Creatine Monohydrate

Good nutritional profile

Creatine monohydrate powder, the most studied training supplement; 3-5 g a day, no calories.

Creatine tops up the phosphocreatine store muscle draws on for the first seconds of hard effort, which shows up as a rep or two more per set and slightly faster gains in strength and lean mass over weeks of training. It works by saturation, not by timing: 3-5 g every day fills the store in about four weeks, and a loading week of 20 g a day only gets there sooner. Plain monohydrate is the form the research used; the pricier variants have not beaten it. It draws water into muscle, so a kilogram or so on the scale in the first weeks is expected and is not fat. It raises blood creatinine without harming the kidneys, which matters when reading a lab report. To track it as a daily course with reminders, use the medication catalog.

As a supplement

Supplement page: dosing, interactions, lab tests →

Typical dose

3–5 g

1× a day

Times

Any time

A usual adult range, not a national label — the dose and the timing differ by country and by product.

Used for

Physical performance
Energy

What to know while taking it

Timing and food are flexible, as it can be taken with or without a meal. It draws water into muscle, so adequate fluid intake matters throughout the day. It also raises measured serum creatinine simply because creatine breaks down into it, without any injury to the kidneys, which in turn lowers a calculated eGFR; anyone having kidney markers checked should mention that they take it, so a harmless laboratory shift is not read as kidney disease.

When to see a doctor

A rising creatinine accompanied by real symptoms, such as reduced urine output, swelling, or persistent nausea, is not the expected laboratory artefact and warrants seeing a doctor. Pre-existing kidney disease is a reason to ask a doctor before starting.