How Much Creatine Should You Take Per Day for Muscle Growth?

Creatine is a chemical naturally found in your body. It’s also a popular sports supplement that has been widely researched.

Creatine is most commonly used to increase muscle mass and strength. However, it may also be beneficial for general health as well as certain health conditions, including diabetes, osteoporosis, and memory loss.

For muscle gains, the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) recommends a loading phase of creatine at a dose of 0.3 g per kilogram (kg) of body weight four times a day for five to seven days. This is followed by a maintenance dose of 3–5 g of creatine, which is recommended. Athletes with larger bodies may require as much as 10 g per day.

For personalized dosing recommendations, talk with a qualified healthcare provider.

Factors Influencing Creatine Dosage

Creatine dosage may depend on factors like:

• Age
• Body size
• Gender
• Training goals
• Training intensity

Creatine supplementation may benefit those performing high-intensity or resistance exercises the most.

A healthcare provider can help you find an appropriate creatine dose personalized to your needs if necessary.

How Does Creatine Work?

Creatine is a chemical that is produced in your body to help make energy. Its main job is to provide energy to tissues and organs that need it, such as the muscles and the brain. Your body makes about half of the creatine you need each day. To maintain adequate creatine stores, you need to obtain it from foods like meat and fish. Dietary supplements may also help you meet your creatine needs.

In your muscles, creatine can be converted to phosphocreatine. During exercise, phosphocreatine is broken down and used to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), your body’s main energy source. This process is especially helpful during high-intensity exercise.

Types of Creatine

Several types of creatine are used in dietary supplements.

Creatine monohydrate is the most researched type of creatine. It is also believed to be the most effective type of creatine for athletes. This may be due to its high bioavailability (a measure of how much of a substance is absorbed and utilized in the body).

Many other types of creatine are available. These include:

• Creatine citrate
• Creatine maleate
• Creatine pyruvate
• Creatine orotate
• Creatine hydrochloride (HCL)
• Creatine ethyl ester (CEE)
• Creatyl-l-leucine
• Creatinol-o-phosphate (COP)
• Buffered creatine

Unfortunately, research on these other types of creatine is lacking overall.

What Is the Best Time to Take Creatine?

According to one review, research seems to suggest that after exercise is the best time to take creatine. However, researchers believe that stronger evidence is needed before it’s recommended that creatine be used post-exercise.

Additional studies have found similar benefits of using creatine before or after exercise. There is also some evidence from small studies that suggests using creatine during resistance training may increase muscle strength and endurance.

Although more research is needed on timing, the ISSN does agree that taking creatine with carbohydrates or carbohydrates and protein may increase the amount of creatine your body absorbs.

Benefits of Creatine Supplementation

Proven benefits of creatine supplementation include:

• Improved physical performance
• Decreased protein breakdown
• Increased muscle mass
• Enhanced post-exercise recovery

Research continues on creatine’s other potential uses, and some studies show that it may provide additional health benefits. These include:

More research is needed on whether creatine has additional health benefits. Until then, talk with a healthcare provider if you’re interested in using creatine for a health condition.

Safety Considerations and Side Effects

Creatine supplementation is generally considered safe, but some people may experience side effects, including:

Some early reports of creatine use causing water retention have been debunked. Several studies show no increases in water retention caused by creatine supplementation.

Additional claims that creatine supplementation damages the kidneys or causes hair loss are also unsubstantiated. There is no solid evidence that using recommended dosages of creatine leads to kidney damage or hair loss.

The best way to avoid potential side effects when using creatine is to use it only as directed and never take more than you should.

How Much Is Too Much Creatine?

Creatine is considered safe to use in daily doses as high as 20 g for up to one week and up to 10 g for up to 16 weeks. Taking more than this may increase the risk of side effects.

Fortunately, excess creatine your body doesn’t need is converted to creatinine and then excreted through your urine. This means that your body does a good job of removing any extra creatine you may take.

Play it safe and only use creatine supplements as directed.

Using Creatine With Other Supplements or Medications

There isn’t strong evidence that creatine supplements interact negatively with medications. There is some concern that creatine may interact with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as Advil or Motrin (ibuprofen) and Aleve (naproxen), and other medications that affect the kidneys. However, this potential interaction is not well-documented.

Creatine may also interact with caffeine supplements, commonly used to aid physical performance. According to one systematic review, chronic use of creatine and caffeine together may cause creatine to work less effectively. This potential interaction may be due to gastrointestinal (stomach) distress.

More research is needed on these and other potential interactions. If you take any medications or supplements, talk with a healthcare provider to learn if creatine is safe for you.

Monitoring Creatine Intake

Research shows that creatine supplementation may increase strength, muscle mass, and a stronger capacity to exercise for longer periods. Simply put, you may notice that your physical performance is improved in various ways after using creatine.

Creatine supplements may take anywhere from one week to a few weeks to start showing effects. The time it takes for creatine to work may depend on your dosing regimen.

If your physical performance doesn’t improve after using creatine, you may need to adjust your dose. A healthcare provider or RD can help you with this.

Summary

Your body uses creatine to make energy during exercise. Creatine has been widely researched, with many studies finding that it increases anaerobic capacity, increases muscle mass, and improves physical performance.

When dosing creatine, a loading phase followed by a maintenance phase is common. Creatine dosage may range from about 3 to 20 g per day, depending on several factors.

Creatine supplements are considered safe for most people to use, with few side effects or adverse events reported. Talk with a healthcare provider to learn more about how to safely use creatine.