Below are some of the Dangers of taking Creatine. We strongly
encourage users to review each of these risks before they decide
Creatine is right for them!
Wrong Dosage
Arguably the biggest danger with the use of Creatine is not following
the recommended dosage. Creatine is a supplement and has some very
specific instructions on how to take it. Users who do not follow these
instructions increase their risks tremendously. Not following the
supplement’s instructions can severely effect you even more in the below
dangers!!
Kidney Problems
The use of Creatine (in recommended dosage) has been show to increase the potency of urine by 90 times (Source
WikiPedia).
Although no long lasting study has been performed on humans in regards
to this, it can be assumed that with the current toxicity levels of
urine that sometime that much more potent could cause kidney damage. The
main concerns being a potential for direct toxicity on renal tubules
where urine is formed, and for acceleration of kidney stone formation.
In addition, because of the increased potentcy, taking Creatine often
makes the user test a false positive for kidney problems. It is often
referenced that drinking additional fluids (ie: 10+ glasses of water)
can lessen the chances of testing false positives.
Heat Exhaustion
There have been instances of athletes having Strokes when taking
Creatine. Although no studies have directly linked it to this, several
people believe metabolic changes from high doses of creatine in the body
can lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
Muscle Cramps
Creatine has several dehydrating effects to a
user’s body. This can lead to moderate to severe muscle cramps in some
users. If this occurs during a workout this can obviously cause bodily
harm (ie: Cramps while lifting causing you to drop a weight).
Dehydration
The risk of dehydration with Creatine is perhaps the most accepted
danger of it. The usage instructions on the supplements should clarify
how much water you should take with it, however many people suggest
taking even more to avoid minor-moderate dehyrdration. As previously
mentioned Creatine does cause dehydration in it’s process. This is a
very apparent risk and should not be taken lightly.
There are several other minor/major claims of the dangers of Creatine
but these are the most common/widely accepted problems. Follow some of
the testimonials and stories on the front page to hear some individual
cases. Also please be aware that most of these are reported over time
from many users. There has been very little actual studies done on
humans to prove most of this or to outlaw the use of Creatine.
If you choose to use Creatine, please stay safe!
This article breaks the steroid side effects down, explaining how steroids affect different body parts. Thinking about taking steroids? Read this first.
