When should I take creatine (before, after or during exercise)?

Taking creatine is uncomplicated, because a constant level in the blood should be achieved by taking small doses continuously. The time of day at which the creatine is taken is therefore relatively unimportant for the mode of action. In addition, the creatine does not work immediately after ingestion anyway, but with a latency of up to one week.

On days when no exercise is done, the creatine can be taken in the morning before breakfast. On training days, it is advisable to take it after training together with a protein shake if taken. Taking it during training makes less sense, as the creatine cannot be absorbed and transported to the muscles as quickly anyway.

When substituting creatine, a continuous intake is recommended, i.e. a daily intake of 2-3 g creatine per day for several months. This does not mean a lifelong intake, usually a period of 3 – 6 months is recommended. After this period, the creatine can be discontinued for the time being in order to assess the effect.

The creatine should account for an increase in strength training performance in the anaerobic range of 10 – 15%. If the effect does not occur, substitution is no longer advisable. Creatine can help strength training to get beyond performance plateaus, but is generally not intended to be taken continuously for years.

Risks associated with creatine intake

Taking creatine can lead to certain risks. Before taking creatine, you should therefore seek advice from a pharmacy or your family doctor and clarify any risks. These risks can include pre-existing conditions, overdose and incorrect diet.

A not inconsiderable risk that should be mentioned here is the contamination of the preparations with anabolic steroids. In some manufacturers, contamination with anabolic steroids has been detected during filling. This is due to the fact that the same industrially used machines were used for the filling of creatine and anabolic steroids.

Alcohol is generally not well-tolerated by sports performance. Creatine causes increased water consumption as a result of water being stored in the muscle cells. Alcohol consumption after sport, especially in a creatine cure, is absolutely not recommended and damages the body during recovery.

Above all, however, the effect of the creatine is negatively affected, as alcohol removes the water from the body that the creatine stores in the muscle cells. Dehydration caused by alcohol consumption in a creatine regimen can carry risks and side effects and significantly lower the athlete’s performance level for some time. It is therefore urgently recommended to avoid the intake of alcohol.

Side effects of creatine

Side effects of creatine occur mainly in the so-called “loading phase”. With this form of intake one tries to completely “refill” the creatine storage of the body within five to seven days. For this purpose, very high doses of up to 20g per day are administered.

In the meantime, however, experts recommend taking smaller doses over a longer period of time (maximum 5g per day). If the creatine stores are then charged, smaller doses of 2g per day are also sufficient. The side effects of creatine are mainly muscle cramps and water retention (and thus weight gain).

The cramps can usually be relieved with magnesium. Although creatine is a well-controlled preparation, side effects may occur if used incorrectly. These include bad breath, flatulence, vomiting, nausea, muscle cramps, water retention and diarrhoea.

These side effects are caused either by insufficient fluid intake or by excessive doses of creatine. Only when the body has fully recovered can the creatine cure be started again. A risk that every athlete can control himself refers to the quality and purity of the creatine.

Before buying, the athlete should find out whether the selected preparation appears on the “Cologne List” or on “Informed-Sport”. If this is the case, a contamination by undesirable substances is excluded and the creatine preparation can be taken without hesitation. The extent to which the intake of creatine influences the formation of pimples and acne has long been hotly debated.

Today it is known that people suffering from acne suffer from an acne gene. This gene reacts to food, which means that certain foods and food supplements can trigger and intensify acne. Healthy people do not have this acne gene and therefore cannot suffer from acne caused by the intake of creatine. This form of acne, which can be triggered by creatine, also occurs more frequently in allergy sufferers.