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Siderea

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My acupuncturist suggested I take a low dose of creatine to improve my ATB, which is supposed to increase energy. He said creatine is used by body builders to build muscle mass, as it helps muscles absorb water, but this has risk. He said a low dose shouldn't pose much risk.

Has anyone tried it? I don't want to build muscle with water retention, because I'm trying to reduce all swelling in my body and shed all the toxins from my muscles. I would think retaining too much water in my muscles would make it harder to release toxins. But, is the energy boost it gives worth it?
 
Well, I don't know.

I just read a study that said, although it improved several aspects of muscle function it did not improve sleep, quality of life, pain or cognitive function in those with Fibromyalgia. So, it may increase your energy but you'll still feel like crap. To top that off, you're pretty much guaranteed to gain weight (especially since they say creatine has little effect on aerobic exercise, just muscle building exercise).

I'm curious to hear what other posters have to say. I, for one, would not be willing to add excess pounds. My joints already hate the weight they have to bear.
 
Now that is interesting - could you PM me the link to the study?

My acupuncturist showed me a recent study showing how low doses of creatine (2.5 grams a day, which is the amount our bodies are supposed to produce naturally - body builders use 5 grams and higher) improve our cellular energy, which increases cognitive function. The study was based on healthy people, though. He said it shouldn't cause any weight gain or muscle mass if I take the low dose. He also said he really wants me to take it because he believes it would help him do his job as an acupuncturist, because he believes it will help the flow of my chi. (Also, he takes 2.5 grams a day and he's super thin, but also is a runner and he's got a lot of lean muscle.)

Then again, my naturopath (my main doctor,) said he wouldn't personally recommend it for me because it won't address any of my root problems. He did say he's willing to let me try it if it means I have less fatigue during the day - he said that might be worth it. He is concerned about some of the risks.

My chiropractor (who is good friends with my acupuncturist, so they usually understand each other,) was really confused as to why he wants me taking creatine. He hesitated to give any opinion on the matter because he said it was an unusual idea, but also said that if it does decrease my fatigue a bit then it might be worth it.

Anyway, I went ahead and ordered some. I'm going to give it a shot - I agreed to try the whole bottle before deciding if I'll say on it or not.

If anyone has ANY experience with creatine, even for body building purposes, I'd love to hear it!
 
That is interesting. I don't think I would try it because of the side effects, but I think it is good for some people. i hope that it works for you! I wish I had better advice to give. I know my brother used to use it when he was younger, and never had a problem.
 
I will PM you the three links I looked at. One is a review of the other study (which is only the abstract) and the other is just a short study. I also looked it up within the Mayo Clinic and they have given the use of Creatine for Fibromyalgia a C grade. That means there is no clear evidence (or not enough research) regarding its use.

There is no harm in trying it though. Of course, you'll need to let us know how it goes.
 
LivetoErr, thanks for your links! They were helpful and interesting.

I decided to take 1,200 mg of creatine a day for 2 weeks. What I found was that my energy levels did improve, and my mental function also improved. But the energy felt more like adrenaline, not real energy, and for me that's not good since one of my doctor's goals is to calm my adrenal glands so they can repair. I also gained about 2 lbs, which surprised me because I thought I was taking a low enough dose that it wouldn't have that effect. But the worst part is that it caused major insomnia issues. I take 9-15 (depending on my needs) sleeping herbs at night. My doctor wants me on that much in order to overpower my adrenal glands so I can actually sleep. They've been working super well. Well, I uped the dose of sleeping herbs and I was still fighting insomnia!

So I've decided, for the sake of getting enough sleep (which is more important than increasing my energy,) to quit the creatine. It was worth the experiment. It did work. I just didn't like the side effects.
 
Siderea, thanks for that input I was wondering about creatine myself. There is a type of creatine you can buy that takes away the stuff that makes u retain water. Cant remember which type it is but its more processed and has a lot of colours and artificial sweetners which is a no no!
 
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