Creatine.....to Load or Not to Load??

**lizzyb** · January 13th, 2009, 08:40 AM

[b]O.k......I've got a question about the use of creatine. I have tried it many moons ago and not sure what if any results I got as I stopped using it because of the gasto upset and bloating it gave me.

So...here I am curious once again about the supplement. I was going to pick up some purple k but then decided against it in case i didn't like it...a little pricey for just an experiment. I picked up some good ol' mono-hydrate...InterActive is the brand, and typically the instructions advise to load......I am going to try it w/o doing the loading phase and see if I feel allright that way. From what I've read about, it's 6 of this and half a dozen of the other...other than not loading slowing visible results to 2wks as aopposed to one wk.

Anyhoo......the questions are:
Since I will only be taking 5g 1x daily....is it best to consume 1hr b4 w/o or first thing in the morning?

And has anybody else just taken it regular as oppsoed to loading in the beginning and what were your findings?

I've also decided to get back onto L-glutamine....should've been on it all along esp. when I was leaning....but I was afraid to. I had a skin cancer 6yrs ago and was told that glutamine can speed the growth of certain tumors...nobody really told me that it could speed up skin cancer....I did that all my own, lol!
So I refrained from it's use.....because of the 'c' word, and am now realizing that my shakes have glutamine in them as well......what would adding a few extra grams/day do?? Probably nothing.....Si I decided the benefits of this supp., outweigh the possible what if's.

**varbo** · January 13th, 2009, 09:26 AM

Hi,
I used the monohydrate for a while and didn't load. I also took it right after my w/o. It did help me bump past my plateau but not by much. That limitation could have been the lack of loading or timing or some other factors.

I stopped taking it based on the advice of my naturopath. (stomach issues)

Now I take the equivilant of purple K from another company. I was told that it is better for your stomach and doesn't require loading. I take it a half an hour before my workout and I've been doing quite well. I'm coming up on my old plateau now so I'll see if I break through that but I'll never really know if the Kre-alkelyn is the difference maker or if its my new focus and attitude or a combination of the 2. My stomach has been feeling pretty good though.

Don't know if that helped any.

**Hans_Rachid** · January 13th, 2009, 11:38 AM

I think loading Creatine is just wasteful, after a few days your cells are saturated anyways, even with 5 g per day.
Also from what I read the good old monohydrate is really all you need, the fancy stuff has more to do with making more money out of something cheap than anything else.
I think taking it first thing in the morning or before working out doesn't really matter... First thing in the morning is what I did.

Finally, know that people respond differently to creatine; some people are naturally close to their maximum limit in their muscle cells, so supplementing with creatine doesn't do much for them. You should take a few pounds after about 2 weeks (unless you're trying to lose weight at the same time). If not, then you might be one of those who don't benefit much from taking creatine.

For glutamine, I've never tried it so I can't help you.

**lizzyb** · January 13th, 2009, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by varbo

Hi,
I used the monohydrate for a while and didn't load. I also took it right after my w/o. It did help me bump past my plateau but not by much. That limitation could have been the lack of loading or timing or some other factors.

I stopped taking it based on the advice of my naturopath. (stomach issues)

Now I take the equivilant of purple K from another company. I was told that it is better for your stomach and doesn't require loading. I take it a half an hour before my workout and I've been doing quite well. I'm coming up on my old plateau now so I'll see if I break through that but I'll never really know if the Kre-alkelyn is the difference maker or if its my new focus and attitude or a combination of the 2. My stomach has been feeling pretty good though.

Don't know if that helped any.

Thanks varbo......isn't that the truth tho'? About new focus and determination, how it can also be a driving force as well.

**lizzyb** · January 13th, 2009, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hans_Rachid

I think loading Creatine is just wasteful, after a few days your cells are saturated anyways, even with 5 g per day.
Also from what I read the good old monohydrate is really all you need, the fancy stuff has more to do with making more money out of something cheap than anything else.
I think taking it first thing in the morning or before working out doesn't really matter... First thing in the morning is what I did.

Finally, know that people respond differently to creatine; some people are naturally close to their maximum limit in their muscle cells, so supplementing with creatine doesn't do much for them. You should take a few pounds after about 2 weeks (unless you're trying to lose weight at the same time). If not, then you might be one of those who don't benefit much from taking creatine.

For glutamine, I've never tried it so I can't help you.

Thanks Hans, I was wondering about that too.....so if I don't see any changes in wieght in 2wks I'll know I'm a non-responder.

I noticed i said I was gonna be taking 5g/day....what I meant to be saying and goofed up was I would be doing 2.5g/day as per maintenance values....will i still see results in this timeframe if results are to be had.....now let's not forget I'm only 5'2" and weigh about 119lbs, small frame(bones)?

**tooncesthecat** · January 13th, 2009, 07:01 PM

You could always experiment with CEE as an alternative to mono. Glutamine is awesome. But I never knew about the link between it and skin cancer.

**Hans_Rachid** · January 13th, 2009, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lizzyb

Thanks Hans, I was wondering about that too.....so if I don't see any changes in wieght in 2wks I'll know I'm a non-responder.

I noticed i said I was gonna be taking 5g/day....what I meant to be saying and goofed up was I would be doing 2.5g/day as per maintenance values....will i still see results in this timeframe if results are to be had.....now let's not forget I'm only 5'2" and weigh about 119lbs, small frame(bones)?

Well, obviously with half the dosage it would take a bit longer to reach saturation, but I would still expect that you gain at least 2 pounds of water after 2 weeks at 2.5 g/day. Just don't forget to drink plenty of water

By the way, I read recently that the very popular practice of combining creatine and an insuline spike (simple carbs...) wasn't so desirable after all, and that simply taking it at meal time might be the best option. Seeing as you've felt stomach discomfort before, the reduced dosage and taking it with your meals should help. You can even break it up in 2 or 3 doses throughout the day if it's not too much of a hassle for you.

Tell us how things go after a few weeks!

**lizzyb** · January 14th, 2009, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tooncesthecat

You could always experiment with CEE as an alternative to mono. Glutamine is awesome. But I never knew about the link between it and skin cancer.

I'd be intersted to learn more about CEE what is this?

As for glutamine and cancer...studies have 'suggested' that glutamine can increase the speed of which cancerous tumours grow....nothing specifically said about skin cancer per se..just wanted to clarify that. It was me who had skin cancer and was using glutamine at the time. I had basal cell carcinoma.....the kind of skin cancer, if you were to have...you'd want as it is mostly curable and not lethal...slow growing, but unususal in my age group...I made the correlation on my own

**lizzyb** · January 14th, 2009, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hans_Rachid

Well, obviously with half the dosage it would take a bit longer to reach saturation, but I would still expect that you gain at least 2 pounds of water after 2 weeks at 2.5 g/day. Just don't forget to drink plenty of water

By the way, I read recently that the very popular practice of combining creatine and an insuline spike (simple carbs...) wasn't so desirable after all, and that simply taking it at meal time might be the best option. Seeing as you've felt stomach discomfort before, the reduced dosage and taking it with your meals should help. You can even break it up in 2 or 3 doses throughout the day if it's not too much of a hassle for you.

Tell us how things go after a few weeks!

Thanks Hans....i'll do that and keep y'all posted!

**tooncesthecat** · January 14th, 2009, 05:19 PM

Lizzy, you can read more about creatine ethyl ester (CEE) here

Bodybuilding.com - Creatine Ethyl Ester Information and Product Listing! Creatine Ethyl Ester FAQ!

**A1food4U** · January 14th, 2009, 05:47 PM

Good read Toonces , thanks

**lizzyb** · January 14th, 2009, 06:10 PM

Yes, thanks toonces...clarifies the differences for me. I do wonder though, is the risk to kidney's the same or less or more even? Sounds very interesting to me though...

**tooncesthecat** · January 14th, 2009, 06:22 PM

Not aware of any strain on the kidneys from creatine. I'll see if I can dig up anything on that.

**tooncesthecat** · January 14th, 2009, 06:39 PM

The only study I found involved animals and did not find any negative effect on the kidneys using creatine monohydrate.

**lizzyb** · January 21st, 2009, 05:39 PM

As I was out trolling today........I came across this nifty article, and I thought I'd link it in this thread, just in case there are any other ladies who are curious about creatine, especially since most studies have been done with men.
It helped clarify the load or no load and dosages as well.

Figure Athlete - Creatine For Women

**Italianangel** · January 30th, 2009, 12:35 PM

I love loading when I have time, but I think with you, you are hyper sensitive which normally happens more to those who don't eat meat but itsn ot a huge deal, you tried it again with a newer item but seems you are sensitive. As for glutamine, with your feb training you will need it...............but I did not know about it being cancer causing although I do know if you have or have had cancer the doctors limit most supplements - my uncle has to stay off B12 cuz it feeds cancer and now he is clean but they fear it can stimulate it so.......for most b12 is nothing, no probs but its very personal to your chemistry as it most things.
He even has to stick with organic meats, no soy or potential estrogen or hormone stimulating foods..........glutamine is one I did not hear about so its good to know.
I am glad they are studiying the supps closer cuz telling people not to use it or to use certain types does not work with everyone and then they just go and use stuff not knowing what to do and how it will work for them......we need these studies, more of them, on humans!

**lizzyb** · January 30th, 2009, 02:39 PM

Linda and toonces, here's just one link referencing what I said about glutamine...glutamine does NOT cause cancer...but if you have a tumour, b/c of it's ability to increase growth hormones, can cause tumours,lesions to grow faster. I never said it caused skin cancer. I personally had a skin cancer, that is MY own history....relative or not.

Anyhoo...here's the link, check it out......ohterwise if you are not at risk the benefits far outweigh the rosks IMO L-Glutamine - Benefits, Side-Effects, Supplements, Powder

**Italianangel** · January 30th, 2009, 02:41 PM

aha, correction, not cause.....gotcha sorry for the misprint in my quote..............now because of your history, no tumor, are you okay, did the dr say it was okay to try? Otherwise I would lean toward not taking it.........

**lizzyb** · January 30th, 2009, 02:56 PM

No problem, would rather have accurate info for everyone to see, than scare the krapp out of folks, lol!!
For me, it was I who came to that conclusion....when I asked the doc., she didn't seem too concerned (in my OWN case) as the sort of skin cancer I had was basal cell carcinoma....a very s-l-o-w growing sort of lesion, most commonly seen in elderly folk (it literally takes that long for it to show up,or start breaking down that you wuld notice it), fro what I was told......I had had my lesion for quite some time b4 it started breaking down,, in fact I always thought it was a freckle....Until it started itching and scabbing and not healing over....it was on my face under one eye. I was coincidentally taking glutamine at the time......the fact that I had that type of skin cancer was an oddity in itself, given my age group.......however I was quite the sun-worshipper b4 then too, having contests who could get the darkest tan......(gasps!) I never used sunblock on my face either....silly woman, I know!

Anyhoo....to answer your question Linda, my doctor was not even aware of the effects of glutamine or why anybody would be taking it....I found the info myself, and exercised caution accordingly.......I use btwn 3-5g/day on top of what's already present in my p.p....I am monitoring myself for anything odd....unfortunately, it is a supplement that I really do love for all of it's positive benefits.......so fits and starts, take a little for a bit, then stop for a while, then start back up........I have been declared cancer free a year ago.

**Italianangel** · January 30th, 2009, 03:17 PM

Interesting note for everyone, how yours came about, the symptoms etc, good to know.
Not too surprised about the dr. Its so hard to find combo drs., you know, west and east, not just left or right only.
Drs are told not to get involved in certain things by the powers that be. That in my opinion hinders their ability to help us. They are allowed to prescribe opiates and the like yet are told not to touch the subject of medical marijuana....out here at least. It is very sad.
many sick people could be alleviated of their disease or symptoms if the drs hands were not so tied by politics. Now though, with the net and the ability to communicate far and wide, network and learn, many are saving themselves and their families, children and pets by being proactive...........sadly they sometimes have to fight drs and govt in order to do so.
Linda