I have red itchy spots from Creatine loading?

[CozyLife]

Alright, Creatine loading is doing weird stuff to my body and I want to know what's going on. I've been loading with 25g of Creatine [Controlled Labs Creamore] for 3 days now. Here's what I experienced each day.

Day 1
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Extreme bloating
- Diarrhea
- Green sh*t
- Heightened blood pressure with jitters
- Mild head pain and pressure (Not a headache - it feels like a weird aching heat)

Day 2
- Everything from day 1 except the following
- Diarrhea (Replaced with major gas)

Day 3
- Everything from day 2
- No more major gas or bloating
- Itchy red spots on my head and a bit on my chest (I was scratching my neck, so it's a bit redder there from that. - See the picture below.)

The itchy red spots are hot - a bit like a fever. I'm not sure if that's an allergic reaction or if it's something else.

Update:
The spots seem to be getting further down my body. They aren't terribly itch, though they are disconcerting.

[The Solution]

Well you don't need to load creatine in the first place.
5g for 30 days, then 3-5g on workout days. NO need to load or cycle your creatine:



Total body creatine pool turnover is ~2 grams per day. So, if you've neared saturation from use of creatine over an extended period of time, then you are not going to retain more than ~2 grams no matter what. ~3 grams (+/- a little dpending upon LBM) is really all that's needed. As you can see from the Cr group below, most of the 10 grams of creatine taken at once goes down the toilet.

[PaintPir]

stop taking 25 grams a day and start taking 3-5, there is no need to load


Did you change anything else other than starting creatine?

[gbullock32]

Looks more like niacin flush or a reaction to beta alanine IMO.

[CozyLife]

I got a package of trial size stuff with my Bodybuilding.com order, so I started using the stuff that came in the package. (Mainly recovery drinks) The reason I was loading is because Examine.com's old site stated that loading will bring faster results, while with not-loading, the results are slower. They stated that a general loading phase is 5-7 days of 20g to 25g of Creatine. With that urine analysis, it makes me question the validity of the old Examine article. What's the source of that information?

[PaintPir]

I got a package of trial size stuff with my Bodybuilding.com order, so I started using the stuff that came in the package. (Mainly recovery drinks) The reason I was loading is because Examine.com's old site stated that loading will bring faster results, while with not-loading, the results are slower. They stated that a general loading phase is 5-7 days of 20g to 25g of Creatine. With that urine analysis, it makes me question the validity of the old Examine article. What's the source of that information?

creatine loading was debunked 10+ years ago, the examine article must be pretty aged

[CozyLife]

creatine loading was debunked 10+ years ago, the examine article must be pretty aged

That would explain why it's no longer there. Thanks for the help guys, I'll do the 5g dose instead.

[The Solution]

. They stated that a general loading phase is 5-7 days of 20g to 25g of Creatine. With that urine analysis, it makes me question the validity of the old Examine article. What's the source of that information?

Sure companies will state you should load. Does it mean everyone should do it? not really
Its a good way to market their creatine product and make you go through it faster and buy more.
When you refer to "Old" how old is "OLD" many articles are very outdated and misinformed.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layne13.htm
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/king...ert-guide.html
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=7371911
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/6-si...-debunked.html
http://flowathletics.com/creatine-7-...ciated-truths/
http://www.esupplements.com/article/creatine-myths/

[CozyLife]

"There is no truth to the occasional rogue media stories claiming that creatine causes kidney stones or liver failure." - bodybuilding.com/fun/6-side-effects-of-creatine-myths-debunked.html

I see what you mean about being outdated. I passed a stone today, and I never had that happen before. It's only a month old and it's already bad info.

[FormulaLT1poweR]

"There is no truth to the occasional rogue media stories claiming that creatine causes kidney stones or liver failure." - bodybuilding.com/fun/6-side-effects-of-creatine-myths-debunked.html

I see what you mean about being outdated. I passed a stone today, and I never had that happen before. It's only a month old and it's already bad info.

Are you blaming the stone on the 3 days of creatine?

[CozyLife]

Are you blaming the stone on the 3 days of creatine?

I don't know what caused it, though Creatine seems like the most likely cause. Anyway, like I said, I'm dropping the dose to 5g per day, as I've loaded long enough that if loading even matters, it should give me a good start. If loading isn't useful, then I'm still good to go with the 5g. With the lowered dosage, if the creatine did cause the issue, I doubt it will persist.

[wishiwasdivin]

Loading 25g it's no need for that much creatine.

[TheGilmore]

Usually the worst that happens with creatine loading is GI distress. You are experiencing some very severe symptoms that might be pointing to a preexisting condition. I would highly advise seeking professional medical advice.