Creatine monohydrate side effects are generally quite minimal. This form of creatine however does break down in the stomach into a toxin called creatinine.

This can result in kidney damage if one over saturates their body with creatine monohydrate and doesn’t hydrate properly. Creatine monohydrate, when taken properly, does have some attractive benefits.

Reported Beneficial Effects:

1) Increase in power output from muscles

2) Increase in muscular endurance

3) Recovery time is reduced

There are many misunderstandings when it comes to creatine monohydrate. Many people dwell on the fact that it causes water retention and bloating. This is true, bloating can occur as a side effect from taking creatine monohydrate. Water retention is also a side effect, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. A well hydrated cell is a very efficient and functional cell.

The sole purpose of ingesting creatine monohydrate is to directly increase the amount of ATP that is available to the muscle fibers. The more ATP that is readily available, the more power the muscle can exert in each contraction. When ATP is used by the muscle, the result is energy and a waste product called ADP. What creatine does is it takes that ADP and converts it back into ATP.

This in turn results in much more ATP that will be instantly available to the muscle. This is why endurance is also increased, because there is more energy available for the muscle to use. Studies have also proven that creatine monohydrate will in fact decrease the amount of time it takes to repair muscle fibers.

Possible Dangers:

Current Medical Conditions - Combining certain medications that are hard on kidneys with creatine monohydrate can cause problems with the kidneys. This seems like common sense, but many cases of creatine monohydrate harming an individual involves the combination of some sort of medication. If you are under any sort of medication, check with your doctor to ensure taking creatine is safe.

Dehydration - When supplementing with creatine monohydrate, it’s important to stay well hydrated. If you become dehydrated you can harm your body by forming crystals on your liver and causing headaches. Generally speaking, you will only need to drink an extra cup or two of water than usual each day.

It is always important to stay well hydrated for overall health anyway. For men, 13 cups total of water in all consumed substances is recommended as a rough average per day.

Bloating - Creatine monohydrate is known to cause bloating. This doesn’t necessarily harm the body, but it also isn’t very flattering. Since the creation of creatine monohydrate (as a supplement that is), there have been great advances to make creatine more bio-available and water soluable.

This eliminates the bloating problem. Creatine hydrochloride (HCL) is the most advanced and effective form of creatine to date.

Caffeine Intake - Consuming drinks that contain caffeine or alcohol will not hydrate the body, it will in fact dehydrate the body. For this reason, it is recommended that you not consume any caffeinated or alcoholic beverages while supplementing with creatine. This will only contribute to dehydration and may decrease, if not eliminate, the benefits of creatine.

Overall, if you are a healthy individual, you stay well hydrated, and you are not on any prescribed medication, creatine is recognized as being generally safe for consumption within the recommended doses.

Studies:

McMaster University Medical Center in June of 2000 conducted a study involving a group of patients with neuromuscular disease. Studies have already shown that creatine monohydrate increases strength in healthy individuals so the University wanted to take it a step further by testing it on people who have muscular problems.

One group received 10 grams of creatine monohydrate for 5 days, and another group with 5 grams for 5 days. Weight, size, and strength were determined before the study was conducted. It was determined that weight, size, and strength were all increased in both groups.

Conclusion

Creatine monohydrate has very little side effects and is one of the most recognized and studied supplements to date. When taken in the recommended doses and staying well hydrated no harmful side effects are likely to occur. As a supplement for working out, overall creatine monohydrate is very effective, however when compared to higher performing creatines it is only moderately effective.

Creatine monohydrate will increase the amount of ATP available to your muscles increasing endurance, power output, and decreasing recovery time. Another superior form of creatine is a Ph buffered creatine called purple k creatine.