Creatine HCL

Andersen2026

New member
I've always used Creatine Monohydrate. At the moment for health reasons I am on a major weight loss transformation. I stopped the Creatine Mono to help drop weight. Is it true that HCL is less bloating than the Mono? I have some HCL here and I'm entertaining taking it if it doesn't hold as much water as Mono.
 
Andersen2026 said:
I've always used Creatine Monohydrate. At the moment for health reasons I am on a major weight loss transformation. I stopped the Creatine Mono to help drop weight. Is it true that HCL is less bloating than the Mono? I have some HCL here and I'm entertaining taking it if it doesn't hold as much water as Mono.
Click to expand...

you have heard correct and i do feel that way as well.
im on HCL year long .. currently i started the year off with HCL + mono stack .. although i feel like i can run mono all year long with it as well .. ima hop off end of feb

if you like HCL which im sure u will ..look into stacking it with MCC as preworkout itll do wonders
 
I used to use Creatine Mono and the last year plus have used SNS Creatine HCL. I think for me it's about 2 lbs difference. For some it's much more, but not a huge difference for me (especially considering I'm a big guy at 6'4 220). I like the creatine HCL though, just as effective and good flavors too.
 
I can't use Mono (bloating, gut problems, feel like sh$t).
HCL allows me to use creatine with only positive side effects.
 
Monohydrate bloats me so badly it makes me miserable.

Some people don't hold fluid as badly on it or have digestive issues with it, but for those of us that do, Creatine HCI is a whole different world.
 
MCC and HCL are both great. I’m on HCL the last few months as I couldn’t get MCC in the UK. Can’t go wrong with either
 
Halfnattyman44 said:
SNS Creatine HCL
Click to expand...
overall I feel like I need a high dose to notice Creatine regardless of which product I use. For 15 years, maybe 20, I never noticed water retention with mono then my buddy brought in some cheap stuff and my fingers swelled up so much my ring almost hurt. with the SNS product even though I still prefer a higher dose, I had none of those sides. I might not be the best reference though because other than that mono that caused my hands to puff up, I've not had gut issues from creatine. Generally speaking those we really like the SNS in our house and my wife uses it, too.
 
GQdaLEGEND said:
you have heard correct and i do feel that way as well.
im on HCL year long .. currently i started the year off with HCL + mono stack .. although i feel like i can run mono all year long with it as well .. ima hop off end of feb

if you like HCL which im sure u will ..look into stacking it with MCC as preworkout itll do wonders
Click to expand...
I’m debating adding creatine hcl back in. Hoping I don’t experience the bloat.
 
HTGduck said:
How much do you take? I noticed it was 750mg per serving
Click to expand...

For Creatine HCI, the normal dose is 1,500 mg. per day. The intensive use is 3,000 mg. per day.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Yeah, at 3g per day. I’m going to start with 750mg a time for a few weeks. I don’t think as bad as mono though, but pretty sure all creatine gives me water retention.
Click to expand...
Yeah pick up some sns caps .. i always start with caps and work to powder

Hopefully works out bc its beautiful natural stuff along with mcc i love it
 
botk1161 said:
I buy it on clearance and stock up - so about 20$ for a month.
Click to expand...
You take it on non workout days as well ?

I do everyday 1500mg .. workout sometimes can only get in 3-4x
 
sns8778 said:
For Creatine HCI, the normal dose is 1,500 mg. per day. The intensive use is 3,000 mg. per day.
Click to expand...
Hmm that makes sense. I know it’s more bioavailable than monohydrate so 1.5g of hcl is close to 5g of mono.

But how much HCL should you take for maximum mental benefits? For monohydrate the usual dose is 40g for the full brain benefits and concussion recovery. Do you have any idea of the dose equivalent HCL would be?
 
Shadowblaze said:
Hmm that makes sense. I know it’s more bioavailable than monohydrate so 1.5g of hcl is close to 5g of mono.
Click to expand...
I didn’t know this; now it makes sense why 3g hcl bloated me up, since 5g of mono does also. So 750mg hcl prolly is right for me to start with.
 
SNS Creatine HCL all year round @ 1500mg, tabs and/or flavoured powder if I wanna switch it up a bit.

I used to suffer with bloating from monohydrate and that would lead to explosive creatine sh*ts! Tried SNS HCL and never looked back - my butt & toilet thank me for it
 
skyline999 said:
SNS Creatine HCL all year round @ 1500mg, tabs and/or flavoured powder if I wanna switch it up a bit.

I used to suffer with bloating from monohydrate and that would lead to explosive creatine sh*ts! Tried SNS HCL and never looked back - my butt & toilet thank me for it
Click to expand...
Mono gave you water retention but hcl doesn’t?
 
GreenMachineX said:
Mono gave you water retention but hcl doesn’t?
Click to expand...
Yeah, the HCL gave me more of a lean bulk look whereas the monohydrate caused more of a bloat.

Just putting this out there that I’m not bashing monohydrate as it’s the most researched type and a lot of people can tolerate it with no problem.

Unlucky for me I end up being an outlier on that spectrum.
 
i tried the creatine hcl from con-cret because i randomly found it on sale at a sierra store for 12 bucks. i thought it was ok, there did not seem to be any overt water retention extracellular, i felt like i could push out an extra 2 reps on certain sets that i normally struggle with. i did not get good pumps or a "full appearance" on the creatine hcl compared to regular monohydrate. i have never been a regular user of creatine but maybe partake in a small bottle every few years or so
 
@GreenMachineX something else to consider with past HCL experience, I don't know what brand you tried but a few years ago there was a huge issue with some brands claiming to sell HCL and it had monohydrate in it or was just monohydrate. That was especially bad when Creatine prices were so high at one time.
 
Shadowblaze said:
Hmm that makes sense. I know it’s more bioavailable than monohydrate so 1.5g of hcl is close to 5g of mono.

But how much HCL should you take for maximum mental benefits? For monohydrate the usual dose is 40g for the full brain benefits and concussion recovery. Do you have any idea of the dose equivalent HCL would be?
Click to expand...

I could not imagine taking 40 grams of monohydrate per day. I couldn't imagine hardly anyone being able to stomach that. I've also never seen anything indicating that high of dose would be needed. You're welcome to pm me whatever source you're looking at for that.

I don't think that a dose equivalent is necessary bc I don't think someone could actually utilize 40g monohydrate.

With the athletes I work with, 3 grams is the dose we use for concussion issues - with one who is 250 lbs (football player) we use 5 grams but he's a monster of a guy size wise.
 
sns8778 said:
I could not imagine taking 40 grams of monohydrate per day. I couldn't imagine hardly anyone being able to stomach that. I've also never seen anything indicating that high of dose would be needed. You're welcome to pm me whatever source you're looking at for that.

I don't think that a dose equivalent is necessary bc I don't think someone could actually utilize 40g monohydrate.

With the athletes I work with, 3 grams is the dose we use for concussion issues - with one who is 250 lbs (football player) we use 5 grams but he's a monster of a guy size wise.
Click to expand...
From all my research when I was playing rugby 40g creatine monohydrate was the most established dose for mental benefits, sleep deprivation cognitive deficits and concussion rehabilitation. I know that the standard 5g isn’t enough for that.

What would you say about 10g of creatine hcl? I only ask because just a week ago my friend who’s had severe concussion symptoms for 5 years was talking to me about it and I told him creatine is worth a shot. A few days ago he texted me and asked which form he should buy and I told him HCL because some people get a stomach upset from mono. So I’m just trying to get him taking a high dose because from my research that’s by far the most effective. If you think differently just lmk.

I’m sick rn and will hit the sack but I’ll try to find the studies of the 40g monohydrate doses tmrw.
 
5g mono makes me feel bloated and sickly. HCL does not bother me one bit.
Imagine 40g mono when you already concussion symptoms.
Who are these people that tested with 40g and did better?
 
GreenMachineX said:
Mono gave you water retention but hcl doesn’t?
Click to expand...

yup usually why pple switch over from mono to hcl
i never had problem with it but know few in person who have
 
the grapefruit flavor creatine hcl from SNS peaked my interest after trying the regular lemon flavor from con-cret
 
1770218669207.webp


current situation.
 
Shadowblaze said:
From all my research when I was playing rugby 40g creatine monohydrate was the most established dose for mental benefits, sleep deprivation cognitive deficits and concussion rehabilitation. I know that the standard 5g isn’t enough for that.

What would you say about 10g of creatine hcl? I only ask because just a week ago my friend who’s had severe concussion symptoms for 5 years was talking to me about it and I told him creatine is worth a shot. A few days ago he texted me and asked which form he should buy and I told him HCL because some people get a stomach upset from mono. So I’m just trying to get him taking a high dose because from my research that’s by far the most effective. If you think differently just lmk.

I’m sick rn and will hit the sack but I’ll try to find the studies of the 40g monohydrate doses tmrw.
Click to expand...

I'm always glad to look over anything you want to send. I've just never heard that. That's double what the loading phase is for people that load on it.

I wouldn't tell anyone to take 10 grams of HCL. I have every incentive to as that would put them buying a container every 10 days, but its just not needed.

We use 3 grams with athletes, 5 grams in cases of extremely big guys (think linebacker big).

I would suggest 3 grams to your friend. Or maybe 5 grams for 2 weeks then drop back to 3 grams - but disclaimer - that is higher than any suggested use on legit HCL that I've ever seen.
 
sns8778 said:
I'm always glad to look over anything you want to send. I've just never heard that. That's double what the loading phase is for people that load on it.

I wouldn't tell anyone to take 10 grams of HCL. I have every incentive to as that would put them buying a container every 10 days, but its just not needed.

We use 3 grams with athletes, 5 grams in cases of extremely big guys (think linebacker big).

I would suggest 3 grams to your friend. Or maybe 5 grams for 2 weeks then drop back to 3 grams - but disclaimer - that is higher than any suggested use on legit HCL that I've ever seen.
Click to expand...
I’m 242 lbs and take 3 scoops of SNS creatine HCL with a dose of SNS ATP Elite which has 1500 mg of HCL, so 3750 mg total, and that’s plenty for me…..and like others have said no bloat or stomach issues.
 
Last edited:
gphagan1 said:
I’m 242 lbs and take 3 scoops of SNS creatine HCL with a dose of SNS ATP Elite which has 750 mg of HCL. So 3 grams total, and that’s plenty for me…..and like others have said no bloat or stomach issues.
Click to expand...

im running atp right now too .. and its full 1500mg, 500mg per cap of hcl . . i assume you meant 3 caps

i love it as well
 
lanky said:
View attachment 258407
Click to expand...


haha step further there was a brand that was doing creatine in a liquid by syringe ( 23+years ago )
my mom found that in my room and flipped out
back then i was doing cel hdrol/xtren .. so i was like blah blah blah mom this is nothing lol
 
I’m 220 lbs and most days take 3g. I’ve also heard of higher dose cognitive benefits but 15-20g creatine mono, never 40. So I figured I’m getting the equivalent of around 10 this way. I might try 4.5 for a bit.
 
Update: I've been using HCL now for a good week and it DOES NOT deliver that jolt in performance that Creatine Monohydrate does. I will give it some more time, but I think I see good old Monohydrate stirred into grape juice in the near future.
 
Andersen2026 said:
Update: I've been using HCL now for a good week and it DOES NOT deliver that jolt in performance that Creatine Monohydrate does. I will give it some more time, but I think I see good old Monohydrate stirred into grape juice in the near future.
Click to expand...

A person can’t accurately gauge performance and muscle gains off of anything it a week.

Creatine itself isn’t supposed to give a ‘jolt’, it delivers consistent gains and progress.

The ‘jolt’ that some feel in the first week is from fluid retention, which is what some seek to avoid.
It’s similar to the concept of a ‘wet’ anabolic compound will make one gain strength faster bc it makes one hold fluid - which is what some people want but some want to avoid.

The actual muscle and strength gains from creatine happen consistently with continued use.

I’ll use me as an example - I personally can’t use monohydrate. I don’t hate it, we’ll be using it in an upcoming product; just me personally I hold so much fluid with mono that I’m miserable. But when I start doing it I can gain 5-10 lbs on it and gain strength bc of that fluid gain but my performance suffers. Set my bloated self on a bench I can do more weight but I hold so much fluid I feel like a weeble wobble trying to get up up lol.

I get great consistent gains with HCL without the bloating and without it bothering my stomach.

There’s no right or wrong - it’s personal preference and personal response, but it’s important to make sure evaluating it for the creatine benefits.
 
sns8778 said:
A person can’t accurately gauge performance and muscle gains off of anything it a week.

Creatine itself isn’t supposed to give a ‘jolt’, it delivers consistent gains and progress.

The ‘jolt’ that some feel in the first week is from fluid retention, which is what some seek to avoid.
It’s similar to the concept of a ‘wet’ anabolic compound will make one gain strength faster bc it makes one hold fluid - which is what some people want but some want to avoid.

The actual muscle and strength gains from creatine happen consistently with continued use.

I’ll use me as an example - I personally can’t use monohydrate. I don’t hate it, we’ll be using it in an upcoming product; just me personally I hold so much fluid with mono that I’m miserable. But when I start doing it I can gain 5-10 lbs on it and gain strength bc of that fluid gain but my performance suffers. Set my bloated self on a bench I can do more weight but I hold so much fluid I feel like a weeble wobble trying to get up up lol.

I get great consistent gains with HCL without the bloating and without it bothering my stomach.

There’s no right or wrong - it’s personal preference and personal response, but it’s important to make sure evaluating it for the creatine benefits.
Click to expand...
I've used Creatine Monohydrate for decades. Whenever I've been off for a while and I start it again, I reliably get a bump in reps and stamina around Day 5. I'm not getting a comparable feeling from HCL after Day 8.
 
Andersen2026 said:
I've used Creatine Monohydrate for decades. Whenever I've been off for a while and I start it again, I reliably get a bump in reps and stamina around Day 5. I'm not getting a comparable feeling from HCL after Day 8.
Click to expand...

I'm not disputing that - I explained it in detail in the above post.

You do whatever you want and whatever's best for you; my post is meant to help anyone reading or following along understand the science behind it and how it's meant to work.

Creatine is not meant to give a 'jolt' - it's been shown in tons of studies to provide consistent results.

A big jump effect is likely more from the fluid weight than the creatine - and hey, that's okay if that's what you're looking for. But HCI is great for people that don't want the bloating or fluid retention or stomach issues that many get with monohydrate.

I also can't speak for the brand you're using.

In ours, we use the branded Con-Cret form and there's a lot of great feedback on it. I'm not anti-monohydrate at all as we will be using it in an upcoming product and I've been meaning to come out with a straight powder one too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top