Creatine is a chemical found naturally in the body. It's also in red meat and seafood. It is often used to improve exercise performance and muscle mass.
Creatine is involved in making energy for muscles. About 95% of it is found in skeletal muscle. The majority of sports supplements in the US contain creatine. People who have lower creatine levels when they start taking creatine seem to get more benefit than people who start with higher levels.
People commonly use creatine for improving exercise performance and increasing muscle mass. It is also used for muscle cramps, fatigue, multiple sclerosis (MS), depression, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support most of these uses.
Creatine use is allowed by the International Olympic Committee and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
- Athletic performance.  Oral creatine monohydrate seems to modestly improve rowing, jumping, and soccer performance. It is unclear if it is beneficial for sprinting, cycling, swimming, or tennis performance.
Login for details - Cerebral creatine deficiency syndromes.  Oral creatine seems to improve some symptoms of the cerebral creatine deficiency syndromes guanidinoacetate methyltransferase (GAMT) deficiency and arginine-glycine amidinotransferase (AGAT) deficiency. It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial for creatine transporter defect.
Login for details - Muscle strength.  Oral creatine seems to modestly improve muscle strength. It is unclear if topical creatine is beneficial.
Login for details - Sarcopenia.  When used for up to 12 weeks in combination with resistance training, oral creatine seems to modestly improve muscle strength in older adults. It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial when used as a single dose or for more than 12 weeks.
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- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease).  Oral creatine does not seem to reduce ALS symptoms or increase survival.
Login for details - Huntington disease.  Oral creatine does not seem to reduce symptoms of this condition.
Login for details - Osteopenia.  Oral creatine does not seem to be beneficial for osteopenia.
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- Age-related cognitive decline.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial for the treatment or prevention of age-related cognitive decline.
Login for details - Aging skin.  Topical creatine has only been evaluated in combination with other ingredients; its effect when used alone is unclear.
Login for details - Chronic kidney disease (CKD).  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial in patients with CKD.
Login for details - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial in patients with COPD.
Login for details - Cognitive function.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial for improving cognitive function.
Login for details - Congestive heart failure (CHF).  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial in patients with CHF.
Login for details - Depression.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial for improving symptoms of depression.
Login for details - Diabetes.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial for glycemic control.
Login for details - Fatigue.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial for cognitive fatigue prevention.
Login for details - Fibromyalgia.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial for improving exercise performance in patients with fibromyalgia.
Login for details - Gyrate atrophy.  Anecdotal reports suggest that oral creatine may be beneficial in some patients with gyrate atrophy.
Login for details - Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial in patients with hereditary motor sensory neuropathies.
Login for details - HIV/AIDS-related wasting.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial in patients with muscle wasting associated with HIV.
Login for details - Hyperhomocysteinemia.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial in patients with hyperhomocysteinemia.
Login for details - Inflammatory myopathies.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.
Login for details - Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).  Oral creatine has only been evaluated in combination with other ingredients; its effect when used alone is unclear.
Login for details - McArdle disease.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial for this condition.
Login for details - Mitochondrial myopathies.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial in patients with mitochondrial myopathies.
Login for details - Multiple sclerosis (MS).  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial in patients with MS.
Login for details - Muscle breakdown.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial for muscle breakdown prevention.
Login for details - Muscle cramps.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial in patients with muscle cramps related to hemodialysis.
Login for details - Muscular dystrophy.  The evidence for the use of oral creatine in patients with various forms of muscular dystrophy is conflicting.
Login for details - Neonatal apnea.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial for neonatal apnea treatment.
Login for details - Osteoarthritis.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial in patients with osteoarthritis.
Login for details - Parkinson disease.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial in patients with this condition.
Login for details - Peripheral arterial disease (PAD).  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial in patients with PAD.
Login for details - Postoperative recovery.  Small clinical studies suggest that oral creatine may not improve recovery of muscle strength after knee surgery.
Login for details - Rett syndrome.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial in patients with this condition.
Login for details - Rheumatoid arthritis (RA).  Oral creatine does not seem to improve disease activity in patients with RA, but it might improve muscle strength.
Login for details - Schizophrenia.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial in patients with schizophrenia.
Login for details - Spinal cord injury.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial in patients with spinal cord injury.
Login for details - Spinal muscular atrophy.  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial in patients with spinal muscular atrophy.
Login for details - Traumatic brain injury (TBI).  It is unclear if oral creatine is beneficial in children with a TBI.
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When taken by mouth: Creatine is likely safe for most people. Doses up to 25 grams daily for up to 14 days have been safely used. Lower doses up to 4-5 grams daily for up to 18 months have also been safely used. Creatine is possibly safe when taken long-term. Doses up to 10 grams daily for up to 5 years have been safely used. Side effects might include dehydration, upset stomach, and muscle cramps.
When applied to the skin: There isn't enough reliable information to know if creatine is safe. It might cause side effects such as redness and itching.
Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if creatine is safe to use when pregnant or breast feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.Children: Creatine is possibly safe when taken by mouth, short-term. Creatine 3-5 grams daily for 2-6 months has been taken safely in children 5-18 years of age. Creatine 2 grams daily for 6 months has been taken safely in children 2-5 years of age. Creatine 0.1-0.4 grams/kg daily for up to 6 months has been taken safely in both infants and children.
Bipolar disorder: Creatine might make mania worse in people with bipolar disorder.
Kidney disease: Creatine might make kidney disease worse in people who already have kidney disease. If you have kidney disease, speak with a healthcare professional before using creatine.
Parkinson disease: Caffeine and creatine taken together may make symptoms of Parkinson disease worse. If you have Parkinson disease and take creatine, use caffeine with caution.
It is not known if Creatine interacts with any medicines. Before taking Creatine, talk with your healthcare professional if you take any medications.
Caffeine: Caffeine might decrease creatine's beneficial effects on athletic performance.
There are no known interactions with foods.
Creatine is found in foods such as meat and seafood. Creatine is also found in many different types of sports supplements. In supplements, creatine has most often been used by adults in a one-time loading dose of up to 20 grams by mouth daily for up to 7 days, followed by a maintenance dose of 2.25-10 grams daily for up to 16 weeks. Speak with a healthcare provider to find out what type of product and dose might be best for a specific condition.
Creatine is allowed by the International Olympic Committee and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
2-[carbamimidoyl(methyl)amino]acetic acid, Cr, Creatin, Creatina, Créatine, Créatine Anhydre, Creatine Anhydrous, Creatine Citrate, Créatine Citrate, Creatine Ethyl Ester, Créatine Ethyl Ester, Creatine Ethyl Ester HCl, Créatine Ethyl Ester HCl, Creatine Gluconate, Creatine Hydrochloride, Créatine Kré Alkaline, Creatine Malate, Créatine Malate, Creatine Monohydrate, Créatine Monohydrate, Créatine Monohydratée, Creatine Pyroglutamate, Créatine Pyroglutamate, Creatine Pyruvate, Créatine Pyruvate, Dicreatine Malate, Dicréatine Malate, Di-Creatine Malate, Éthyle Ester de Créatine, Glycine, Kreatin, Kre-Alkalyn Pyruvate, Malate de Tricréatine, Methylguanidine Acetic Acid, N-(aminoiminométhyl)-N-Méthyl, N-(aminoiminomethyl)-N methyl glycine, N-amidinosarcosine, Phosphocreatine, Phosphocréatine, Tricreatine HCA, Tricréatine HCA, Tricreatine Malate, Tricréatine Malate.
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