Download our FREE 9-page Cognitive Enhancement Blueprint: bdnfprotocols.com/

Great information, I have taken creatine for about 7 years, then I began getting terrible g.i pain. I had been mixing it with cold water and noticed that it did not dissolve, but thought nothing about it. Then I read that creatine works best in warm water. I heated a coffee cup filled with water in the microwave and then added creatine and stirred, it dissolved. No more g.i. pain and I can tell increased strength when using creatine. I am over 64 years of age. Thank you!

I am 29 years old. Been taking creatine since I was 18. That’s 11 years of use. By blood worked showed my creatine levels normal and kidneys healthy ….

I started using Creatine in my late 30s on up until about 50. I've been back on it regularly now for about 3 years. I'll be 62 in October and it still works just like back in the day. I've a lot of Mechanical Injuries and the stuff sure makes a difference. 👍

I had chronic headaches for 40 years and nothing worked until I took creatine. Now I rarely have them.

Short answer, yes. I wrote the first articles in the mags (pre internet!) mid 90s about the potential benefits of creatine for health, cellular function etc. The list, supported by stacks of data, of the possible benefits of creatine is long, and unrelated to strength/performance.

I use to work out a lot and took creatine when I was playing baseball. I have an active job now and don’t work out much at all anymore but I was struggling to keep up with my kids after work and was always sore. I started taking creatine again on a whim and it’s made a massive improvement. I wish I had never stopped taking it!

THANK YOU for addressing the potential hairloss claim!!!! I suffer from autoimmune chronic hairloss and refused to try creatine for fear they it would make it worse. To know they no study has actually produced hairloss makes me give it a 2nd look! I’ve searched the internet trying to figure out if it’s true or not for 2 years. Your the first one to actually talk about it that I’ve come across who has scientific knowledge!

I'm 48 and have a well used worn out body and the last 5 ish years Ive been struggling to complete my workouts until starting creatine, I smash my workouts and look to do more. It's amazing!

Safest supplement on the market period. Nothing has been studied more.

I was in deep depression for almost 11 months but I started taking creatine on May 29th 2023 & 2 days later I was told to stop my meds which I just started taking 2 weeks prior. I did not dose high at the beginning. I then went for an Ayurvedic detox in India . I was never depressed again. FYI , I never ever have been depressed ever. Buy mid May I was suicidal. I tried everything , ketamine sprays, and a few different medications, none worked. I’m never going back that dark alley again. I started having depression after my retina detachment surgery. I was fine laughing & all but a month later I couldn’t sleep from 1-5 days straight. Then for the next 45 days I lost 10 kg . My family was giving up on me. It was the most horrible experience ever. Now I realised the entire world of psychiatry is not up to speed. Help a friend / family member get out of this . I’m an international flight attendant who loves motorcycles & enjoy my beer 🍺 & whiskey. I would probably be the last person to ever should have depression. But it hit me hard. Now I’m more health focus & despite gaining more weight than my original weight, my cholesterol levels are down.

Creatine is great for people experiencing energy issues of all kinds imo

I just started a creatine regimen about 6 weeks ago. 5-8 g a day I look bigger feel stronger and recover faster. I’m a new to weight training but it seems to work great .Would recommend to anyone

I appreciate her strait knowledge with no fat in her explanations!

I'm a 57 year old male, run 4 days a week and lift 2 days a week. My work outs are 35 to 45 min. I've been doing this consistently for over a year. I've never taken creatine before. I heard of its benefits and decided to start taking it. I take one scoop daily. I've done this for over a month. I took it because I had plateaued and every time I tried to increase weight I'd wind up with aggravating old injury's. I've been able to be less sore after work outs. I've been able to increase every area of my weight training by minimum of 15% without injury. I've been treating the injury areas with a medicine ball. So far I've been very pleased with the result. My message therapist says I've noticeably increased in bulk by 5 to 10%. I'm thinking about adding protein powder to my regiment to see if I get further gains.

I used creatine for about a year and I believe it caused terrible headaches. I think that the reason may be that creatine retains water not just in muscles, but also in the brain, which increases internal pressure, which causes headache. Additionally after I did a blood test, I found that my blood creatinine level was high. Half a year after I stopped using creatine, the creatinine level was back to normal and the headache was less often. I do not use it anymore.

0:46 o snap! I started 5g of creatine per day a couple of months ago but didn't notice a huge difference - upped my magnesium intake a couple of weeks ago and almost overnight experienced a big jump in workout performance, this maybe explains it

Take it every day! Definitely helps with strength.

It doesn't cause hair loss. It causes telegen effluvium (shock loss) to those who are already prone to hair loss. This is probably because it temporarily causes DHT levels to surge, and those who have sensitive hair follicles (such as myself) may experience a temporarily shed. This has happened to me several times so I got off. But this final time around I decided to stick it out and after a few months, my hair came back even while still taking creatine. If I stop taking it, I could experience a shed again. Hope this helps people 🙏 🙂

Love your content Rhonda! Such a unique character, keep being yourself.

I really liked what creatine did for me in the gym, but I had quite a bit of trouble with muscle cramping, including one trip in the middle of the night with a severe forearm cramp. I reflected on my goals, I'm about to be 73 years old, already quite strong. One reason I work out, is to continue enjoying riding my horses. I decided that it did not help my horses, at all, for me to gain more mass or strength. If I had different goals, maybe, I keep using it. It does make a discernible difference in the gym.

The rugby study didn’t select directly subjects with androgenetic MPB. The study was far too short finishing at three weeks when DHT levels were actually dropping and no hair count measures were in place pre and post. Your findings from following studies is very enlightening and encouraging. As a Norwood 7 who has had my total bald area transplanted I think I am willing to go back on creatine. I’m 57 and feel I will significantly benefit health wise with my workouts and I diet accordingly. Many thanks for sharing.

If I’m not mistaken there are misconceptions regarding water weight and creatine supplementation. Water is only increased inside the muscles. It does not cause edema, bloating or puffiness with more water in-between cells. Regarding kidney function, which can cause edema, physionic on youtube went through the research and stated even though creatinin does increase, kidney function isn’t affected whatsoever.

I used creatine for a while as part of my routine, had a period of illness, needed blood tests, GFR came back indicating Kidney disease with elevated creatinine, thankfully made the link to Creatine supplementation and stopped it for a couple weeks and increase water intake. Bloods were repeated and came back fine. Maybe something to keep in mind to save worry should this appear in your blood tests

We can't really determine whether it has an impact on DHT levels based solely off the studies that record Testosterone. It could be the case that creatine increases 5 alpha reductase activity which would increase DHT. A study needs to be done to determine this.

So good. Been using Creatine daily and it’s improved my overall energy on the bike as a cyclists and in the gym during lifting.

As I’ve gone more animal based and gotten many benefits and I hear of a substance that does this or that I then look up food sources of that substance. More often then not meat or eggs end up being a great source of it. In this case creatine, yep, Beef, pork, tuna, salmon, and cod all contain between 1.4 to 2.3 grams of creatine per pound. Herring contains the most creatine at 3 to 4.5 grams per pound

Yes, yes you should

Great overview on creatine 👌

I thought loading creatine hasn’t been a thing for years? The standard I’ve heard is 5g/day up to 10g/day if you’re a big dude. After a month of that it’s fully in your system.

I read the article in your paper on using creatine. I am age 76 and t2 diabetic who thru lifestyle dropped a1c to 5.5. My two issues are: Benefits and risks with PTSD veterans. And Benefits and risks to old men like me. Thanks Robert

Definitely noticed the weight gain while supplementing with it.

What about L-carnitine? I think there are two types? Which does which? Powder form? Liquid form? Before/after workout? I’ve heard good things but I’ve never seen a full analysis. Just a thought

I am 59 years old , a runner and in pretty good shape! I took creatine for a few months and my kidney function tested low on my blood panels! I stopped the creatine and my levels returned to normal! No more creatine for me, thank you!

it wrecks my sleep unfortunately :(. I went on and off it several times. it gave me great energy throughout the day though.

When on creatine I always target for at least a gallon of water.

Creative gives me horrendous insomnia. It also has some positive effects for me but nothing is worth messing up sleep.

Thank you for all that you do

00:29 💪 Creatine is essential for muscle energy production and is converted to phosphocreatine, a key player in ATP production. 01:22 💥 Creatine supplementation can enhance muscle power and performance, leading to gains in muscle performance and growth. 02:03 🏋‍♂ Creatine monohydrate is regarded as the most effective supplement for increasing strength, power, and muscle mass. 03:38 🧓 Adding creatine supplementation to resistance training may amplify benefits for older adults, counteracting age-related declines in muscle mass and strength. 04:08 🧠 Creatine supplementation combined with resistance training improves strength, muscular endurance, fat-free mass, and bone mineral density. 05:42 🚫 Creatine supplementation does not have serious adverse risks and may even promote various health and performance benefits. 06:10 💇 Concerns about creatine causing hair loss are based on limited studies showing increased DHT levels, but broader research suggests no significant impact on testosterone or DHT levels.

I took 5 grams of creatine daily for a few months and my annual blood test showed elevated creatinine levels interpreted as low eGFR, causing my doctor to diagnose me with kidney damage. I tried to explain to her that the presence of creatinine is not necessarily an indication of kidney damage but only a consequence of creatine supplementation, but she advised me to stop using creatine and get another blood test

My e-GFR was that of a 75 year old when I was on creatine, and went back to normal when the kidney doc told me to go off of it to see how my kidneys reacted. I went off and it went to actually being slightly better than average for my age. Which really sucks because I enjoyed all the benefits it gave me

Does creatine cause enlarged prostate? Through increasing DHT?

Careful with this folks, i suffered weight gain due to water retention

I have sleeping issues. But I use a micro-dose of 0.15g of creatine. It keeps me awake and alert all day. Magic. But too much, and I can't sleep. I do weight training 4 x a week.

Creatine daily. LOVE DR RHONDA

Not sure if I'm one of the few that this happened to, but my blood pressure went up after taking creatine for a short while. No KZfaqr is talking about it though and no one mentions any studies suggesting it can happen to people. Just something to watch out for for people with any concerns about their blood pressure. What is the cause I don't know, but you do increase water retention don't you so perhaps that might be the case? My blood pressure went back to normal once stopping creatine supplementation. Rarely hear people talk about this so perhaps it's not very common. But something people might wanna keep in mind and monitor if they take creatine.

No one ever talks about how much water you need to drink while on a maintenance phase of taking creatine. Why is this? Can you please discuss this or direct me to where I can find out?

I was bald _before_ I started taking Creatine so I don't care 🙂

Hi, Dr. P! Did you mean 0.03-0.08 g/kg BW at 5:17? You said 0.3-0.8, but at my roughly 100kg BW, that would be 30-80 grams of supplementation PER DAY, which is insane. At 0.03-0.08 g/kg BW, that would be 3-8g/day, which makes much more sense. Thanks!

Most elderly people have problems getting up off the floor. As a child you spend a lot of time on the floor, adults do not. Doing yoga / stretching exercises on the floor can improve balance, mobility, flexibility and the ability to get up and down.. Just getting up and down to the floor in a controlled manner is difficult for many older adults. Play with your children on the floor. Bend over, get down and pull weeds in your garden. Play with a pet on the floor. The more effort you make to work on balance and flexibility will pay dividends as you age.

Have been taking creatine for about 2 years. A few weeks back I was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. Doctors couldn’t find a reason why it happened(I rarely drink alcohol, I don’t smoke and my cholesterol is very good) My doctor did find one study with mice that indicates that pancreatitis could be a result of creatine use. I am going for an endoscopy in a week and I plan to ask the gastro doctor if I can start back with my 5mg doses again. Any feedback or info regarding this premise would be appreciated.

Creatine causes mania for some people,which I think needs to be talked about more. I have attempted using creatine (5 grams and day) over at least 5 periods in as many years and every time I get to saturation point the mania sets in and my life falls apart. I am so grateful I discovered this horrible side effect but it wasn't before it ruined a 4 year relationship I was in.

I realize that I know nothing so I rely upon trusted sources for information. Rhonda is one of those trusted sources

Creatine does help, bit the only way yu would know is if you track your training because the amount is so small. But it means a lot for people that track that one rep or those 5 pounds.

I got back into training after 4 years; I have never been that athletic in my life. Obviously, it's hard for me since it's been an extended hiatus period therefore, I can't say with certainty whether I wish to try adding creatine to my supplement arsenal. I don't believe I need it; my current training is more of a functional approach. However, having read of the numerous benefits of creatine when it comes to cognitive function, anxiety, etc. I am hesitant with supplementing creatine because I experience bloating and some other side effects due to the TNF, I am taking for an autoimmune condition that I've been suffering; I have no clue if creatine worsens it or not. Nevertheless, I found the information incredibly useful, and I'll have to give it some thoughts. Grateful.

Really interesting info. Is there any research to explore the effect of creatine on blood pressure?? I have seen some Google citations suggesting creatine supplementaion can increase blood pressure. Anecdotally speaking only and with all things being equal(exercise, sleep, diet, daiky sodium intake, etc.,) I personally experienced a significant increase in blood pressure that tracked with the weekly creatine water gain I experienced and overall 4 lb creatine water gain after one month. I don’t and never have had blood pressure issuess, my blood pressure has always been in optimal range, I am not on any meds for anything let alone, high blood pressure and I am super fit, not obese. Luckily as my precreatine blood pressure was optimal, the creatine increase only pushed me to borderline optimal of 119/79 or slightly above 121/81 This was a consistent average reading I tracked over the month. Pre creatine supplementation my consistent average blood pressure was 103/70

I began taking it recently and had to stop, because it was not only making me noticeably bloated in the face (assuming due to muscular water retention - I have a pretty thick jawline, and it just swelled up and I looked puffy), but I was also noticing some OCD tics that I occasionally get when I’m over stimulated were flaring up bad. I did some googling and apparently creatine can activate the NMDA receptors? To my limited understanding I believe this means it can be excitatory or stimulating for some people, and I think this was happening to me. It’s a shame because I noticed an immediate impact in the gym and I had more stamina and my muscles were fuller - my biceps in particular really blew up!

Many report increased aggressiveness and irritability when on creatine. This is true for me. Would like to hear more on this topic.

Daily exercise is key to as healthy life. Ride a bicycle to school, work or for fun. Riding a bicycle is a great way to exercise. Ebikes are bringing many older adults back to cycling. Cities need to do more to encourage people to ride bicycles. Safe protected bike lanes and trails are needed so adults and children can ride safely. Speak up for bicycles in your community. Bicycles make life and cities better. Ask your local transportation planner and elected officials to support more protected bike lanes and trails. Children should be riding a bicycle to school and not be driven in a minivan. Be healthier and happier. Ride a bicycle regularly. Make a bicycle your transportation option for short distance travel.

Great for depression as well.

Hair loss for me. Tried it on three different occasions and the same thing each time.

YES. Who doesn't know this by now? Been taking it since 1994.

Do you think swimmers should take creatine? I suffer from intense mental fog the day after a moderate swim (20-30 minutes in the pool) and I notice it get worse as I get older. The effects include not being able to focus, difficulty retaining what I read, almost like I am dyslexic. I don't have that mental fog when I simply run/lift weights but I love swimming and its effects (minus the negative aforementioned). Thank you so much for all you do!

Any data on creatine and prostate enlargement?

10gr daily for last 23yrs here. Love it

I took creatine for just two days before I started getting a tingling feeling all over my scalp. I haven’t started balding yet, but my dad is bald af, and so if i have a genetic predisposition for hair loss, i really don’t want to speed up that process.

Was that a yes?

I have cycled creatine for 25+ years and have found a marked reduction in stamina during long distance running while taking it. Stopping creatine during race training has become a requirement. Has this been studied or is it just me?

Creatine creates a weird bloating for me where I can squeeze my forearm or lower calf and it will live indentations of my fingers in my tissue. Super weird and definitely does not seem good. Anyone else have this issue?

As someone who's done cycles in the past and TRT and knows the results they give. Creatin is the closest I've felt to that... Its a safe supplement, easy to use, zero side effects. brings results for most users. Minority say it does nothing for them.

This last winter I got into breakfast oats or chia seeds depending how I feel. I started adding creatine along with kefir and my mood and energy levels Increased noticeably, I used to be at work like MAN I CANT FIND THE WILL TO USE MY MUSCLES. And now it feels GOOD to use my muscles

Hey Rhonda! Is there any reason you can think of that taking creatine, or anything else would ramp up anxiety? I’m talking anything, I was taking glutamine two weeks ago and it messed me up for a week. It was awful. Maybe it’s not that actual supplement or vitamin that is doing it but something underlying that is reacting to these things, either way it is super frustrating…. Thoughts?

I loaded with creatine years ago and got kidney pain so I stopped doing that now I just take 5g before workouts and occasionally the following day if I’m sore because it helps me heal faster. I notice a discernible difference in strength with creatine dosing right before workouts. No need to load.

Creatine made me stronger and bigger, but I have male pattern baldness and so the increase it made in dht made me lose more hair, so I can't use it.

I read some papers about creatine not being great for people with cancer. Stopped then and haven't been able to sort through whether to re-start.

I took creatine in college and it was great for breaking plateaus, but definitely made you fluffy. Not necessary unless you’re a serious weight lifter

I took it for several months and it adversely effected my sleep to the point where I only slept about 4 hours and would wake up. I didn't suspect it was Creatine since NO ONE and I mean no one, mentions it on videos or in articles. Thru the process of deduction, I stopped taking it and my sleep improved and returned to it's previous state. Important to note that I'm in my fifties and sleep times have become shorter for the last 3 years but Creatine made it Much worse. I then read hundreds of comments made by people whose sleep was effected just like mine was.

How would the weight gain be measured? Just water or also increased muscle mass?

Why is no one talking about bad sleep and heart palpitations from creatine? I have been trying out every brand there is and it’s always the same thing for me.

You always have the good stuff

The answer is yes.

So a friend who lifts in his 50s has noticed that his liver function is low so he stopped using creatine and the promblem resolved itself. Would taking ATP be better than creatine?

Made me feel queasy at early morning canoe training.

Can u please tell me if dhea is safe to take

I've used it for a while. The only side effect that I have noticed, and it's not one that is particularly considered as real (it is to me though), is an increased tendency to get cramps in various places where I never had them before. Not terrible, but certainly I didn't get them before.

Don't understand why creatine makes my ears ring loudly or why no one else reports this?

Dr. Rhonda, great video as always. Can people with Hypertension (on meds) take it too?

One of a handful of essentisl, including k2 / mk7, TMG, hyaluronic acid (suppliment), fish-oil, magnesium, zinc, niacin and D3.

You know, you know, you know, you know….no, I don’t, that is why I am watching the video

I snort creatine before each morning workout 🏋️

The codes for the diagnoses are not representative of the number of people who were diagnosed with these ailments, but simply the total number of diagnoses, as one person could have multiple ailments. The Department of Defense had not responded to a request for comment as of this article's publication deadline.

I can't tolerate oral magnesium. Started spraying diluted magnesium chloride topically and finding success so far.

I didn't understand what you said. So should i or or not?

I am kind of surprised that some people don't know the research on creatine. But, I mean no offense by that! A lot of newer lifters, may not know the long creatine research and evidence. It's one of the most researched and tested supplements for training, ever! I first took creatine around '89, and noticed right away. I'd say, it was the most beneficial supplement for me in the early days. The benefits. I feel like over the years...for me at least, the benefits have not been as apparent. The loading phase was also proven to be not required nor necessary. I hope some of you have never tried creating, give it a try. It is one of the few supplements that can make a noticable difference.

You have to cosupplememt Creatine with B6, Magnesium, Potassium, Taurine, Glycine , Inositol and Sodium (Pink salt), else long term you may develop elevated creatinine and kidney inflammation. Hydration is key with Creatine and hydration is Not intake of water, Hydration is cellular absorption of water while maintaining extra and intra cellular fluid balance .....and magnesium, potassium, sodium (salt), taurine, glycine, inositol, and creatine help with that.

Everyone knows that creatine is over of the best supplements, is safe and works. No one should be asking questions. Just take it

It's in beef, too. So many reasons they don't want us to eat cows.

Best creatine to get is the cheapest kind, micronized monohydrate. Studies show that monohydrate is the most effective. There are many different kinds of creatine, they cost much more than monohydrate but are not as good. Creatine will not mix well with water soo i use a couple cups of hot water and a lot of agitation to get the powder to fully dissolve. I then have a hot shower and the creatine seems to inflate me by hydrating my muscles within 30 min, mostly my upper body. When i take it for a week i notice i can gain about 10% more strength, 10% more endurance, 10% more motivation,10% more size and weight. The downside are if i take more than 10g i start to feel very slightly dizzy and i feel a slight headache, kinda like if you drink too much water or not enough. I've tried creatine monohydrate for over 20 years on and off and i really think its safe to take as long as you want. I don't think creatine works as good if you are just beginning to lift weights. It seems to work best if you introduce it when you stop making gains. Studies show that some people above 200 lbs may not feel much from a 10g a day dose, some people with more muscle mass need closer to 20g a day. It would be smart to start with 5g a day and increase the dose until you start to feel it, you will feel it working. If you feel nothing from creatine monohydrate then that probably means you get enough creatine already from your diet. Creatine is in almost all forms of meat protein but cooking destroys up to 30% of it. If you want to build proper muscle fast you need to eat muscle.

I'm an older active adult. I tried to take creatine but started experiencing kidney pain. Maybe I'll give it another try to see if it still happens.

Gratitude for the video. Creatine put me in the emergency room in scream out loud pain with one dose, lesson learned. Made stage 4 cancer and chemo look like a picnic. Id been fine for 20 years after chemo. Had no idea of residual kidney damage. Creatine can be deadly. Spoke with a gent who's Dad did die of it. It's a very dangerous supplement and rarely are it's horrors mentioned. I did research, no mention of the many possible harms. 2cD