Creatine Monohydrate
Phosphocreatine precursor that regenerates ATP in high-demand tissues. Increases intracellular phosphocreatine stores in muscle and brain, improving peak power output, recovery between sets, and cognitive performance under fatigue.
One of the most-studied performance supplements. ~200 RCTs. Established benefits in resistance training (strength + lean mass), sprint/HIIT performance, and post-exercise recovery. Emerging cognitive data (aging populations, vegetarians with lower baseline stores) is promising but effect size smaller than muscle data. 5 g/day loading strategy achieves saturation in ~28 days vs 20 g/day loading (5 g QID × 5 days) for ~5 days — both strategies saturate; loading causes more GI upset.
GI upset with rapid loading (split doses reduce this). Weight gain on scale from water retention in muscle (not fat). Creatinine blood test elevation — flag to ordering physician before labs. Renally impaired patients: consult nephrologist before use.
External links to PubMed searches, ClinicalTrials.gov, and FDA materials. We do not host papers — we point at canonical sources.
FDA GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe). Widely sold OTC in the US. WADA does not prohibit creatine.
Distilled themes from named communities — Reddit threads, forums, creator commentary. Not direct quotes; not clinical evidence. Useful for calibrating expectations against what real self-experimenters report.
Universally stacked with BPC-157 and TB-500 for injury recovery protocols. No interaction concerns reported — creatine and peptides use entirely different pathways.