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Curious if anyone has had hair issues while taking it. I’m aware that there’s no positive evidence for an effect, but there is an at least plausible mechanism.
by el_benhameen 5mo ago
Curious if anyone has had hair issues while taking it. I’m aware that there’s no positive evidence for an effect, but there is an at least plausible mechanism. I’ve gone through two periods where I took it and liked the effects, but felt like I shed way more hair and stopped due to that.
- softwaredoug 5mo agoI take 10 g a day and have maybe noticed muscles seem to bulk more after a hard strength workout. But other than that I feel about the same.
- vkazanov 5mo agoCreatine is known to give you some more energy. Like, 3%-5%. That's just an extra rep, hardly noticeable.
- wtetzner 5mo agoAnd extra rep seems like it could be a big deal when strength training.
- vkazanov 5mo agoYeah, sure. The point is that it doesn't work like those Witcher potions. Nothing changes here and now.
- matwood 5mo agoI wouldn't say hardly noticeable especially for experienced lifters. After training for a few years those extra reps and slightly more weight have compounding effects over time.
- vkazanov 5mo agoTrue. What i am saying is that one has to have a good feeling of what this extra rep is like. Personally, i only saw that it works over time because of my journal. Most people dont do records.
- YZF 5mo agoMore water in the muscles is another effect. Also placebo. I do notice I'm a bit heavier when I'm on creatine.
- frez1 5mo agoI've recently started taking it and I've definitely noticed improved cognitive function. obviously all anecdotal and likely other contributing factors too (have been exercising more)..
- koinedad 5mo agoInteresting, I also noticed thinning
- brador 5mo agoSame. Not clumps, but a definite uptick in hair shed. Stopped taking it.
- zug_zug 5mo agoDo you work out? If so creatine is supposed to help people push themselves harder and thus build more muscle. As a side-effect of intense exercises you'll create more testosterone. Increased testosterone leads to balding.
- noisy_boy 5mo agoSometimes when I see muscular guy with a head full of hair, I wonder what is counteracting that increased testosterone.
- amelius 5mo agoNot what you want to hear, but genes, probably ...
- globular-toast 5mo agoProbably. Money seems to help too, though. A few Hollywood actors have miraculously reversed their male pattern baldness.
- larrywright 5mo agoAlong with at least one tech billionaire.
- Auracle 5mo agoHair transplants are probably affordable enough for 90% of people on HN.
- AngryData 5mo agoYeah I think that is the biggest factor. I got family members that are built like brick shithouse from a life since childhood of physical labor that still have their hair into their 70s, there is no way they weren't maintaining high levels of testosterone their entire life but it didn't seem to matter.
- 5mo ago
- calibas 5mo agoThere's evidence creatine may raise DHT levels, and DHT causes hair thinning: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19741313/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19741313/
- medler 5mo agoThis is one study with 20 subjects and has never been replicated. There have since been multiple studies and reviews that have found no effect on hair loss or follicle health
- daneel_w 5mo agoI think male baldness is a bit more complex than creatine->DHT->loss of hair. But if you want to go down that road, there's also indications that the oil in pumpkin seeds reduce the enzymatic process that turns testosterone into DHT - so just eat some pumpkin seeds with your creatine and the problem goes away! It's that simple!!!
- stefs 5mo agothat study is widely regarded as unreliable and outdated.
- shoobiedoo 5mo agoI bumped mine from 5g daily to 15 and noticed way less anxiety. It's a must have for me now. Besides that is the regular benefit of being able to squeeze out a few more reps during my kettlebell workouts
- globular-toast 5mo agoThe plausible mechanism is for male pattern baldness, but increased shedding is not MPB. MPB shrinks the size of the hairs on the top of your head over time. It isn't really affected by shedding which is normal and happens to everyone.
- jliptzin 5mo agoNo but every time I try to take creatine supplements I get heart palpitations. Everyone says I am crazy and that it’s impossible but I have proof from my Apple Watch, one time it was so bad it said I had atrial fibrillation. I went to a cardiologist and he acknowledged it is a possibility but he hasn’t seen it before.
- RHSman2 5mo agoMy personal experience has been dramatic: 5/6g a day. Very demanding job with lots of ‘thinking’ 3 times a week gym Pre creatine I would struggle to maintain ability to do the hard thinking around 3pm. Just like, fog or I could feel my brain didn’t have capacity. Now, I am capable till the end of the day. Feels like a well trained athlete at the end of a game being able to deliver rather than just holding on.
- q1w2 5mo agoThis mirrors my experience. Very significant increase in prolonged focus.
- karmakurtisaani 5mo agoSame, I feel I have way less brain fog days after taking creatine. Might be also due to more active lifestyle, which creatine is a part of.
- RHSman2 5mo agoI can off a few times and did loose the energy and focus. I really noticed the effect coming back in but now it is my new normal.
- almost_usual 5mo agoI take 10g a day, have for a couple years now. Started mostly because of training but it does wonders in sleep deprived states. 5g would probably be fine without a lot of training ( I train about 10hrs a week). Seems like I need 10g to both get the physical and mental benefits, especially during peak training blocks (running 50-60 mpw with strength training).
- deleted 5mo ago[deleted]
- avensec 5mo agon=1 here, I noticed considerable shedding and thinning when taking creatine. I've taken it alone for 3 months and noticed thinning and shedding. I took it with Minoxidil and Finasteride for six months and noticed reduced shedding. At one point I stopped Mino and Fin, but kept the creatine and the shedding increased rapidly. I am now on Minoxidil and Finasteride, with no creatine, and no longer have shedding.
- wtetzner 5mo agoTBH this sounds like it could be entirely unrelated to creatine. It just sounds like you have shedding and thinning without Minoxidil and Finasteride, and it stops when you start taking them again. > At one point I stopped Mino and Fin, but kept the creatine and the shedding increased rapidly. I think it's a common for shedding to accelerate after stopping Minoxidil.
- avensec 5mo agoI appreciate the comment, but the point of going to the trouble of posting the extra details is to show that I isolated. Understood if it wasn't clear. I just want to raise my voice that, in my experience, yes, I had hair loss issues on creatine. Every time I respond to a comment on reddit, youtube, twitter, here, there is always a sea of "Nope, sorry" comments that I must be mistaken. My hair line disagrees. The extra rep isn't worth it. 100% correct on shedding after mino stoppage however.
- foo12bar 5mo agoI tried getting on it several times, I would feel energized at first but after a two or three days it would do the opposite and I would get very lethargic. My body has a strange reaction to comonly used substances, though. For instance, even a single soda's worth of caffeine causes me to have an extreme 18-24 hour mania phase and then a two day crash afterwards. So, your mileage will definitely vary.
- fragmede 5mo agoFun fact! that's most likely caused by your DNA having both the CYP1A2 gene and the ADORA2A gene. Means you can buy a bottle of soda and only drink a shot of it and get the same benefit as others without those genes set.
- zingababba 5mo agoThere was one study that has never been replicated that showed it increased DHT levels in Rugby players. Higher DHT levels are associate with hair loss and enlarged prostate. Creatine has always come with too many side effects for me as well, I don't get how people take that stuff every day.