Creatine & Cramps

[baileyswalk]

Hi all.

I am now into the third week of my first creatine cycle I lift weights, run twice a week and play football once a week. Over the period of the last week I have found that whenever I run or play football my calf muscles get extremely tight. So I searched the internet and came across this article:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...11/ai_n9015172

So it would appear, according to the article, I am not alone but certainly in the minority. I would be very disappointed if I had to stop my creatine cycle as I am enjoying the extra energy and gains I am now getting from my work outs. I was hoping to see if any one here has had the same experience, and if so how they overcame it.

O.k. so more water is a given but the article also states more sodium and magnesium. I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to dietary matters so how can I get what I need, are there vitamin pills which would be of help?
Also would drinking a lot more water on the days I run etc be helpful?
And finally would it be worth switching to glutamine. If I did would I be likely to find the same side effects, and would I get the same sort of gains as creatine?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers bailey.

[figure9]

Yeah, cramps and sometimes gastrointestinal discomfort may be the result of not mixing the powder thoroughly (assuming it's a powder) or not drinking enough water. You should aim for around a gallon a day. Multivitamins should help, as may potassium and taurine supplements.

Hope this helps!

[baileyswalk]

I thought creatine could simply be mixed with water and drank down?
How should I be mixing my creatine?
Are you talking about stomach cramps or general muscle cramps?
It is an unbearable tightness in my calf's that is bothering me.

(Sorry for all the questions)

Thnx for your reply.

[735735]

I thought creatine could simply be mixed with water and drank down?
How should I be mixing my creatine?
Are you talking about stomach cramps or general muscle cramps?
It is an unbearable tightness in my calf's that is bothering me.

(Sorry for all the questions)

Thnx for your reply.

Mix it with water post, tightness is calfs should not be from the creatine, try and stretch more and drink more water, some times your digestive system needs time to adjust to certain supps, ride it out abit, if it continues drop that company and try something, or drop creatine alltogether.

[mwatg]

i agree with the above comment - up the water intake for the day.

unfortionatly, some of us do not respond to creatine in any favourable way. some people get stomach cramps, nausea and bloating, others can get muscle cramps. it's a sign that this stuff is not for you. i am a non-responder to creatine monohydrate, and, not wanting to be beaten by the stuff have used up to 30g per day - still with no result. after calling it a day i invested in a different type of pre-exercise supplement - something with AAKG and a different type of creatine. i now use nutrabolics NOZ full throttle pre-exercise with no problems. there are other products on the market with similar spec, such as BSN's cell mass, or xyience's NOX GC3, or muscletech's naNOx9. give them a try.

hope this helps.

m>

[baileyswalk]

Ye was considering trying a serum instead the brand Im using at the moment is "Pro Body pure creatine xtreme" but it was the cheapest I could fimd on ebay. Ive heard serums dont have the same dehydration effectes. However I can assure you the tightness is not down to under stretching, been running and playing football for years without any problems untill I start on creatine

[735735]

Ye was considering trying a serum instead the brand Im using at the moment is "Pro Body pure creatine xtreme" but it was the cheapest I could fimd on ebay. Ive heard serums dont have the same dehydration effectes. However I can assure you the tightness is not down to under stretching, been running and playing football for years without any problems untill I start on creatine

First off bro, dont buy supps on ebay imo, and if ya gunna go cheap get some GNC mono, not some random creatine company, not bashing new companys just saying.

[baileyswalk]

Thnx for the replies peeps think I'm gonna ditch my current creatine give it a couple of weeks then try something different, can anyone recommend a good all round product?

[BubbaDoc]

Try some Gatorade(eletrlyte replacement) and/or bananas(potassium replacement)

Replacing creatine with glutamine? Apples and oranges.

[figure9]

I thought creatine could simply be mixed with water and drank down?
How should I be mixing my creatine?
Are you talking about stomach cramps or general muscle cramps?
It is an unbearable tightness in my calf's that is bothering me.

(Sorry for all the questions)

Thnx for your reply.

In terms of mixing, if it's not stirred well enough it can cause stomach issues.

As for the muscle cramps, water intake.

But that's already been answered by a couple of us :-)