Words of Warning
This document is the result of data collected from the internet about the adverse effects of creatine. It by no means claims to be totally accurate and is more a summary of what can be found today (September 2009) on the web about creatine. Also note that creatine is an amino acid, is closely related with neurotransmitters and can be purchased as a food supplement.
Dangers of Creatine
More than 40g per day might can cause liver or kidney damage in some persons1.
It is a new discovery (has only been widely-known since 1992) and long-term effects are not known. (Commentaire de Francois: En général, prendre substances qui affectes les neurotransmetteurs débalance toute la production de neurotransmetteurs, et à long-terme (+5ans) cause des changements dans la capacité du corps à en produire en bonne quantité.) Since creatine is used to create creatinine, a neurotransmitter, if you take creatine on a constant basis, you put part of your system in a lazy state and cause an imbalance in the body's capabilities of producing specific neurotransmitters which can have undesirable effects and can take many years to be fully restored.
The biggest danger in taking creatine supplements lies in its contamination with other toxic substances. The more you pay, the more likely you are to get the purest form2. One of the reason why it is so is that the purity of creatine supplement is not reglemented.
Pain in lower leg can be experienced up to 30 days after using creatine which can result in irreversible damage to the peroneal nerve if the pain is experienced for long time (how much exactly?? it doesn't say, I would guess 20 min). The pain is caused by lack of fluid drainage in leg3. Commentaire de Francois: si ça arrive, ça ressemble à des crampes, et il faut activer le muscle (molet) pour réactiver la circulation des fluides. Mettre la jambe en extension, et pointer les orteils vers le haut le plus possible en forcant au moins 3 secondes, ensuite vers le bas.
It can accelerate the formation of kidney stones, so if you are already at risks of forming kidney stones, watch out!
Increased water absorption is associated with high creatine level in muscles. Don't be suprised if you have a small weight-gain during the first weeks of creatine intake -- it is mostly higher water retention (which is not bad and reversible)4. Note that higher thirst may be experienced with creatine intake. Do drink plenty of water and eat high-water containing vegetables and fruits, it's the best way to hydrate yourself (from my personal experiences, during extensive workout (+1h), water from fruits and vegetable keeps me hydrated for longer times). After you stop creatine intake, you may loose some of what you gained during your body-building program, due to water retention going back to normal.
A last word of warning (from me) is not to combine on the same day excercise and coffee if you are under creatine supplements. Coffee will decrease the water content of your cells, and creatine requires higher amount of water. If you add cold weather on top of that, you got a recipe for injury or at least accelerated wear of your articulations. Again this is from me and although I'm very confident about it, I have no sources to back this up. Use your own intuition. For example some people handle coffee very well and are definitly less at risks.
Update: 2016
Creatine will cause significant hair-loss in some men. For that reason alone I suggest not to use creatine supplements.
Benefits of Creatine
Creatine is beneficial for vegetarian with respect to cognitive functions. It helps cognitive functions by providing enhanced energy creation and transportation in the brain. It was noted that vegetarians are much more likely to have a lack in creatine since it is mainly found in meats5.
No need to say it help enhance athletic performances. I recommend reading http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/creatine.html for valuable information on this.
But did you know that red beets also increase athletic performances?!
1. http://enquirer.com/editions/2002/06/17/tem_beware_creatines.html
2. http://ndt.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/18/2/258
3. http://www.nata.org/jat/readers/archives/36.1/i1062-6050-036-01-0085.pdf
4. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=155510
5. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1691485
September 2009, Montreal
