Is Optimum Nutrition Creatine worth it?

I'm curious if anyone here actually has some first-hand experience with this... I've been digging through various American forums and everything seems pretty straightforward, nothing suggesting any real health risks or side effects...

Don't sweat it—you can definitely use creatine without worrying. Think of it as an amino acid that just helps your muscles perform better. Whether you're hitting the weights at the gym or getting into more intense sports, it basically gives your muscles that extra bit of fuel to handle the stress. That’s really all there is to it.
I hope that clears things up for you!👍 👍

Aside from being hyperactive and feeling like you're constantly wired 24/7, there aren't really any other side effects... 🙂

restlesscanyon16 said:Aside from being hyperactive and feeling like you're constantly wired 24/7, there aren't really any other side effects... 🙂

I don't really see why that would happen.
Creatine just pulls extra water into your muscle cells—which, in turn, helps them absorb more protein. If you're going to take creatine, it might be worth pairing it with some whey protein—though you should probably watch what you eat or drink right before or after taking it, since certain foods might interfere with how it works.

vividmaker532 said:I don't really see why that would happen.
Creatine just pulls extra water into your muscle cells—which, in turn, helps them absorb more protein. If you're going to take creatine, it might be worth pairing it with some whey protein—though you should probably watch what you eat or drink right before or after taking it, since certain foods might interfere with how it works.

Thanks for the input. I've got one more thing weighing on me. I was scrolling through some sites online and saw claims that taking creatine could actually be bad for your muscles. Apparently, there's talk that the new muscle tissue built up from creatine doesn't bond as strongly to the old tissue, which could lead to muscle tears when things get intense 😕

nikolix said:Honestly, I have no clue why that would even happen.

I don't get it either—but from what I've seen firsthand... 😳

When you're working with creatine monohydrate—and let's be honest, it’s almost certainly just monohydrate, I can't be bothered to double-check the label right now—you really need to stay on top of your water intake. There are basically two ways people approach this. You've got the loading phase, where you knock back about 20g a day for a week (just spread it out throughout the day so you don't feel like a balloon), followed by a month or so of a steady 5g daily dose, then maybe a month off entirely. The other way is much simpler: just stick to a consistent 5g every single day. Some folks claim there's a risk with the constant approach—that your body might get too comfortable and stop producing its own natural supply, since our bodies do produce a certain amount of creatine on their own.

So, if you're going to supplement with creatine, you should be aiming for at least two liters of water a day, though honestly, you'd probably be better off pushing that closer to three liters or even more. And obviously, just popping creatine without actually fixing your diet and hitting those high protein targets is pretty much a waste of time.