Creatine for Women’s Health(and Men too)
Over 1000 studies
Creatine is one of the most popular and widely studied supplements, especially among athletes and fitness enthusiasts. It's a naturally occurring compound found primarily in muscle cells and is involved in producing energy during high-intensity exercise. Here are the key benefits of creatine supplementation:
What is Creatine?
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound primarily stored in the muscles and brain. It is synthesized in the body from amino acids—arginine, glycine, and methionine—and is also available through dietary sources, particularly red meat, fish, poultry, pork, eggs. Creatine plays a critical role in cellular energy production, serving as a quick source of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the body's primary energy currency.
The total ATP production attributed to the Krebs cycle, including the ATP generated from the electron transport chain, is approximately 10 ATP per glucose molecule (2 ATP directly from the Krebs cycle and 8 ATP from the electron transport chain).
1. Hormonal Health and Energy Support
Women often experience hormonal fluctuations that can affect energy levels, particularly during perimenopause, menopause, and the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Creatine has been shown to enhance mitochondrial function and energy production, potentially alleviating fatigue associated with these hormonal changes.
1. Improved Exercise Performance - 5% to 15%
Increased Power Output: Creatine helps replenish ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the primary energy carrier in cells, especially during short bursts of high-intensity activity. This leads to better performance in activities like weightlifting, sprinting, or high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
Enhanced Strength: Creatine has been shown to improve strength and muscle power, allowing athletes to lift heavier weights or perform more reps, which can help in muscle growth over time.
Increased Endurance: While creatine is more beneficial for short bursts of energy, some studies show that it can also slightly improve endurance during activities like running or cycling when performed at higher intensities.
2. Supports Muscle Growth - Creatine supplementation can increase muscle growth by about 25-33% over time compared to not taking it
Increased Muscle Mass: Creatine is known to promote muscle hypertrophy (muscle growth) through several mechanisms:
Increased Water Retention in Muscles: Creatine causes muscle cells to retain water, making muscles look fuller and more volumized, especially early on.
Enhanced Protein Synthesis: It may also increase the activity of satellite cells, which are involved in muscle repair and growth.
Improved Workout Performance: By allowing you to lift heavier or perform more reps, creatine can contribute to greater overall training volume, which is a key driver of muscle growth over time.
Creatine has been studied for its potential benefits in treating conditions like muscular dystrophy, heart disease, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Research is also ongoing in its potential use in improving bone health and as a supplement for elderly populations to help maintain muscle mass and function.
3. Brain Function and Cognitive Benefits
Improved Cognitive Performance: Creatine may help with cognitive functions, particularly tasks requiring short-term memory, quick thinking, and decision-making. This is because the brain also uses ATP for energy, and creatine supplementation may help support energy production in brain cells.
Neuroprotection: Some research suggests that creatine might have neuroprotective effects, potentially benefiting people with neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson's, ALS, or Alzheimer's. It may help protect brain cells from damage by improving energy availability in the brain.
Recent research has also investigated the role of creatine in brain health, particularly in conditions like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and depression, as well as its effects on cognitive performance and mental fatigue.
4. Faster Recovery - creatine monohydrate (CrM) supplementation significantly reduced indirect muscle damage markers (such as creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, and myoglobin) at 48-90 hours post-exercise. Additionally, it lowered inflammation and oxidative stress markers at 24-36 hours and 48-90 hours post-exercise, with large effect sizes. Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) was also lower for the CrM group at 24 hours post-exercise, with a moderate effect size.
Reduced Muscle Damage: Creatine may help reduce muscle damage and inflammation after intense exercise, which can lead to faster recovery times between workouts.
Reduced Muscle Soreness: Some studies suggest that creatine can reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) after strenuous exercise, leading to quicker recovery and less discomfort after workouts.
5. Supports Healthy Aging
Muscle Preservation: As we age, muscle mass tends to decline, a condition known as sarcopenia. Creatine may help counteract this by preserving lean muscle mass and improving strength, which is particularly beneficial for older adults to maintain mobility and quality of life.
Improved Bone Health: Some evidence suggests that creatine might support bone health by improving muscle strength, which can reduce the risk of falls and fractures in older adults.
6. Improved Performance in Explosive Sports
Creatine is especially effective for activities involving short bursts of high-intensity activity—such as sprinting, football, baseball, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT). The increase in available ATP means you can maintain peak performance for longer during intense, explosive movements.
7. Potential Weight Gain
Many people experience weight gain with creatine supplementation, but it’s typically due to water retention in the muscles, which is often temporary. However, the increased ability to train harder can lead to long-term muscle gains, which will contribute to lean body mass over time.
8. May Improve Glucose Metabolism
There’s some emerging evidence suggesting that creatine supplementation may improve insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism, which could be beneficial for individuals with type 2 diabetes or those at risk of developing it. However, more research is needed in this area.
How Creatine Works:
Energy Production (ATP): Creatine is stored in the muscles as creatine phosphate. During high-intensity exercise, creatine phosphate donates a phosphate group to ADP (adenosine diphosphate), regenerating ATP (the primary energy currency of the cell) and allowing for continued muscle contraction.
Cell Volumization: Creatine draws water into muscle cells, which can increase the size of muscle fibers temporarily, making muscles appear larger and fuller.
Protein Synthesis: Creatine can influence the activation of certain pathways related to protein synthesis, helping promote muscle growth.
Common Forms of Creatine:
Creatine Monohydrate: The most researched and commonly used form of creatine. It is effective, widely available, and inexpensive.
Creatine HCL (Hydrochloride): A more soluble form that some people find causes less bloating or water retention, but the benefits are similar to creatine monohydrate.
Creatine Ethyl Ester: Another variation with claims of better absorption, but less evidence supports this form compared to creatine monohydrate.
How to Take Creatine:
Loading Phase (optional): Take 20 grams per day (divided into 4 doses of 5 grams) for 5-7 days to saturate your muscles more quickly.
Maintenance Phase: After the loading phase (or if skipping it), take 3-5 grams per day. This will maintain creatine levels in the muscles.
Timing: Creatine can be taken at any time of day, but it’s often recommended to take it post-workout with a carbohydrate source to enhance uptake into muscles. However, studies suggest it’s not critical to take it at a specific time.
Choosing the Right Creatine
When selecting a creatine supplement, consider the following:
- Purity: Look for high-quality creatine monohydrate, the most studied and effective form.
- Additives: Avoid products with unnecessary fillers or artificial ingredients.
Third-Party Testing: Ensure the supplement has been tested for purity and potency by an independent laboratory.
Here at Premier IFM we have Designs for sport creatine monohydrate that I have been taking with my workouts.
Safety and Side Effects:
Generally Safe: Creatine is generally considered safe for most people when taken in recommended doses. Extensive research has shown that it doesn't cause kidney damage in healthy individuals, despite past concerns.
Possible Side Effects:
Water Retention: Creatine causes muscles to hold more water, which can lead to some weight gain and a “puffy” appearance.
Digestive Issues: Some individuals experience bloating or gastrointestinal discomfort, especially during the loading phase.
Muscle Cramps: Though rare, some people report muscle cramps, though the evidence linking creatine to cramps is weak.
Consult with a Doctor: If you have any pre-existing kidney conditions, it's a good idea to check with a healthcare professional before taking creatine.
Kidney stress
Why It Happens: Some research suggested that creatine supplementation might strain the kidneys, especially with long-term use or in those with pre-existing kidney conditions.
Who Is At Risk: For healthy individuals, there is no evidence that creatine causes kidney damage when taken in recommended doses. However, people with pre-existing kidney conditions should consult with a healthcare provider before using creatine.
Dehydration
What It Is: Because creatine causes your muscles to hold more water, it could potentially lead to dehydration if you're not drinking enough fluids.
Why It Happens: Creatine's effect on water retention can reduce the available fluid elsewhere in the body.
How to Avoid It:
Drink plenty of water: Ensure you are consuming enough fluids throughout the day, especially if you’re engaging in intense exercise.
Electrolyte Imbalance
What It Is: When your body holds more water in the muscles, it can alter the balance of electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and magnesium, leading to imbalances that could cause symptoms like muscle cramps or fatigue.
Why It Happens: Creatine supplementation can affect fluid balance and may indirectly alter electrolytes.
How to Avoid It:
Make sure you are hydrating properly and consider supplementing with electrolytes if you're experiencing cramping or fatigue.
Possible Interaction with Medications
What It Is: Creatine could potentially interact with certain medications, such as diuretics (which cause the body to excrete more water) or medications for kidney or liver issues.
Potential Increase in Blood Pressure (Rare)
What It Is: While rare, some people report a slight increase in blood pressure with creatine supplementation.
Why It Happens: Creatine can cause water retention, which may increase blood volume and potentially raise blood pressure, particularly in those who are sensitive to changes in hydration status.
Integrating Creatine Into a Functional Medicine Approach
Creatine is most effective when combined with a holistic approach to health. This includes:
- Nutrition: A nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory diet rich in whole foods.
- Exercise: Resistance training and weight-bearing exercises to maximize muscle and bone benefits.
- Stress Management: Practices such as breath work, yoga, or meditation to complement creatine’s cognitive and mood-enhancing effects.
- Individualized Care: Monitoring hormone levels and overall health to tailor supplementation to a woman’s unique needs.
Conclusion:
Creatine is a well-researched supplement with a broad range of benefits, especially for those involved in high-intensity exercise, strength training, or explosive sports. It can enhance performance, support muscle growth, aid recovery, and even improve cognitive function in some cases. For most people, creatine is safe and effective when taken in appropriate doses, and it remains one of the most trusted and cost-effective supplements in the fitness and sports world.
Alright, I'm Dr. Craig Mortensen, this is nurse Jessica Cardona, and we were just saying we are totally not prepared for this podcast. Yeah, this is the last minute. Hey, we should probably do this. Yes, and it's part of my long list of to-do here. So I think you have access to my list of blog to-do's, but it's like 30, 40 long. So this one is on what?
Nurse Jessica (00:09.061)
Wow, you're telling people our secrets just right up front.
Nurse Jessica (00:16.745)
Last night.
Nurse Jessica (00:31.497)
Creatine.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (00:32.75)
Creatine and specifically creatine for women. But this doesn't have to be just for women. This really kind of applies to everybody. But some of the benefits of creatine particularly apply to women just because of, well, physiology and sometimes need a little bit more support in certain areas.
Nurse Jessica (00:53.055)
always tell my patients, we don't have what men have. That's not the way we were built. So we need to work for it. Yeah. I mean.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (00:57.932)
Thank goodness. And so you were kind of the one that said specifically for women, and that's because of, well, number one, you're a woman. Number two, your history working at Kaiser and labor and delivery and just your interest in women's stuff. So something I want to point out before we get started here, creatine is probably one of the most studied supplements that there is.
There's something like over a thousand different studies and there's a lot of benefits to it. So let's go ahead and get into it here, Jessica. So start up with what is Creatine Team?
Nurse Jessica (01:36.959)
So creatine is just a naturally occurring compound primarily. It's stored in our muscles and brain. It is synthesized in the body from amino acids such as like arginine, glycine, and it's also available through dietary sources, particularly red meat, fish, poultry, eggs. And it really does play a very critical role.
in cellular energy production. It's a very quick source of ATP, which is literally the body's primary energy source. Yeah.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (02:14.542)
fuel. Yep. And so if anybody remembers the Krebs cycle from your physiology classes, each Krebs cycle produces 2 ATP directly and then 8 ATP from the whole electron transport chain. So a total of 10 ATP per Krebs cycle for one glucose. So it's kind of fun information. So let's get into the benefits. So benefit number one, particularly for females, is hormone and energy support.
And so basically, how does this work?
Nurse Jessica (02:44.169)
Yeah.
This is the one that I use, honestly, most of the time when I'm talking about creatine for my patients, because we do experience hormonal fluctuations and that can have dramatic effects on our energy levels, right? I'm sure everybody's heard about it. And these are very, much so during perimenopause and menopause and that luteal phase, which we like and know as our PMS.
time, right, of our menstrual cycle. So it has shown to enhance our mitochondrial function and energy production, potentially relieving the fatigue that is associated with those hormonal changes. And I have had great success and experiences from my patients, also letting me know that it has helped them through that. And I have been working out and using CreaTeen so I can say myself that it does.
have that benefit.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (03:47.096)
And it really all comes down to mitochondrial function. There's whole books and online courses and everything all about mitochondrial optimization, which is fine, but in my opinion, you don't need to get specific with just mitochondrial function because everything that you do will affect mitochondrial function. But this is a great thing. So kind of along those lines, creatine is most known for...
Nurse Jessica (03:58.078)
Yeah.
Nurse Jessica (04:09.15)
Right, right.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (04:16.372)
exercise performance, right? Whether it's increased power out to strength endurance and just kind of like overall strength. So lot of different studies just by taking creatine anywhere from a five to a 15 % improvement in strength output and endurance, which is pretty huge. And then kind of with that we get muscle growth is which where a lot of men take creatine. So explain a little bit how, how does it help with muscle growth? What does it do?
Nurse Jessica (04:17.727)
Mm-hmm.
Nurse Jessica (04:32.392)
Mm-hmm.
Nurse Jessica (04:44.393)
So, and that's honestly what I use this for too, supporting my women because again, like I said, we just don't have what you guys have, that's just not how we were made. in order for us, especially in our later years to grow that muscle, I'm like, okay, here's the benefits of creatine. It does help us build that muscle. So basically it can help with a couple different mechanisms during that process. So water retention, so ultimately.
making them a little bit more fuller and volumized. It does help the protein synthesis and it helps again, like you had just said, literally with that workout performance and us being able to lift a little bit heavier and or more reps, right? So overall we can, exactly, exactly.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (05:31.47)
Work out harder, you get better results. And by increasing muscle mass, you're increasing metabolism, you burn more fat, helps with hormone balance, estrogen balance. So some interesting studies on this, overall muscle growth, taking creatine versus not taking creatine over a period of time. But it was about a 25 to 33 % increase in growth over that period of time. So was kind of very...
Nurse Jessica (05:38.685)
Right? Right?
Dr. Craig Mortensen (06:01.698)
surprising results. Like you wouldn't think that it would be that much. So kind of along these little side note here. I did when I was going through college, one of my projects was, and this was in, well, anyway, I'm going to skip that part. I'm going to delete it. When I was going through college, we had a task or a project to do like some sort of research project and try to do like a study on it. And so I actually did it on D-RIBOS.
which kind of is along the similar actions of this by increasing energy production basically. And over a period, I forget exactly what it was, but for me specifically, just taking D-ribose, my whole routine was the same. You know, obviously there's going to be maybe as a psychological and I was working out harder, but I gained two pounds over a month of just taking D-ribose and I didn't change anything else, at least that I know of. So that was kind of cool.
Nurse Jessica (06:54.264)
wow.
Nurse Jessica (06:59.679)
That's interesting because I did the same thing with my son. I made him, he had never taken creatine before. I made him take it religiously. we, I mean, he obviously had a personal trainer and yes, was working out hard too, but I feel like taking that creatine in his routine made a big difference in the growth that he had as well.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (07:03.022)
that you are.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (07:20.514)
Yeah, it's hard to sometimes separate that like placebo effect because you feel like you're taking something so you should be working out harder so you actually do work out harder. Yeah. Yeah. The third benefit of creatine here, this is kind of like one of my favorite benefits of this, guess, is brain function and cognitive benefits. So basically by increasing mitochondrial function, increasing ATP production, you're improving brain function.
Nurse Jessica (07:29.405)
Yeah, and I did tell him that, so maybe he had the same effect. Yeah.
Nurse Jessica (07:43.23)
Yeah.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (07:50.526)
It's neuroprotective. It helps protect your brain from all kinds of neurodegeneration, whether it's Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, dementia, anxiety, sleep, mental fatigue. right. So for whatever reason, I saw my grandma kind of go through neurodegenerative issues, and I see the pain and suffering that patients go through, but not just them, also their family. So that kind of, for whatever reason, that's kind one of my...
Nurse Jessica (08:00.543)
Perimenopause menopause.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (08:20.14)
My focus is for myself anyway. Number four kind of goes into the faster recovery, which we kind of already talked about in our notes here. Just go over real quick some of the, like the delayed onset muscle soreness and some of the stats that we have here so just people can kind of get like how effective it can be.
Nurse Jessica (08:27.549)
Yeah. Yep.
Nurse Jessica (08:40.307)
Yeah, so it definitely does reduce the muscle damage. It helps with the inflammation, which obviously helps you recover a little bit faster. And it does delay that onset of soreness, which I don't know if any of you experienced this while lifting weights, but it's like the worst part about working out. You know you're gonna be sore. So if I can just delay that, I'd be super happy with it.
And some stats that we have is that taking creatine monohydrate supplementation significantly reduces end-direct muscle damage markers, which is like the lactate by 48 to 90 hours post exercise. So again, if I can delay that, yeah.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (09:22.126)
which is pretty significant. Yeah, I mean, to be able to see labs change, not just somebody, like you can't fake labs, right? So if your creatine kinase goes down, your lactate dehydrogenase, your myoglobulin, if those all improve, there's no way that you can trick your mind to do that. It just does it.
Nurse Jessica (09:42.173)
Right, and like you said, these markers like the inflammation and oxidative stress markers, those were lowered as well, which again, you can't trick labs. So that's pretty significant.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (09:55.214)
which is for me kind of what Drew made of functional medicine in the first place is that the objective versus the subjective. Number five on here is it supports healthy aging. So kind of a sad statistic is after the age of 30, we typically lose 1 % of our muscle mass every year. So from 30 to 60, you've lost 30 % of your muscle mass unless you do something to maintain it. And that is lifting weights.
Nurse Jessica (10:01.415)
Yeah. Yeah.
Nurse Jessica (10:14.943)
Mm-hmm.
Nurse Jessica (10:20.895)
Correct?
Dr. Craig Mortensen (10:24.396)
Walking and movement does not count as exercise. It is activity and movement, but it is not exercise. So taking creatine can be a great supplemental thing to do for that. We already talked about improved performance and explosive exercises. Number seven on here, weight gain. So lot of people would look at this and kind of think, why is weight gain positive?
Nurse Jessica (10:29.887)
Right? Right?
Dr. Craig Mortensen (10:55.118)
why it is waking up positive.
Nurse Jessica (10:56.531)
Well, obviously, again, I always think about my perimenopause, menopause, because if we lose our hormones, it really does affect our bone and the health in the later game. So I tell my patients, for those of you who are super teeny tiny like me, our bone health is already at a disadvantage. So putting on a little bit of weight, which obviously muscle weighs more than fat.
that can increase your bones abilities to do a little bit better on the back end. So that's what I use it for.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (11:32.724)
And oftentimes as people get older, 70s, 80s, even 60s, they find that they can't keep weight on. And so you don't want to get too skinny either. And so this can help with that also by hopefully enabling you to exercise, that stimulates your appetite more. So a lot of benefits to that. I can also improve glucose metabolism. in the kind of research, like it really makes sense, but I guess in the research it kind of...
Nurse Jessica (11:37.225)
Mm-hmm.
Right.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (12:00.814)
was a little bit surprising that there's studies showing that it increases insulin sensitivity, which helps with glucose metabolism. So for our patients with type two diabetes, even type one diabetes, can be really helpful with that as well. And then for our new, I don't know if you still have it on, are you still using the continuous glucose monitors? Yeah, I might do. But so I wish, yeah, it was fine. It was kind of interesting. So I wish that I would have...
Nurse Jessica (12:21.575)
Now our two weeks is up.
It's fun.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (12:31.342)
correlated the two. But there's so many variations going on there. It's hard to kind of know. So creatine works basically by increasing energy production, ATP, the whole electron transport, it increases cell volumization, and it increases protein synthesis. Now, when you go to the supplement store, and even, well, not so much in our office because we kind of have the one that we use, right? There's not really a need to have a bunch.
Nurse Jessica (12:35.463)
Yeah, yeah, that was hard for me too.
Nurse Jessica (12:48.895)
Yeah.
Nurse Jessica (12:57.465)
One.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (13:00.94)
There's three main types. So what are the three main types?
Nurse Jessica (13:06.207)
All right, there's creatine monohydrate, creatine HCl, which is hydrochloride, and then creatine ethyl ester. And the one that we carry is the creatine monohydrate, which has the most research and is the most commonly used form of creatine.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (13:21.294)
Yeah, the creatine HCl, some people find that it maybe causes less water retention, but then you're losing that benefit of it. So they say it's more absorbed, it's a little bit easier on your stomach. Really, like I haven't had any patients have any issues with it. I don't know if you have, I've never had any issues with it. I can see where part of the issue of maybe taking the creatine monohydrate is like, how do you take creatine? Right? Because all of the...
Nurse Jessica (13:34.847)
Mm-hmm.
Nurse Jessica (13:38.717)
No. Nope.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (13:51.15)
Instructions, there's this giant loading phase where you're doing like 20 grams a day, do that for a week and then you go down to five grams or three to five grams, you're kind of somewhere in that range. Do you do that? I don't either.
Nurse Jessica (14:06.825)
honestly don't. I just take the five grams per day. Make sure you don't miss a day whether you work out or not and that's how I just kind of have my patients take it too.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (14:18.35)
And do you worry about before workout, after workout, in the morning?
Nurse Jessica (14:24.051)
This is such a big topic. Yes. Okay. Me and my husband were literally just talking about this because I just got him to start working out, which I love. So he was asking, so when should I take it? And to be completely honest, I don't know if everybody knows this, but my son was a, I guess, common professional, semi-professional hockey player. And I did a deep dive into sports nutrition just for his benefit, obviously. And when to take
you know, protein and when to take creatine. And a lot of the research that I read was post workout. You have a very small window to get it in at its like peak. So yes, yeah. So was 30 minutes max to an hour to get that protein and creatine in. And that's the way I use it. I know there's great research on before and after really not making a difference.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (15:09.336)
Your muscles are kind of like open, so it kind of drives it in,
Nurse Jessica (15:23.487)
But for me, I think the athletic component of it, it was really all about that post 30 minute to an hour phase.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (15:31.01)
Yeah. Now for me personally, I take it before because I think it has, it's more of a mental thing for me. Like I feel like, I'm taking something. like, it's going to boost my energy. But yeah, most of the research is on that post. Do you? Yeah. Yeah. So as far as choosing the right creatine, you want to look at, make sure it's a pure one, make sure there's no additives, make sure it's got third party testing, all that good stuff.
Nurse Jessica (15:36.52)
Okay.
Nurse Jessica (15:40.126)
Yeah.
I do it mentally for after I'm like, it's gonna build it and it's gonna help me not get sore. Like that's my thought process.
Nurse Jessica (15:58.899)
Mm-hmm.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (16:00.578)
The one that we hear we use here is obviously a very good one. Everybody always asks, what about this one and this this one? And honestly, we can't really give our opinion on a lot of those things because we just haven't used them. And it takes a lot of time to do the research onto the specific ones. there's millions of them out there, not millions, okay, there's hundreds of them out there and we can't look at all of it and there's no FDA regulation on it.
which is regulation. But it's very hard to know what, if they're doing what they're actually say they're doing. Companies that we work, they are. So safety and side effects. A lot of people are kind of always worried about side effects. Some of the possible side effects for this are water retention. You can get digestive issues and you can actually get cramps from taking it. So.
Nurse Jessica (16:33.119)
Yeah, it's a good thing.
Nurse Jessica (16:46.207)
Mm-hmm.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (16:57.762)
You know, whether the side effects are overblown, I kind of think they are. Kidney is a potential warning area, I guess. So if you have kidney issues, really don't, probably don't take it unless you're under the direct supervision of somebody and you want to be monitoring it. Again, I'm not a huge fan of the whole loading just because it's kind of the unknown.
But another risk is dehydration, which kind of seems like funny, right? You're volumizing your cells, you're retaining more water. So why would that actually dehydrate you?
Nurse Jessica (17:38.687)
Well, just like you said, you're holding onto it, but that's because it's not available elsewhere.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (17:46.744)
Yes, kind of think of it as like it's sucking out of your blood into your cells. Yes, yeah. So make sure you drink lots of water, take your electrolytes. And so electrolyte imbalance is another potential side effect. So you wanna watch out with that. And it can have possible interactions with medications, probably like diuretics and things that can affect your kidneys. And then the last side effect here.
Nurse Jessica (17:52.04)
is drinking itself.
Yep.
Nurse Jessica (18:02.761)
Mm-hmm.
Nurse Jessica (18:12.329)
Right?
Dr. Craig Mortensen (18:17.162)
is what?
Nurse Jessica (18:18.847)
It can increase your blood pressure, which is super rare. I have had one patient, but we weren't sure if it was a supplementation or creatine itself. So this is definitely something that we had to monitor. We ended up finding out that it was one of the supplements that had licorice in it. it was kind of a, you know, what was it? We ended up finding it out and she had no issues with the continuous of creatine. But again, it can definitely happen.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (18:47.222)
Again, basically volumizing, more blood volume, basically, which is kind of the opposite of like diuretics and stuff. Let's see. So that's really kind of it on the creatine stuff. Do you have anything else to add here, Jessica?
Nurse Jessica (18:48.883)
water volume, right? Right.
Right, right.
Nurse Jessica (19:04.127)
No, I recommend it to all my women. That is literally 30 and beyond, just because all the benefits are there. And I mean, I personally use it and like it, so.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (19:16.898)
Yeah, my kind of morning concoction is, so water, I a glass of water, I do my methylene blue in it, I do a scoop of protein and I do a scoop of, sorry, collagen protein and then the creatine. So that's kind of like my...
Nurse Jessica (19:34.409)
Yeah, and my post workout drink is usually my protein powder with a scope, which is the five milligrams of creatine.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (19:45.518)
Yep. All right, that is it for today. I'm Dr. Craig Mortensen. This is Nurse Jessica Cardona. Peace out.
Nurse Jessica (19:52.274)
next time!
Dr. Craig Mortensen (19:55.382)
Okay, don't make sure don't shut your computer
Nurse Jessica (20:00.105)
Yup.
Dr. Craig Mortensen (20:02.286)
All right, well, didn't stop it.
