Creatine causing muscle cramps and how supplements may be dangerous

Is the creatine really to blame?

Although i find this anecdotal case interesting, I can’t help wonder if creatine, and indeed other supplements, are being made villains without due cause. What I’d like to see is a study that investigates how people took supplements, and determines whether they took them as directed or not. Questions could include the following:

1. Where they adequately hydrated?
Using supplements and working out can dehydrate people, and many weekend warriors and armchair athletes simply don’t drink enough water. This means they have depleted electrolytes, a common cause of cramping. Of course, creatine affects hydration as well, so an inadequate water intake my have enhanced the potential for electrolyte depletion, and had more to do with the patient’s cramps than the creatine itself. Ditto for the headaches, which are commonly alleviated by appropriate hydration.

2. Where they using supplements as supplements, or were they using them as meal replacements?
This is another common error on the part of “regular people” who exercise. They replace meals with supplements, and may not be getting enough of certain types of nutrients. This can also throw off the body’s balance.

3. Is it possible the patient was taking other “supplements’ that were not disclosed?
There are herbal versions of caffeine and other stimulants in a lot of supplements, and people simply don’t take their affects into consideration.

The bottom line is that there are a lot of factors that are difficult to control for. I’ve used creatine off and on for years and never had any adverse affects. I also think that a lot of supplements can be beneficial, but only when used APPROPRIATELY. And that’s the key thing.

People who use supplements need to take personal responsibility to ensure they take them safely and effectively. Sadly, this doesn’t happen often enough. Somebody has an adverse affect and immediately starts pointing fingers at the “dangerous supplements” when in fact they may have been taking it inappropriately or combining it with other supplements without understanding their ingredients or effects.

Whatever happened to personal responsibility?

I spoke recently with several exercise enthusiasts / weight lifters who all had similar complaints of headaches, elevated blood pressure, and muscle cramps. A quick review of the ingredient list of their creatine supplement (they were all taking similar products) revealed:

1. A high dose of creatine monohydrate…which has cramping and fluid re-distribution tendencies (vs. for example, creatine HCl which is taken in low doses and doesn’t have the same side effects)

2. A long list of other compounds including high doses of psycho-motor stimulants and other somewhat veiled ingredients/doses that appear to be responsible for having a significant effect on both cardiovascular and neuro-chemical systems. When they “deselected” their supplements and instead chose products with reasonable and targeted and easily understood ingredients and dosing, both their performance and their side-effects experiences were improved.

Creatine, when chosen in an effectively conjugated form and dosed properly, is very safe and VERY efficacious for strength, endurance, and recovery.

Good luck.