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creatine monohydrate

Creatine Monohydrate (Creatine) is a dietary supplement.

Creatine

Not yet rated· sourced from the FDA label
Rated against independent regulatory sources·Last updated June 23, 2026·How we rate
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Key facts

Active ingredient
Creatine
Type
Supplement

What is Creatine Monohydrate?

From the FDA label:The most-researched sports supplement, supporting strength and muscle.

What the evidence says

What Creatine Monohydrate is

Creatine is a compound the body makes on its own — the liver and kidneys produce roughly a gram a day from amino acids — and that we also take in from animal-based foods such as red meat, pork, and fish. Most of it is stored in skeletal muscle, where it helps regenerate the rapid energy (ATP) used for brief, intense effort. Creatine monohydrate is the form used in most studies, and the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements treats it as one of the more extensively studied and widely used supplements aimed at exercise and athletic performance.

Commonly used for

Supporting gains in muscular strength and power outputHelping with high-intensity, repeated short bursts of activity such as sprinting or weightliftingSupporting increases in lean (fat-free) mass when combined with resistance trainingSupporting training adaptations over time

What the evidence shows

According to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, research fairly consistently suggests creatine can help increase strength and power and improve the ability to perform repeated short bouts of high-intensity, intermittent activity like sprinting and weight lifting. The same source notes the benefit appears specific to that kind of effort: creatine seems to be of little value for endurance activities such as distance running or swimming, and the associated water-weight gain may actually work against performance in those sports.

Typical dosage

A frequently studied approach is a short "loading" period of around 20 grams per day (typically divided into about four smaller doses) for roughly 5 to 7 days, followed by a lower maintenance dose of about 3 to 5 grams per day; some people skip the loading phase and just take the lower daily amount. These figures reflect the regimens the NIH summarizes from research, not a personal recommendation — check with a clinician or registered dietitian about whether creatine and what amount are appropriate for you.

Safety

The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements describes creatine as safe for short-term use in healthy adults, and notes evidence that use over several years also appears safe in healthy people. Its safety in children and adolescents is not well established, and major medical groups generally advise teens against performance-enhancing supplements. Evidence is lacking for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding and for those with kidney problems or other health conditions, so anyone in these groups should talk with a healthcare provider before use.

Side effects

The most common effect is weight gain, much of it from extra water held in muscle (on the order of a kilogram or two over a month). Reported side effects also include nausea, diarrhea and other digestive upset, and muscle cramps, with stomach complaints somewhat more likely at higher doses. Notably, controlled studies have generally not confirmed that creatine itself causes exercise-related muscle cramps, despite cramps being commonly reported.

Interactions & cautions

The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheet does not highlight specific drug interactions for creatine. The main caution it raises relates to the kidneys, so extra care is reasonable for people with existing kidney problems or those taking medicines that can affect kidney function. Because how supplements and medications interact can vary from person to person, review your full list of medications and supplements with a healthcare provider before adding creatine.

Sources

This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Summarized from public health authorities; general reference, not medical advice. Talk to a licensed healthcare professional before starting any supplement.

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Information is sourced from public FDA regulatory data. Provided for general reference only — not medical advice. Always consult a licensed professional and the current prescribing information.

What people report to the FDA about Creatine

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 1,051 reports naming Creatine — the active ingredient in Creatine Monohydrate, and the FDA flagged 62% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:

  • somnolence122 reports
  • gastrooesophageal reflux disease98 reports
  • pneumonia aspiration95 reports
  • coma93 reports
  • fatigue70 reports
  • nausea67 reports
  • headache49 reports
  • anxiety46 reports

Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean Creatine caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label.

Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved September 25, 2026.

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