Does creatine need to dissolve before consuming?

[LMT42]

I happened on a video by Will Brink where he states that creatine needs to be dissolved before consuming. He says it's unusable and may cause stomach problems if not dissolved. I've always just given my creatine a good stir before each sip and not worried if it was dissolved - I thought the stomach could digest it either way.

I've tried getting my creatine to dissolve lately, with poor results. Only about half of it will fully dissolve. I've even tried drinking 3/4 and then adding more OJ/Gatorade. This all seems like a pain in the ass. Does it matter if the creatine is fully dissolved? I've never heard or read anything that said this prior to seeing Brink's video.


Referenced vid -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqY_JtJazyw

[Atchcraft]

I usually just put a teaspoon in my mouth & swish it around with whatever liquid. Never had any stomach problems but i do drink a lot of water.

[bp7178]

I've tried Cell Mass and a GNC Monohydrate and never really had any luck getting either to fully disolve. The Cell Mass was slightly worse in this regard.

I have heard you need to take creatine with a sugary drink, something like a fruit juice.

For the most part I try to stay away from supplements other than a quality protien. I knows guys that swear by prohormones, but that stuff seems a little scary to me. It seems they are on the market for a while, then taken off.

[Mr. Goodtimes]

I knows guys that swear by prohormones, but that stuff seems a little scary to me. It seems they are on the market for a while, then taken off.

Thats because they're steriods, plain and simple. Not only that, but they're "supplements" so they aren't held to any standard as far as purity, ingredients, manufacturing technique etc... goes. As far as I know just about anybody can make these things and sell them. I would equate it as being sort of similar to buying drugs from the guy on the corner. You're not really sure whats in it, but he seems nice enough.

Prohormones are awefull. Most of them are made from harsh "methelated" compounds, which makes them pretty hard on your liver.

All of the safest and most effective prohormones got banned years ago, and it seems like every time they figure out a way around the ban, it's with a compound more harsh and less effective than the last.

If somebody is going to do juice the best option is to just get the real shit and quit ****in around.

[MerQ]

My personal opinion is that there's a reason most professional sports ban them. I agree with the other poster that many people trying to get quicker results "abuse" these dietary supplements. If you eat "right" or a balanced diet as it should be referred to you shouldn't need these supplements. There are many things we ingest in our bodies that our bodies truly don't absorb completely. I'd consult a medical doctor or a nutritionist to come up with a proper diet to achieve desired health/ fitness level.

If you want a natural source of ingestable Creatine then Tuna is generally regarded as the highest known natural source for it. It's in trace amounts but safe amounts as well. You could do canned in a pinch but it tastes better grilled or broiled and lightly seasoned in my opinion.

[Mr. Biggles]

I've tried a few types of creatine...

Amplified 189 Creatine (Solid horse pill)
GNC Creatine Monohydrate (Powder'ish type substance)
Kre Alkalyn creatine

I think there's a few others, but can't remember the names right now...

Out of the three listed, I had the best results with (Kre Alkalyn Creatine).

Some creatine companies will tell you that you you can take creatine any time of day, and you'd be fine... I'll usually take it thirty minutes before going to the gym. You shouldn't be having to wait for creatine to dissolve before consuming. Just take the creatine. =)

http://www.trulyhuge.com/creatinemonohydrateL14.html

[WillBrink]

I happened on a video by Will Brink where he states that creatine needs to be dissolved before consuming. He says it's unusable and may cause stomach problems if not dissolved. I've always just given my creatine a good stir before each sip and not worried if it was dissolved - I thought the stomach could digest it either way.

I've tried getting my creatine to dissolve lately, with poor results. Only about half of it will fully dissolve. I've even tried drinking 3/4 and then adding more OJ/Gatorade. This all seems like a pain in the ass. Does it matter if the creatine is fully dissolved? I've never heard or read anything that said this prior to seeing Brink's video.

If you are using warm water and micronized creatine, it dissolves easily. For people who get stomach upset, non responders (approx 30% of users) will get better responses from fully dissolving. It's not a black/white issue. Clearly, some of the creatine not dissolved in the glass will be made soluble and absorbed, but it's well established in human digestion that compounds with poor solubility are often poorly absorbed.

If you have gotten good response from not fully dissolving, don't sweat it, but it's my opinion that fully dissolving optimizes absorption, reduces waste, may improve effects in non responders, and will reduce stomach discomfort in those who experience it with creatine.

Use Creapure (micronized recommended but not essential) creatine at 3-5g.

Creatine has a fairly poor solubility.

[Mr. Goodtimes]

Will my routines are somewhat similar to a Crossfit routine, thus I do a fair amount of running. I've noticed that if I take creatine before a run I ALWAYS get really bad cramps. Is this common? A result of poor absorbtion?

[WillBrink]

Will my routines are somewhat similar to a Crossfit routine, thus I do a fair amount of running. I've noticed that if I take creatine before a run I ALWAYS get really bad cramps. Is this common? A result of poor absorbtion?

Possible yes. Don't take before running. Creatine timing does not appear important.

[JonnyVain]

Will my routines are somewhat similar to a Crossfit routine, thus I do a fair amount of running. I've noticed that if I take creatine before a run I ALWAYS get really bad cramps. Is this common? A result of poor absorbtion?

I would think you're dehydrating yourself with the creatine. As Will said, it is not important when you take it with monohydrate. I drink a lot when I wake up, take my creatine mid morning, then try to re-hydrate before lunch.

There are other forms of creatine that don't seem to dehydrate as much. I was taking creatine HCL and I didn't notice the dehydration like I did with mono. I'm not sure about MCC. I actually really liked the HCL but it's like 10x the price of mono.