Irritating Correlation

[dza76wutang]

There seems to be a correlation between me taking creatine and me having diarrhea and general stomach discomfort. Is this all in my head or am I somehow taking creatine incorrectly and giving myself diarrhea/gas?

I read that creatine can irritate the GI in excess, but I'm not even sure I'm nailing 5 grams, let alone going over it. I use a tea spoon, throw it in water, stir it up, drink it down.

TL;DR - Creatine, am I doing it wrong?

 

[Mooney]

I dont take creatine, nor do i know alot about it, but have you tried mixing it up in a shake or something in a food processor? could help

 

[Monger]

There seems to be a correlation between me taking creatine and me having diarrhea and general stomach discomfort.

I've seen this before when loading but I don't recall seeing anything on it in regards to maintenance doses.

You could try micronized creatine monohydrate. Supposedly it's helped with those issues for some.

 

[dropshot001]

it's probably because you aren't absorbing the creatine well...could be a lower grade creatine to begin with. what brand is it?

 

[dza76wutang]

it's probably because you aren't absorbing the creatine well...could be a lower grade creatine to begin with. what brand is it?

It's creapure creatine, but not micronized AFAIK, it's from Prolab. I also wondered if the problem was taking it straight in water and not in something else, like juice or a protein shake. It's also possible that I'm just dumping too much in the cup, I'll try a reduced amount first unless anyone says "DUDE MIX IT WITH X!!!".

I was posting predominantly to see:
1.) Is this all in my head or can creatine do that, seems like creatine can in fact do that.
2.) Is it wrong to take it in plain water?

 

[dropshot001]

i personally take it far away from meals. are you doing this too?

 

[bnosam]

It's creapure creatine, but not micronized AFAIK, it's from Prolab. I also wondered if the problem was taking it straight in water and not in something else, like juice or a protein shake. It's also possible that I'm just dumping too much in the cup, I'll try a reduced amount first unless anyone says "DUDE MIX IT WITH X!!!".

I was posting predominantly to see:
1.) Is this all in my head or can creatine do that, seems like creatine can in fact do that.
2.) Is it wrong to take it in plain water?

1) I doubt it's in your head because I've heard of people getting cramps and such from creatine.

2) Try taking it with a small meal and see how that works.

 

[Monger]

2.) Is it wrong to take it in plain water?

No. I suspect, if anything, taking it with food would be better than without in terms of the issues you’re experiencing.

FYI,

Res Sports Med. 2008;16(1):15-22.

Gastrointestinal distress after creatine supplementation in athletes: are side effects dose dependent?
Ostojic SM, Ahmetovic Z.

Biomedical Sciences Department, Faculty of Sport and Tourism TIMS, PA University of Novi Sad, Serbia. [email protected]

Abstract
The main aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of two different creatine-supplementation protocols on incidence of gastrointestinal (GI) distress in top-level athletes. Data were collected from 59 top-level male soccer players who were allocated in a double-blind design to three randomly assigned trials: ingesting creatine supplement (C5: 2 x 5-g doses, and C10: 1 x 10-g dose) or placebo (P) for 28 days. In order to assess potential side effects of the supplementation regimen, all subjects were instructed to report any adverse effects of supplementation on their GI system. Survey questions covered perceived side effects on GI system linked with creatine supplementation. In all three treatment groups, the most frequent GI complaints were diarrhoea (39.0%), stomach upset (23.8%), and belching (16.9%). We did not find a significant difference between incidence of GI distress symptoms between C5 and the placebo group after the survey. Yet, significant differences were found for incidence of diarrhoea between the C5 and C10 groups (28.6% vs. 55.6%, respectively, p < 0.05). Moreover, diarrhoea was more frequent in the C10 group as compared with the placebo group (55.6% vs. 35.0%, p < 0.05). There is no reason to believe that short-term oral creatine supplementation for 28 days has any detrimental effect on the GI tract if taken in a recommended amount (10 g per day in two equal doses). The risk of diarrhoea may be increased, however, following intake of 10 grams of creatine per single serving.

PMID: 18373286 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Here's the way I see it...

1. You're measuring wrong and taking more than you think at one time.
2. Try taking it with food.
3. Try using the micronized as it will absorb quicker and may alleviate the issues.
4. You're fucked. Deal with it or stop taking it. God hates you.

 

[bnosam]

No. I suspect, if anything, taking it with food would be better than without in terms of the issues you

 

[dza76wutang]

No. I suspect, if anything, taking it with food would be better than without in terms of the issues you

 

[bnosam]

Perfect! I doubt it's #4 since it's such an innocuous supplement so I'm probably dosing wrong. Any foods that should be avoided or encouraged? Like I know you shouldn't eat calcium with ZMA, but I don't know anything about creatine.

I heard bad things about creatine being mixed with dog semen. I haven't had any issues myself with this though...wait wut

 

[Monger]

Perfect! I doubt it's #4 since it's such an innocuous supplement so I'm probably dosing wrong.

Maybe. Or you're just one of the unlucky bastards that are sensitive to it.

Any foods that should be avoided or encouraged?

Not really. But just because I'm sure someone will try to correct me on this... taking it with carbs and/or sodium might help speed up the saturation process in the short term. But once saturated, speed no longer matters. And since you'll get saturated eventually with consistent dosing, I think it's all pretty irrelevant in the long-term.

As for your specific GI issues, I doubt it'd matter. Just take it with a meal and see if it helps or not.

Like I know you shouldn't eat calcium with ZMA

This is highly exaggerated by supplement companies. Taking calcium 'supplements' with ZMA might not be a good idea. Eating foods containing calcium with ZMA is perfectly fine. The reason is that trials that show interference with mag and cal were done with high supplemental dosages. Trials done with lesser dosages don't find the same interference. Moral of the story is that it's dosage dependant and smaller, normal dosages don't have the same problem.

 

[dza76wutang]

This is highly exaggerated by supplement companies. Taking calcium 'supplements' with ZMA might not be a good idea. Eating foods containing calcium with ZMA is perfectly fine. The reason is that trials that show interference with mag and cal were done with high supplemental dosages. Trials done with lesser dosages don't find the same interference. Moral of the story is that it's dosage dependant and smaller, normal dosages don't have the same problem.

Oh snap this means I eat yogurt post-workout now! Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

As for sensitivity, I'm pretty sure I'm not. American Stamina claims to have like 10 grams of creatine and I never got the shits from that, however, that was in a blended supplement with other stuff.

 

[Butler]

Different brands/types/qualities of creatine do different things to different people.

Often it's poor quality creatine that causes people problems, but I do know people who seem to have digestion problems with even the most expensive creapure.

 

[TMMAray]

I doubt this is the issue, but make sure that it's fully dissolved in a sufficient amount of water before you drink it.

 

[dza76wutang]

Well apparently my "tea spoon" has been a "table spoon" that might explain the problem...smh.

 

[EddieH4444]

Well apparently my "tea spoon" has been a "table spoon" that might explain the problem...smh.

Same thing I used to do and I would also get an upset stomach.

IIRC, a tea spoon =~ 1/3 of a table spoon.

 

[dza76wutang]

Same thing I used to do and I would also get an upset stomach.

IIRC, a tea spoon =~ 1/3 of a table spoon.

Yea, I must have been triple dosing the creatine.

I also ate post workout, so hopefully that's a 2 pronged attack against digestive system irritation.

 

[Monger]

Well apparently my "tea spoon" has been a "table spoon" that might explain the problem...smh.

LoL, at least you found the problem.

 

[mowrown]

It's worth noting that with some frequency household "teaspoons" are far larger than an actual measuring teaspoon. Not sure which you're using for your creatine dosing, but it's worth comparing.