Creatine

Creatine monohydrate · Creatine supplementation

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Lean mass with training¹ Muscle strength² Memory³ Processing speed⁴ Adjunct in depression⁵	Kidney disease⁶ Pregnancy or nursing⁶

Creatine is made in the body from amino acids and found in red meat, poultry, and seafood; it supports a reserve energy system that regenerates cellular energy in muscle and brain⁷. People take it to raise muscle creatine stores, with added lean mass^{1, 8} and strength during resistance training the main uses. Memory and adjunctive use with cognitive behavioral therapy in depression follow. Vegetarians tend to have lower muscle stores⁷.

Lean mass gains are greater when creatine is paired with resistance training, with no significant effect without exercise. Cognitive evidence is mixed: a meta-analysis found better memory and processing speed but no change in overall cognition or executive function. A 2024 small randomized trial in post-viral fatigue after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) found creatine with glucose raised brain creatine and reduced symptoms such as body aches and headache⁹. Creatine monohydrate has the strongest evidence for bioavailability and safety among marketed forms¹⁰; thousands of products list creatine, mostly powders and capsules (see Form comparison).

A meta-analysis found creatine modestly raises serum creatinine without changing glomerular filtration rate, so a rise can reflect supplementation rather than kidney impairment¹¹. United States (US) product labels say to consult a health care practitioner if you have kidney disease⁶.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

76 sources, 59 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Articles

Creatine gummies, by the numbersOct 11, 2026The trials used 3 to 5 g of creatine a day, about 4 gummies. Lab tests found some gummies held almost none, and creatine can make kidney tests look worse.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Articles

Sources