Creatine and Creatinine Levels

f4iguy

f4iguy

Member
I've been supplementing 5mg of creatine monohydrate without a break for several years. Recent labs showed a slightly elevated creatinine level. My doctor recommended stopped creatine supplementation because it can elevate creatinine levels. I've read articles that state the raised creatinine levels from creatinine supplementation are temporary and not a concern. Thoughts? Is it wise to cycle off creatine, and if so how long on and off?
 
Yes long term kidney health. I would like to continue supplementing with creatine but if the elevated creatinine from it impacts kidney health I'll discontinue.
 
First and foremost.. most generalist doctors are clueless about bloodwork and supps effect on them. Creatinine levels by itself means absolutely nothing. You’ll want to check at several other things to portray your kidneys health. First and most important one is your EGFR / GFR... as long as this is good... I wouldn’t worry.. especially as a natty. Look créatine won’t hurt your kidneys or you even if you take it year round. It’s a little baby supplement.
 
Did you take any days off from lifting before getting your labs drawn? If not, were your other kidney markers within normal range? However, if you took several days off from lifting and your creatinine was still elevated, it might be worth stopping creatine supplementation and redraw later down the road.
 
Sean1332 said:
Did you take any days off from lifting before getting your labs drawn? If not, were your other kidney markers within normal range? However, if you took several days off from lifting and your creatinine was still elevated, it might be worth stopping creatine supplementation and redraw later down the road.
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You’re mixing creatinine kinase and creatinine. CK is the one highly affected by training,diet and what not. It can be 10x out of range because of training and it means nothing if the rest is within range. He’s talking about creatinine which isn’t the same thing at all. Unless he’s mixing the two also.
 
Mathb33 said:
You’re mixing creatinine kinase and creatinine. CK is the one highly affected by training,diet and what not. It can be 10x out of range because of training and it means nothing if the rest is within range. He’s talking about creatinine which isn’t the same thing at all. Unless he’s mixing the two also.
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Creatinine does transiently rise post exercise, its a metabolic byproduct of creatine use by
Muscles etc.

Baseline creatinine levels also increase proportionally with increased muscle mass. Not uncommon for someone with alot of lean mass to have higher than normal range creatinine.

Obviously if concerned of renal function you can get different tests done such as creatinine clearance or cystain-c
 
NoAddedHmones said:
Creatinine does transiently rise post exercise, its a metabolic byproduct of creatine use by
Muscles etc.

Baseline creatinine levels also increase proportionally with increased muscle mass. Not uncommon for someone with alot of lean mass to have higher than normal range creatinine.

Obviously if concerned of renal function you can get different tests done such as creatinine clearance or cystain-c
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Most athletes / bodybuilders End up having their CK very out of range I’ve rarely seen creatinine affected... at least not to the extend CK always is. I just think it’s pretty uncommon / weird for a doctor to base its concern on creatinine and not the rest.
 
I've never seen kidney damage Frome creatine and there's plenty of ppl who have been using it as a daily supplement for years, like 10+ years.

Ck levels can be elevated for 2-4 days post exercise and there's even evidence showing up to 2 weeks for ppl who do extreme endurance exercise. There a lot of variables that can cause it but I highly doubt creatine supplementation is going to be the deciding factor.

Edit. This was already mentioned and I also jumped to CK over the initial concern. But I still can't fathom creatine causing kidney damage
 
Smont said:
I've never seen kidney damage Frome creatine and there's plenty of ppl who have been using it as a daily supplement for years, like 10+ years.

Ck levels can be elevated for 2-4 days post exercise and there's even evidence showing up to 2 weeks for ppl who do extreme endurance exercise. There a lot of variables that can cause it but I highly doubt creatine supplementation is going to be the deciding factor.

Edit. This was already mentioned and I also jumped to CK over the initial concern. But I still can't fathom creatine causing kidney damage
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Agreed here. Ecspecially if you take at a reasonable dosage such as 5g. Now of course if you try and over do it it could potentially cause some problems just like anything else in the world.
 
I drink at least a gallon of water daily, eat a balanced diet with veggies, and get plenty of cardio. I did lift the day before labs. Next time I'll stop creatine for a couple weeks and avoid lifting for a few days before labs to see if the number decreases. I believe it will.
 
f4iguy said:
I drink at least a gallon of water daily, eat a balanced diet with veggies, and get plenty of cardio. I did lift the day before labs. Next time I'll stop creatine for a couple weeks and avoid lifting for a few days before labs to see if the number decreases. I believe it will.
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But you’re asking the wrong questions: You are asking if creatinine will be raised from creatine mono consumption. What you SHOULD be asking is, if this temporary raise that occurs as long as you are on creatine monohydrate is actually representative of any kind of damage to the kidney.

I do not believe that longterm basal Creatine mono use, in the context of someone with healthy kidneys that stays generally hydrated, is a concern for their health, based on the research I’ve seen and my own bloodwork. My creatinine levels are better these days than they used to be; I didn’t stop taking creatine monohydrate.
 
f4iguy said:
What changes did you make that resulted in your improved kidney health?
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Added astragalus, pine bark, grape seed, curcumin extracts year round. And controlled blood pressure on cycles better.

Better cardiovascular health and lower bp means happier kidneys.
 
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