Should You Take Creatine Every Day?

No matter how hard you train in the gym there will be times when you cannot break through your workout plateau to make greater strength gains. It's common for athletes undergoing weight training to break a strength plateau with sports supplements. Creatine is one of the proven and effective sports supplements available, but long-term reliance on creatine does not guarantee gaining mountains of muscle.

Initial Creatine

You naturally obtain creatine in your diet from foods like wild game, red meat and fish, as well as from what your kidneys and liver produce. Your muscles store the creatine to use it for energy production during weight lifting. When you first begin taking creatine, you take between 20g and 25g daily. The University of Illinois McKinley Health Center recommends breaking this into 5g doses through the day. Continue to take this high amount of creatine every day for five to seven days, which can increase your muscle-stored creatine by up to 40 percent.

Continued Supplementation

After increasing the creatine amount in your muscles, your goal is to maintain the optimized retention level. Steven Ehrlich, N.M.D., of the University of Maryland Medical Center, recommends that you take up to 5g per day to maintain your creatine levels. However, the American College of Sports Medicine states that ingesting just 2g of creatine daily after your loading dose should be enough to exceed the rate of natural creatine degradation in your muscles.

Long-Term Use

Daily creatine supplementation can increase your body mass and weightlifting ability, but there is a lack of long-term clinical trials to prove its safety. Studies up to 12 weeks long have shown that creatine can enhance normal muscle adaptations to weight training safely. There is some concern that long-term creatine use could inhibit your body’s ability to naturally synthesize the compound, however. Speak to your doctor if you plan on taking creatine, particularly if it's longer than four weeks.

Side Effects

Daily creatine use can lead to a number of side effects including weight gain of 1 to 3 lbs. over the first week resulting from water retention. The excess water may cause unwanted muscle cramping and strains. In a few limited case studies daily creatine users experienced high blood pressure, kidney damage and liver dysfunction. While these serious symptoms are rare, consult your doctor about any potential side effects you could experience while using creatine.