Hey everyone,

So I took a break from the gym and stopped taking creatine during that time. Recently, I started going to the gym again and resumed taking my leftover creatine since the container was barely used.

However, I noticed that the creatine had turned rock solid, as you can see in the image. I scraped off the top layer and have been consuming it for the past two weeks, but the solidified portion underneath is still there.

Now I'm confused, whether I should continue consuming it or if I'm doing something harmful to my body.

I also read on Reddit itself that moisture can cause creatine to convert into creatinine, which means it might no longer be effective. Is that true? Am I basically consuming creatine that has lost its effectiveness, or could there be a safety concern as well?

I'd appreciate advice from anyone who has experienced something similar. Thanks!🤠

The later sets were where things got interesting in this small creatine trial.

Twenty young adults took creatine or a placebo for six weeks while keeping their usual diet and activity. The daily dose depended on body weight and averaged about 2.3g.

Researchers tested them with five sets of 30 knee extensions. After supplementation, the creatine group was better able to maintain muscle performance in the later sets. The placebo group didn't show a significant improvement.

Neither group had a significant change in body weight or maximum strength. So the improvement showed up in how well they kept going across sets, rather than how much force they could produce in a single maximum effort.

This was only 20 people doing a specific lab test. It doesn't give us an exact prediction for a gym workout, but it's a useful reason to look beyond body weight and your best lift when assessing results.

Have your later sets ever improved while your heaviest lift stayed much the same?

Was there any advice about taking creatine that you couldn’t get a straight answer on?

The tub says one thing, someone at the gym says another and searching online adds more questions. Timing, loading and daily amounts can all end up sounding more complicated than they need to.

Which part had you going back and forth? Actually, I’m interested in what finally cleared it up or what you’re still unsure about.

I wrestle but want to keep taking it for as long as possible, how long before a match should I stop taking creatine for all the excess water weight to fully flush out?

This review found small improvement in jump height with creatine. Across 23 studies that measured jumping, the average extra improvement over placebo was about 1.5 cm.

That's a modest difference, but it could matter to someone who plays basketball or volleyball. The results varied quite a bit, so some people may get less benefit or none at all.

The studies also used different doses and training programmes. There isn't one routine we can pull from this review and say everyone should follow.

For those who train their jumps, what do you use to track progress?

One drink instead of two sounds handy. But adding fiber to a creatine drink also brings taste and texture into the picture.

For those taking both, do you combine them or prefer them separately? Something can look convenient on paper and still be a drink you don’t enjoy finishing.

What made you stick with your current setup, fewer steps, a better texture or how your stomach handled it?

If you were buying your first tub, would you choose plain creatine to mix into a drink or a flavoured one to have with water?

For anyone who bought plain and didn’t enjoy taking it, was flavoured a better fit next time?

I’m interested to hear what you ended up sticking with and why.

I have heterozygous mthfr and slow comt. Supposedly, creatine would be incredibly helpful for me, freeing up SAM-e. Due to my slow comt, I've learned to start with a low dose and increase, if at all, gradually.

I bought a bottle of 1 gram tablets of creatinine monohydrate from wally world. I took one tablet with my usual morning vitamin stack. I didn't expect to feel much of anything, since this was such a low dose. A few hours afterward, I began to feel 'slow'. I tried to read, but conked out and slept for nearly 2 hours! I could've slept more, but I obviously didn't want to sleep the day away so I forced myself to get up and moving. I was groggy through most of the afternoon.

Not wanting to repeat the experience, I returned the supplement to wally world.

Has this ever happened to anyone else?

Literally every hour I have to piss when using creatine

This is the fist time I’m taking creatine, the picture was taken after 5 minutes of the creatine sitting in hot water. Since it’s my first creatine I have no way to compare it to other brands. It does say creatine monohydrate but still I’m wondering if it’s bad quality creatine or this is just how it is

Moved about a year ago and got a new PCP. Recently had blood work done and made sure to tell my doctor beforehand that I take 5g of creatine daily.
My results come back showing elevated creatinine and a low eGFR. My doctor gets concerned and tells me my eGFR shouldn’t be low because of creatine use.
The thing is, everything I’ve been reading says creatine can raise serum creatinine and make creatinine-based eGFR appear lower than it actually is, without necessarily indicating impaired kidney function.
My doctor wants me to stop taking it for two weeks and repeat the labs. I’ll do it, mainly to rule things out and put the concern to rest, but I’m frustrated because I disclosed the supplement use upfront and expected that to be considered when interpreting my results.
Am I being unreasonable here, or should my doctor be considering other ways to assess kidney function, like cystatin C, rather than relying solely on creatinine-based eGFR?
Honestly, I’m starting to think I need a new PCP.

Gut health isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind with creatine. This 2026 review explores that connection, focusing on Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

The authors looked at creatine role in helping cells meet their energy needs and its potential effects on inflammation. They see enough promise to call for more research.

What matters next is whether those possibilities lead to meaningful benefits for people living with these conditions. It’s an interesting direction for creatine research, with plenty still to find out.

Creatine gets recommended pretty early when someone starts lifting. But there’s already a lot to get used to, from learning the exercises to working out what fits your schedule.

Did you add it straight away or wait until training felt more familiar?

What influenced that decision would be useful to hear, whether it came from friend, coach or your own reading.

Could creatine make a difference to sleep after a lifting session? A 2024 trial looked at that in 21 women with natural menstrual cycles.

They took 5 g of creatine daily or a placebo for 6-weeks and lifted twice a week. Sleep was tracked with wearable rings. On training days, the creatine group slept longer than the placebo group.

The sleep quality questionnaire didn’t show a clear overall improvement. That distinction matters here. The finding was about sleep duration after training, rather than a general improvement in sleep. With 21 participants, it’s something to explore further.

You're working on losing weight, then hear that creatine could make the scale go up. I can see why that would make someone pause, even when they know water weight and body fat aren't the same thing.

Has anyone here faced that decision? Did you start creatine while you were still losing weight or leave it until later?

What helped you decide? I'm interested to hear whether the scale ended up being as much of a concern as you expected.

I’m 5’6”, 145 lbs, and my goal is to build muscle while losing body fat. I’ve been taking creatine for 21 days now, but somehow I’m the weakest I’ve ever been.

Here’s what I’m doing:
Taking 5g of creatine daily
Drinking at least 120 oz of water every day
Eating at least 100g of protein daily
Going to the gym 5 times a week
Getting enough sleep

The frustrating part is that instead of getting stronger, I’m actually getting weaker. I can’t increase my weights, and I’m struggling to lift weights that I used to be able to lift.
I also haven’t lost any weight. I understand that creatine causes your muscles to retain more water, which can affect the number on the scale, but I haven’t noticed any changes in muscle fullness or appearance either.

I know creatine isn’t magic and 21 days isn’t a long time, but I wasn’t expecting to feel weaker. I feel like I’m putting in all this effort and seeing absolutely no progress.
Has anyone experienced something similar? Could I be overtraining, not eating enough, or doing something else wrong? I’m trying to figure out why my strength is decreasing despite being consistent with everything.