urea cycle, Citrulline functions alongside Arginine and Ornithine in ridding the body of ammonia. Since Citrulline is a precursor to Arginine, it is a readily available source material for Arginine production, which in turn produces of Nitric Oxide (NO) in blood vessels. NO plays has a fundamental role in vascular function and blood flow. Citrulline supports detoxification pathways, NO production, and a healthy cardiovascular system. The body converts Arginine to Citrulline, producing nitric oxide in the process. Citrulline is then chemically recycled back into Arginine in the endothelial cells of the blood vessels. Citrulline and Arginine?s benefits are similar, but for healthy blood flow and nitric oxide production, citrulline is preferred. Arginine is diverted to other less critical uses while citrulline?s main function is in the blood vessels.

OK, so as usual I'm confused, I have the hyper form of POTS. Do my blood vessels need to open (dilate) or close.

I always forget if my blood vessels are too constricted or too open. God, why can't I get this straight? Grrrrrr

[ramakentesh]

Excellent - well done. I myself have also been looking at substances that raise nitric oxide - specifically neuronal nitric oxide. its interesting, your benefit goes against the convensional belief that POTS is caused by blood pooling. Infact as Vandy have recently ascertained, in many patients it appears vasoconstriction of the arteries may be starving the venous reservoirs that feed the heart blood.

You may also be aware that in a substantial fraction of patients reduced neuronal nitric oxide is suggested as the causal mechanism of the condition through elevated angiotensin II levels. (Stewart and Medows - exciting work).

there are also a number of herbs that either increase the bioavailablility of nitric oxide in the body or increase the cGMP like viagra does, potentiating the effects of existing levels of nitric oxide.

Notgivup - the problem is it can be paradoxical - some patients have overall vasoconstriction, but some have constriction and dilation inappropriately in different areas, which is why its traditionally proven to hard to treat.

i did have a theory - totally unproven - that perhaps a constant vasoconstrictive state like in norepinephrine deficiency might result in eventual bleeding dry of vasodilator reserves - causing the waxing and waning of symptoms??

[firewatcher]

Hot off the presses:

Am J Hypertens. 2010 Jan;23(1):12-6. Epub 2009 Oct 22.

Oral L-citrulline supplementation attenuates blood pressure response to cold pressor test in young men.

Figueroa A, Trivino JA, Sanchez-Gonzalez MA, Vicil F.

Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences, College of Human Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA. afiguero@fsu.edu

BACKGROUND: Oral L-citrulline is efficiently converted to L-arginine, which has been shown to decrease brachial blood pressure (BP) at rest and during the cold pressor test (CPT). However, aortic BP may better reflect cardiovascular risk than brachial BP. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that oral L-citrulline supplementation attenuates brachial BP and aortic hemodynamic responses to CPT. METHODS: Brachial BP, aortic BP, stroke volume (SV), and wave reflection at rest and during CPT were evaluated in 17 young (21.6 +/- 0.9 years) normotensive men. Subjects were randomly assigned to 4 weeks of oral L-citrulline (6 g/day) or placebo in a crossover design. Hemodynamic responses to CPT were reevaluated after each treatment. RESULTS: During CPT, there were significant (P < 0.05) increases in brachial and aortic BP [systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP), and pulse pressure (PP)], augmentation index (AIx), SV, and a decrease in transit time of the reflected wave (Tr) from baseline. Compared to placebo, oral L-citrulline treatment decreased (P < 0.05) brachial SBP (-6 +/- 11 mm Hg), aortic SBP (-4 +/- 10 mm Hg), and aortic PP (-3 +/- 6 mm Hg) during CPT but not at rest. There was an inverse correlation (r = -0.40, P < 0.05) between changes in aortic SBP and Tr during CPT after L-citrulline supplementation. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that oral L-citrulline supplementation attenuates the brachial SBP, aortic SBP, and aortic PP responses to CPT in young normotensive men. Increased wave reflection time contributes to the reduction in aortic SBP response to CPT.

PMID: 19851298

Added to my list of things to watch and possibly try...

[firewatcher]

I'm going to update this with my current experience. I was diagnosed with the hyperadrenergic form of POTS. During a time of symptom improvement in 2016, I began the Levine Exercise Protocol for POTS and have been able to continue through and am still going. I still have some POTS symptoms, but my overall function is much better; however I was still getting high exercising HR, pretty bad fatigue and post-workout pain. Beta-blockers reduced my exercising HR and chest pain, but increased my fatigue...so I began to take a caffeine tablet in the mid-afternoon before working out in the evenings. After a bit more research this spring, I decided to try L-Citrulline instead of the beta-blocker and it has been VERY helpful. I am still experimenting, but pre-dosing with caffeine by an hour or two, and then L-Citrulline 20 minutes before working out actually puts a really good dent in the HR spike with exercise and dramatically cuts post-workout soreness and fatigue. 

Either one alone don't have the same effect, but taking them in tandem seems to work really well. 

Something to try.

[green]

That is great to hear! 

 

[p8d]

Interesting.  Thanks for reviving this @firewatcher.  Please keep us posted on how it continues.  What dose are you taking?

[firewatcher]

p8d - I've been taking 200mg of caffeine and waiting for the "first pass" to be over (1-2 hours) and then 3g L-Citrulline 20 minutes before working out. It can take 10-15 minutes into cardio for my heart to feel like it is "leveling out" for HR, then it all evens out and takes a great deal more effort for my HR to spike like it used to during exercise...plus I'm not ridiculously sore and fatigued in the days after like before.

[Sarah Tee]

I’m going to be trying this (cautiously) to see whether it does anything to counteract my abnormal cerebral vasoconstriction. It works in a different way to the other things I’m currently taking.

Will report back after I’ve given it a week.

[MikeO]

4 hours ago, Sarah Tee said:

I’m going to be trying this (cautiously) to see whether it does anything to counteract my abnormal cerebral vasoconstriction. It works in a different way to the other things I’m currently taking.

Will report back after I’ve given it a week.

following!