50 replies to this topic

[Pirate]

For me, Creatine always ruins my digestion. Then my kidneys hurt.

The only type of creatine (I tried many) that I can digest OK is Kre Alkalyn...effects seem consistent with what creatine is supposed to do (more water in your muscles and more energy, some extra brain energy and maybe slight memory enhancement).

How long should you give creatine, b4 you try another type?

Interested in nootropic/brain benefits.
and
monohydrate and kre alkalyn

[FocusPocus]

Just started today at around 3 gms/ day for nootropic effects. Lets see i it helps. Will post back in a month.

Ive used it in the past for bodybuilding. And i remember my face used to get fat. lol

[cuprous]

Vis-a-vis the creatine causing diarrhea issue - I had the exact problem but it was based on the brand I tried. I gave it to a co-worker (with a warning) and sure enough 20 minutes later I saw him get up and go to the bathroom. Later confirmed the effect. I then tried Jarrow's creapure and can tolerate it fine. I wish I could remember if the first brand was also creatine monohydrate. I think it was.

Not a product endorsement just a suggestion to try other brands.

[mrnootropic]

when it comes to bodybuilding and fitness, creatine is one of the only supplements that is proven to work.

Its also beneficial even if you dont Bodybuild or workout.

The best type of Creatine is called Creapure, From Alzchem in germany.

Many online stores stock Creapure, Alzchem is the manufacturer..

[FocusPocus]

creatine is making me itch! aargh! does this go away with prolonged use?

on searching, there are just a few reports of this side effect. i must be one of those unlucky ones.

[bugme]

Like you, I have taken creatine monohydrate in the past with good -but not spectacular- results...

A few months ago I decided to take it again, because I felt I was stuck in some exercises (for MONTHS I couldn´t add weight to my leg exercises)... So I decided to give a try to the-so-popular-now "ph correct" creatine and I ended up buying Kre-Alkalyn ...

I can only say that the results are truly spectacular, comparing them to the traditional creatine monohydrate... You might want to give it a try in the future...

By the way, IMHO, creatine should be used only to overcome the kind of "stuck" I´ve experienced... Once creatine helped us through -for example- adding some weight to an exercise, I suggest staying away from creatine until we need it again... Meanwhile, maintain and develop this new strenght that creatine helped you get ... And take creatine again when you feel you've reached to a new "roof" you can´t break through...

[nowayout]

I take creatine but I can't say I see any difference w.r.t. muscle mass.

[RJ23_1989]

Creatine always made me stronger, but I retain a significant amount of fluid every time I take it. It's quite noticeable on me within even a few days I just look bloated. That's probably the main reason I stopped using it. Otherwise its a good solid supplement.

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[machete234]

I started taking it today because it seems to be such an easy fix.
Mainly I do it because it has supposed to have cognitive benefits and I exercise only moderately.
(Thin muscular body and I do bodyweight exercises and running (7km max))

I might not eat as much meat as the average person though and I plan to ingest between 2-4g per day which is deemed without any risk over a longer period of time.

Edited by machete234, 12 September 2013 - 12:46 PM.

[nickdino]

perhaps this is good info about proper use of creatine.

What i do is add a teaspoon of creatine to my hot tea, the boiled water dissolves my creapure micronized monohydrate almost immediately.

Edited by nickdino, 07 January 2014 - 12:23 PM.

[Adaptogen]

I have a couple questions regarding creatine absorption.

From what i've read, it is generally recommended to take creatine with some sort of fruit juice, glucose, or carbohydrate, in order to aid absorption. I recall reading somewhere that this is due to glut-4 activation, but i am a little confused as to what this entails. Does this mean that the increased absorption is a result of a spike in blood sugar, or does it work through some alternative method? Does taking my creatine with fat (+glucose) decrease the absorption, due to a blunted glut-4 activation? Would substances with hypoglycemic effects like green tea, curcumin, and blueberries(as my carb source) hinder absorption? I also recall reading that fenugreek was as effective as carbohydrates for facilitating creatine absorption, I might give that a try.

[IronLife]

It really doesn't matter how you take it, from my experience. I have taken creatine [monohydrate] for a long time and I take it on an empty stomach in the morning. Every time I cycle on I put on around 3-5lbs (water weight) and every time Ive had a blood test my creatine levels have been high. Also muscular endurance, anecdotally, is increased when using creatine. All of this leads me to believe that it is absorbing adequately.

Edited by IronLife, 13 February 2014 - 04:01 PM.

[kurdishfella]

 

 

Yes everyday but be careful to not listen to supplements that tell you to take a very high dose of it because their goal is for you to keep buying their creatine and the faster it runs out means better for them. I assumed you don't need much of it since your body makes it and is found in low concentrations in foods overall unless the diet was higher in past or non essential

[Kris111]

Don't mean to hijack this thread but had a basic question.  Does taking higher level of creatine lead to increased creatine levels in Kidney per blood tests?

 

I ask because two years ago when I used to workout heavily, I took creatine supplements (monohydrate i think) and I saw increased creatine levels in my kidney in blood tests.  I also suffer from kidney stones btw, so not sure how much that impacts the whole test. When I stopped taking creatinine mh, creatine levels started coming back to normal.  But I am not sure if that was only because of stopping creatine supps as I made several lifestyle changes then, including drinking more water.

[syr_]

Don't mean to hijack this thread but had a basic question.  Does taking higher level of creatine lead to increased creatine levels in Kidney per blood tests?

That's creatinine, and it's kidney clearance. Similar name, different stuff. If you are healthy, creatinine rises typically because of very high protein diet.

[Kris111]

That's creatinine, and it's kidney clearance. Similar name, different stuff. If you are healthy, creatinine rises typically because of very high protein diet.

Thank you.  Why do docs get freaked out when they see high creatinine levels in kidney if it is just typical rise for kidney clearance?

[syr_]

Just wiki or google it on healthline etc.

[Krell]

I am 78yro/175lb/5'10"/male taking 5gm creatine mono and 5gm GlyNac with yogurt every morning for the last month.  I am already seeing a nice increase (~+10%) at the gym in my weight lifting and my stair-stepper endurance.

[joesixpack]

Thank you.  Why do docs get freaked out when they see high creatinine levels in kidney if it is just typical rise for kidney clearance?

High creatinine level in the blood can indicate kidney failure.

Edited by joesixpack, 08 October 2023 - 12:11 AM.

[stockcarman]

It causes male baldness .

[DanCG]

It causes male baldness .

No it doesn't. References here.

.