Long term creatine use?

[jbo]

I've been using creatine on and off for years and I'm just wondering if there's any negative use of creatine? I typically take it for 2 months, then I'm off for a month or two before cycling on it again.

I'd just prefer not to take it if I knew for sure that it can cause issues. Only thing I've been able to find are studies of the benefits and that European Food Safety Authority says it's safe, but I"m not sure if that's good enough.

Mice are healthier and live longer
http://www.neurobiologyofaging.org/article/S0197-4580(07)00111-X/abstract

Other claims
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/creatine/NS_patient-creatine/DSECTION=evidence

I know it's only been since 1993 that it's been available to the public and we can get creatine from food, just not at that level and I believe the myth about taking creatine will stop your body from producing creatine has been refuted a few times.

 

[Solstice Goat]

What type are you using?

 

[Cookie]

That's the problem, there's hardly any long term studies available & if there's even a small chance using creatine is going to affect kidney function, why mess with it?!
I was collecting articles to show my son (gym rat) the negative side of creatine use as I'm not a big fan of supplements, but I must have deleted them. This is the only one I had left in my favs on the topic.
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/creatine/a/creatine.htm

 

[Solstice Goat]

........................... I typically take it for 2 months, then I'm off for a month or two before cycling on it again.


....................and I believe the myth about taking creatine will stop your body from producing creatine has been refuted a few times.

Then why do you cycle it as if it's an anabolic steroid?

 

[jbo]

That's the problem, there's hardly any long term studies available & if there's even a small chance using creatine is going to affect kidney function, why mess with it?!
I was collecting articles to show my son (gym rat) the negative side of creatine use as I'm not a big fan of supplements, but I must have deleted them. This is the only one I had left in my favs on the topic.
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/creatine/a/creatine.htm

I honestly haven't been able to find anything that says it can cause an issue with your liver or or kidneys. It appears all the studies refute unless the person already has a kidney issue.
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-007-0669-3
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1022469320296
http://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-200030030-00002


Athletes have been using creatine as a nutritional supplement since the mid 1960's. Widespread use as a dietary supplement began in the early 1990's. So far, no long-term side effects have been observed in athletes (up to 5 years), infants with creatine synthesis deficiency (up to 3 years), or in patient populations (up to 5 years).

One group of patients taking 1.5 to 3 grams a day of creatine has been monitored since 1981 with no significant side effects. All evidence suggests that creatine supplementation is safe when taken within recommended guidelines.

Read more: http://www.menshealth.com/supplements/articles/The_Facts_About_Creatine.php#ixzz2QBGrKdiD
http://www.menshealth.com/supplements/articles/The_Facts_About_Creatine.php#ixzz2QBGrKdiD
http://www.menshealth.com/supplements/articles/The_Facts_About_Creatine.php

 

[jbo]

Then why do you cycle it as if it's an anabolic steroid?

I'm taking creatine monohydrate and I prefer to cycle as I've noticed improvements in my lifts when my body adjusts to being off ot it for a month and having the same intensity, then back on a month or two. By no means do I think you have to cycle, but I just feel it might be healthier. I've been taking creatine on and off for 20 years now, but I've had a period of 5 years of not taking it. I used to compete in lifting and as I've aged sometimes I've lost motivation, so I've noticed when I'm more motivated and more focused and putting time in the gym that I tend to cycle creatine more often.

I cycle many things, even lifting I'll take a scheduled week of every 3-4 months.

 

[Cookie]

Alrighty,

Well, what is you dosing regimen during your 'on' cycle?

Just so you know, I'm not against supplemental creatine use for medicinal purposes such as muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s, people with heart failure, etc. Vegetarians would probably benefit from using it from time to time as well.

However, I just would love to see actual evidence of double blind, placebo-controlled studies on creatine's safety, not just claims made on bodybuilding or supplement websites. Perhaps between all of us, we'll be able to accomplish this

My negative thoughts on creatine's use in a healthy body is based on how the body processes what's not used.. Chances are, if you're consuming a clean diet you don't 'need' as much as the label instructs someone to take in order to hydrate your muscles. If it's true that urinary concentrations of creatine is up to 90 times (or more) over normal levels following creatine consumption, how does the body filter that without any side effects when the body is asked to do it over years & years?

Another thought, how clean is your product?
"In spite of uncontrolled daily dosage and long-term administration, none of the research on creatine monohydrate safety or side effects in humans included standardized protocols of clinical pharmacology and toxicology. The documented side effects induced by creatine monohydrate are weight gain, an influence on insulin production and long-term damages on renal function. A major point that related to the quality of creatine monohydrate products is the amount of creatine ingested in relation to the amount of contaminants that might be found in those products. During the industrial production of creatine monohydrate from sarcosine and cyanamide, variable amounts of contaminants (dicyandiamide, dihydrotriazines, creatinine, ions) are generated and, thus, their tolerable concentrations (ppm) should be defined and made known to consumers that use creatine products. Furthermore, because sarcosine could originate from bovine tissues, the risk of contamination with prion of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or mad-cow disease) can't be excluded. Thus, French authorities forbade the sale of products that contained creatine."
- Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2001 Mar; 41(1):1-10 -- Creatine as nutritional supplementation and medicinal product. -- Benzi G, Ceci A

 

[jbo]

Alrighty,

Well, what is you dosing regimen during your 'on' cycle?

Just so you know, I'm not against supplemental creatine use for medicinal purposes such as muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s, people with heart failure, etc. Vegetarians would probably benefit from using it from time to time as well.

However, I just would love to see actual evidence of double blind, placebo-controlled studies on creatine's safety, not just claims made on bodybuilding or supplement websites. Perhaps between all of us, we'll be able to accomplish this

My negative thoughts on creatine's use in a healthy body is based on how the body processes what's not used.. Chances are, if you're consuming a clean diet you don't 'need' as much as the label instructs someone to take in order to hydrate your muscles. If it's true that urinary concentrations of creatine is up to 90 times (or more) over normal levels following creatine consumption, how does the body filter that without any side effects when the body is asked to do it over years & years?

Another thought, how clean is your product?
"In spite of uncontrolled daily dosage and long-term administration, none of the research on creatine monohydrate safety or side effects in humans included standardized protocols of clinical pharmacology and toxicology. The documented side effects induced by creatine monohydrate are weight gain, an influence on insulin production and long-term damages on renal function. A major point that related to the quality of creatine monohydrate products is the amount of creatine ingested in relation to the amount of contaminants that might be found in those products. During the industrial production of creatine monohydrate from sarcosine and cyanamide, variable amounts of contaminants (dicyandiamide, dihydrotriazines, creatinine, ions) are generated and, thus, their tolerable concentrations (ppm) should be defined and made known to consumers that use creatine products. Furthermore, because sarcosine could originate from bovine tissues, the risk of contamination with prion of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or mad-cow disease) can't be excluded. Thus, French authorities forbade the sale of products that contained creatine."
- Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2001 Mar; 41(1):1-10 -- Creatine as nutritional supplementation and medicinal product. -- Benzi G, Ceci A

I appreciate all the feedback and information, really good info. I typically don't load like they recommend and I typically take only one tablespoon a day for 60 days. Then I'm off for 30 days at a minimum, maybe half a year sometimes and even years I'll top taking it. The honest truth is when I'm more motivated in the gym I'm more likely to be on it, which when I'm dragging my butt or losing motivation I am not taking creatine.

 

[Living Food]

I'm certainly not an expert on the subject, but here are my opinions:

1. It's almost always better to avoid isolated supplements, because in most cases the body can't process them correctly and they end up doing some measure of harm. Even if there aren't any studies that "prove" it.

2. Creatine seems to have a negative impact on endurance-type activities, creating muscular imbalances between fast and slow twitch muscle fibers. This would lead to a much higher chance of hurting yourself, as is always the case when you have muscular imbalances.

3. Creatine may have dehydrating effects. Dehydration has been determined to be a main factor in many severe diseases, and causes wide-spread damage to the entire body.

4. As always, you should listen to your intuition and do what feels right for you. Although my overall advice would definitely be to not take it; there are plenty of ways to build muscle very effectively without having the potential of negative side effects. Consuming large quantities of algae, sprout and microgreen juice, and weed (wild greens) juice, for example, is completely safe and actually greatly enhances your health in every way.



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As usual I referenced a number of studies on the topic, but I am having computer trouble so I can't post them now. Luckily, all are easy to find with a quick search, although many are quite technical.