Creatine - any advice/guidelines/warnings on its use?

Question

I want some good, detailed advice on creatine use. Could anyone with some detailed information let me know about how best to take creatine and what sort of results I can expect.

Answer 1

There is a lot of good information here: http://www.webmd.com/content/article/17/1676_50653.htm

Answer 2

kidney damage is rumor at best. Creatine is related chemically to creatnine, a chemical in your body used to gauge kidney function. If you're taking creatine, then your serum creatnine will go up. This is likely artifact, but has not been studied.

5g/day is what I used when competitively lifting. I wouldn't load for a week or whatever. There is quite a bit of other eletrolytes in most creatine preps, and fluid shifts are possible. Probably best to take in the morning, without caffeine. Should take with some source of calories, as it is possibly uptaken through an energy dependant process.

Loading helps you initiate a baseline serum level, but will be immaterial after 1 month or so.

Answer 3

Some of these answers are funny. It will not shrink your ball, give you erection problems, or damage your kidneys (unless you take it in excess, but anything in excess does some damage). See the link below for lots of articles on creatine.

I've used it in the past, and probably will use it again in the future. I found an interesting way to take that is different than the loading/maintenance phases other do. You take a serving of it just before your workout, then another right after. I did this when I was doing a 5-day a week workout, and had very good results.

Answer 4

my husband has used this before. but he would only use it for two weeks at a time. he'll lift weights everyday while using it, and he loved the results that he saw after about a month of continuously lifting weights. prolonged use of creatine can be damaging to the body, which is only why he uses it for two weeks. if u need better results after a month of weightlifting, try the creatine for two more weeks while still lifting weights. it's really up to you. but just to let u know, i do think creatine can become addictive. which is why my husband uses the two week mark.

Answer 5

your body already makes creatine...so it's not like your putting something toxic into your body. Excess creatine is converted into the waste product creatinine and excreted from the body.

when you first start taking it, there's a loading phase...where you take quite a bit per day. it usually says on the tub of creatine how you should load it. after that you take about 5-10 grams on workout days (5g pre workout, 5g post workout)..and 5g on non-workout days if you want.

a lot of people say you don't need to cycle creatine (basically take breaks from it)...but i suggest you do. if you never cycle creatine, your body will stop producing it because it thinks it will get creatine w/o having to make it itself. so if u plan on using creatine everyday for the rest of your life, then go for it. if you want to be able to stop after getting enough muscle, then cycle it.

as far as results go, creatine helps provide additional energy for muscles, provides volumization by drawing water to muscles, delays lactic acid build up, and enhances protein synthesis.

Answer 6

If you follow the guidelines such as drinking a lot of water and taking the proper amount you will be fine. There are 2 types of creatine: monohydrate or ethyl ester.

If you would like more info email me at [e-mail]

Answer 7

If you are going to use creatine, make sure you work out, because if you don not, you will gain fat instead of building muscles. GNC has quite a few good ones out!

Answer 8

oooh - let me mention one thing - creatine can trigger painful muscle cramps so watch out for that if you start using it. I started to use it, took it in protein shakes after weights workouts, but stopped cause I didn't want to deal with nasty muscle cramps.

Answer 9

Go to www.bodybuilding.com for a creatine primer. Drink a ton of water when you use it!

Answer 10

i read in a issue of flex that creatine as far as growth only adds water weight but it does help your muscles recover faster from a workout

Answer 11

Do not take it. It makes your balls shrink and gives you erection problems. I don't know about you but I'd rather have smaller muscles, or work harder by going to the gym to get them, then to miss out on great sex the rest of my life. Just my opinion though.