Is creatine harmful at all..?

[Integrator]

Following the advice of brother Lmg2701 I'm postin it here:

Tell me, is creatine harmful in any way?? I just bought some and wanted to test it, however some friends told me: no man, its harmfu, dude dont take this shit, and other stuff like that.. Damn it now I don't kno what to do...
:(

[psyko1]

I've read it's not bad for you, but I've been told to do it for 3-4 months then take a month off.

[bigdoglifter]

Creatine, if used properly, is not harmful to the body. Creatine can cause dehydration, which is harmful to the body. If you are going to take creatine, you need to drink at least 64oz of water MORE a day than you are already drinking. I would recommend taking in about a gallon and a half of water a day if you want to use creatine.

If you choose not to drink the water, the dehydration can cause muscle pulls, muscle tears, kidney problems and in a rare case, death. Again, this is from the dehydration affect creatine causes, not the creatine itself.

[bigdoglifter]

Oh yeah, I forgot to add...there is no proven reason you HAVE to cycle off creatine. I would recommend cycling creatine 6 weeks on 3 weeks of if you really want to cycle it. This will also allow you to see the actual mass gains you have made as creatine will cause the muscles to fill with water. It could appear you have made gains, but it is just water in the muscles that you see.

[BeastLt12]

Originally posted by bigdoglifter
Creatine, if used properly, is not harmful to the body. Creatine can cause dehydration, which is harmful to the body. If you are going to take creatine, you need to drink at least 64oz of water MORE a day than you are already drinking. I would recommend taking in about a gallon and a half of water a day if you want to use creatine.

If you choose not to drink the water, the dehydration can cause muscle pulls, muscle tears, kidney problems and in a rare case, death. Again, this is from the dehydration affect creatine causes, not the creatine itself.

very good advice....the more research that is done the more positives they find for creatine! whoever says creatine is harmful has not done any research at all. the only thing i have ever heard is that people who overdose for a long time will lose the body's own natural production of creatine. just follow the recommended doses including the loading phase. before i started to cycle i rarely took time off

[Integrator]

Thx guys!!
I needed that:) I was kinda scared to try, but now...:) I will not take more than 2 pills a day however.

[BeastLt12]

aww man, pills cost too much. you should really buy the powder and make your own shakes. Cell-Tech tastes great if you dont mind a lot of sugar. you can get plain powder and mix it with different juices too. you need some suger to help absorb it, but some think cell-tech is over the top.

[Integrator]

Dude, I don't mind sugar:) I love it, but it's just a problem of gettin the powder... Believe it or not but I just couldn't get it:( They are just not available now...(crap)
But your idea is very good. Just as soon as I get the powder I'll try them out:)

[psyko1]

Originally posted by BeastLt12
just follow the recommended doses including the loading phase. before i started to cycle i rarely took time off

I've actually read that the loading phase isn't necessary if it's taken for a straight month at 5-10 gms, and it's kept being taken after that. What's loading, 20 gms 5 days right? I actually felt nausous (is that a word?) and really bloated while taking in 20 gms. And Intergrator, powders are better. Not available?

[BeastLt12]

loading was nasty, i had to choke down like three mixes a day. and not the good stuff either, i couldnt afford to load with cell tech. lol oh well still solid advice all around

[Integrator]

U were feelin like throwing up?:) right?:)

By loading you mean 20 gms a day through the period of 5 days, am I right? And yes I know they are better. I really want your opinions guys, I really do. Thx for your pointers and I expect more:D its just that the powders are not available...at least now. But hey, I can always grind those pills on powder:rofl: ;)

[BeastLt12]

Originally posted by Integrator
U were feelin like throwing up?:) right?:)

By loading you mean 20 gms a day through the period of 5 days, am I right?

You are correct

[CiViC SpiKeS]

Ive been using cell tech for a while now.. about 4 months... its really great stuff and helped me gain....

i did two 6 week cycles with it.. great stuff to help u recover and build mass... its alot of sugar but ull get used to it with time..

Loading... the first couple of days you might feel somewhat bloated but by the 5th day ull get used to it and then ull go down to the reg servings anyway.. 5 days of bloating wont kill ya.. IMO

[JACKAL]

once you do get the powder check this post out:


http://www.superiormuscle.com/vbulle...&threadid=1774


and why cant you just order some powder off the internet?

[hlcn8]

i sought out the advice of a dr. who specializes in supplements on the side after a patient of his developed nerve damage from poorly manufactured tryptophan, and he's confirmed that even the most conservative of researchers and dr.'s have all agreed that creatine is at least NOT BAD for you. they're of course all still on the fence regarding if and how it's good for you, but anecdotal evidence was enough for me to try it. i wasn't dissapointed... all you peeps on this board are damn knowledgeable, i'm upping my intake of fluids immediately to match what some of you have described, they know what they're talking about integrator!