Creatine is one of the most popular supplements among strength athletes (right after whey protein). More and more, even beginners who don't have much experience with exercise are getting in touch with it. Although creatine, when used properly, is a safe and sufficient tested supplement, when used carelessly, it can end up being quite unpleasant. Due to its great popularity, we feel it appropriate to point out some side effects that one may encounterand answer the question of whether it is possible to overdose on creatine.
If you are also interested in the possibility of overdosing on other supplements, do notSee our article, Can I Overdose on Protein? What to watch out for?, in which we looked at the most widely used supplement in strength sports.
What is creatine?
For the purposes of this article, it is of course necessary to be clear about what creatine actually is and how it works in the human body. The most important thing to know is that creatine is a natural substance that the body can create on its own.Its importance lies primarily in the process of creating the cellular fuel ATP (adenosine triphosphate). This is formed from molecules of ADP (adenosine diphosphate), which lack one phosphate group. It is the addition of phosphorylated creatine that binds it to ADP and produces the much needed ATP. This is, of course, a considerable simplification of the whole process. But for our need, it is enough to take away from this paragraph that creatine is crucial for the formation of cellular fuel, thanks to which it prolongs the time for which the muscle is able to work.
How much creatine can I take in a day?
The recommended dose of creatine monohydrate is 5 grams per day. You can see this dosage set by virtually every manufacturer. The size of the recommended dosage varies during the saturation phase, of course, but we'll cover that in a separate paragraph. It has been proven many times by scientific studies that the use of creatine is safe and does not cause any proven negative effects. This is true even if creatine is used in maintenance doses (the 5 grams mentioned above) for a long time.
Although creatine is a substance natural to the body and generally considered safe, this does not mean that one cannot overdose on it. It's just that you can overdose on any substance if you take it in excessive amounts. Even pure water can be lethal to humans in extreme quantities. So what about creatine?
There is no upper limit for daily creatine intake that is based on relevant studies. Therefore, when dosing creatine, it is necessary to follow the recommendations based on based on the long-term empirical experience of strength athletes and on countless scientific studies. If the general consensus is that a dose of 5 grams per day is appropriate for regular use of creatine, it is simply sensible to stick to it.Of course, nothing prevents you from adjusting the dosage according to your own needs and experience. Remember, however, that an increase in creatine dosage does not automatically equate to a greater increase in strength and muscle mass.
Negative effects of excessive creatine use
Knowing if you've overdone it with creatine isn't difficult at all. The most common symptoms of excessive creatine use include digestive problems. As a rule, you will experience diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain, flatulence and so on. So if you pay attention to your body's signals, nothing bad will happen to you even if you take unnecessarily large doses of creatine. If you start to feel these symptoms, simply reduce the dose you are takingand you should be fine in a few days at most.
Creatine and kidney damage
A common argument of those who oppose creatine is the claim that this substance damages the kidneys. This is due to elevated levels of the metabolite creatinine, which can be easily measured in the blood. Elevated creatinine levels may actually signal damage to the kidneys, which cannot filter the metabolites effectively. However, this is not the only cause of this phenomenon. The reason for this may just be due to the higher intake of creatine, which admittedly will cause increasedcreatinine levels, but does not really cause any danger, as scientific studies have shown. It should be added that taking 5 grams of creatine does not usually cause increased creatinine levels.
Can I overdose in the saturation phase?
The so-called saturation phase is very popular among strength athletes, which consists of of taking higher doses of creatine (about 25 grams per day) for one week. Its purpose is to get as much keratin into the muscles as possible right at the beginning of supplementation, which will result in a rapid increase inbody weight gain (due to the aforementioned water retention in the muscles) and strength. The main benefit of the saturation phase is the psychological effect on the athlete, who really sees how creatine affects him within a short period of time. So there is no denying that it can be a very effective motivator. However, in terms of the desired effect, the saturation phase has no benefit, as after a few weeks of taking the so-called maintenancemaintenance dose (the classic 5 grams per day), the total saturation of the muscles with creatine will be the same as with the constant use of 5 grams.
On the contrary, the disadvantage of the saturation phase is the increased risk of digestive problems. The reason for this is understandable, since in the saturation phase one ingests about five times the normal dose. Therefore, if you want to minimize the risk of becoming unwell after taking creatine, avoid the saturation phase. But apart from the increased chance of stomach problems, dosing 25 grams of creatine a day poses no health risk.
Don't be fooled by your first creatine treatment
A common reason why beginners in particular tend to increase their creatine doses is becauseAfter some time of use, creatine doesn't have the same effect on them as it did at the beginning. For them, the first saturation phase represented a big increase in muscle volume, but from then on the effect was less and less. To get a better effect, they try to increase the dose. But the decrease in creatine absorption by muscle cells is a natural thing that cannot be avoided. The first creatine treatment is therefore always the most effective. However, it is important to remember that frantically increasing the dosage will again bring with it a maximum of so much foodmative effects, as excessive intake of creatine has no effect on building strength or body weight.
What creatine do we recommend?
Creatine is one of the most popular supplements on the market, so it's no surprise that it is available in the form of countless supplements from a large number of manufacturers. Therefore, when choosing, it is necessary to look primarily at the composition of the product and not be tempted by interesting marketing. First of all, you need to be clear about what form of creatine you are looking for. We recommend to play it safe and try creatine monohydrate, which is one of the most researched supplements in the world.
However, monohydrate may not suit everyone, and some athletes experience digestive problems even in smaller doses. In this case, it is advisable to reach for creatine in the form of hydrochloride, for example, which does not cause similar problems. More detailed information about this form of creatine can be found in our separate review of Prom-IN Creatine HCl.
However, if you still don't know how to choose creatine, our ranking of the best creatine for you will help youIn this article we discuss in detail the advantages and disadvantages of the best creatines on the market.
Conclusion.
As mentioned several times in the article, creatine is a safe substance that healthy people need not worry about. Even so, it is possible for it to cause some negative effects when overdosed (just like any other substance). However, there is no need to worry about any serious problems, as these include are mainly indigestion and possibly muscle cramps. There is no maximum daily dose of creatine, but if you follow common sense and the manufacturer's recommendations, you have nothing to worry about. Some people may have problems with the so-called saturation phase, during which theThis phase can be avoided without any problems. And if creatine monohydrate doesn't do you any good, try creatine in the form of hydrochloride, which is much gentler in this respect.
The important thing to remember is that excessive intake of creatine is not actually beneficialso taking any higher doses doesn't really make sense.
And that's all for today's article from our side. But if you have any questions, feel free to leave us a comment and we'll be happy to answer them.
Why can you trust us?
Sport has been my lifelong passion, I have been close to it since I was a child. For a long time I was primarily involved in athletics, which also eventually led me to the gym. Every good sprinter knows that to get one tenth of a start, he must therefore sacrifice hundreds of hours in training. And it was this toil behind the curtain, which no one sees, that was my greatest passion.
Every kilo in the gym helped me to move a little closer to my goal and I fell in love with the gym very quickly. Even though I don't race anymore, nothing has changed in my relationship with uncompromising training.