# creatine causing high liver enzymes



## mrchest (May 24, 2012)

I had an issue a year ago with raised liver  enzymes repeated the test and came up with the same results, then stoped  taking creatine for a week and they returned to normal and came back  negative for hepatitis etc... 
  Got another test done two weeks ago and my liver enzymes were 50iu/L (0.0-35.0) 
  I don't smoke or drink alcohol, have a top diet and drink 4 liters of water a day... 

  To me it is pretty obvious creatine is causing this especially after i  stoped taking it my liver results returned to normal. I thought creatine  was meant to be safe etc, but from the results it is not showing its  safety... not sure what to do 

  I take muscletechs creakic
also supp will animal pack multi vit
fish oil
joint support


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## bjg (May 24, 2012)

how much creatine you are taking? each person can tolerate a certain amount , perhaps this is a way your body is telling you that you don't need creatine......the concept of " if a little is good ..then more is better" does not work in nutrition and bodybuilding..."more" could be harmful. In any case creatine is not going to make such a difference and long term use is not recommended and it is obviously not safe for you. So just don't take it and trust me you will not feel any different.
also too much of any whey supplements could cause some liver and kidney problems in the long run. try to rely on natural food, there are lots of natural foods out there that are superior to any supplement you can take. supplements are useful and i use them myself but as supplements not as" replacement" and only when good food is not available at the moment, like as a quick snack after a workout.


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## mrchest (May 24, 2012)

take as directed, 6 pills every day, problem is i have like 10 months supply. I have read the liver a pretty resistant organ, will those levels really cause anything long term, how the fuck do people that pop dbo dol not always get raised levels and creatine is doin this to me, doesn't make sense


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## bjg (May 24, 2012)

^^^^^ each person is different , believe me.......for example take AAS , the harm of steroids is very well known, yet some people can tolerate it much more than others: if it was the same for everybody , then nobody will ever touch steroids ever. 
in your case, it is creatine , you just can't tolerate any creatine supplementation , or perhaps your system already has enough creatine, ...each person has a set of biological sensors that are set differently.
but you should not worry too much about it , it won't make such a difference.
i suggest stop creatine for a month then take 2 pills a day instead of 6 and see what happens.


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## oufinny (May 24, 2012)

4 liters of water is not even a gallon.  Double that first of all, creatine is in almost all the meat you eat, do you plan on stopping eating that too? It is the safest and most studied supplement on the market.  Try lowering the dose to 1/2 what it is or instead of say mono, try something like magnesium creatine chelate.  Many like me respond better to it and it has less water retention, meaning it can be easier on your liver and kidneys.  Have you thought to ask your doctor?


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## packers6211 (May 24, 2012)

I had the same thinkg happen to me but it was when i was using a different form of creatine other then mono. When ever i'm on creatine nitrate, it did it. Haven't had any issues latley.


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## littlekev (May 24, 2012)

lifting weights alone will boost liver enzymes slightly...... just saying


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## ThreeGigs (May 25, 2012)

Creatine gets broken down to creatinine by the body during exercise. Liver and kidney tests use creatinine levels to see if they are doing their filtering properly. If you take extra creatine, your body will produce higher than normal levels of creatinine, and thus the tests get thrown off. Normally, high creatinine levels indicate your body isn't filtering out waste products very well, however in the case of someone supplementing creatine, the "normal" levels don't apply.  Same goes for a BUN (blood urea-nitrogen) test if you're supplementing protein or glutamine. You're dumping much higher levels of nitrogen into your body, so of course your blood levels of nitrogen will be at the high end of, or above the normal range.


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## jwa (May 25, 2012)

ThreeGigs said:


> Creatine gets broken down to creatinine by the body during exercise. Liver and kidney tests use creatinine levels to see if they are doing their filtering properly. If you take extra creatine, your body will produce higher than normal levels of creatinine, and thus the tests get thrown off. Normally, high creatinine levels indicate your body isn't filtering out waste products very well, however in the case of someone supplementing creatine, the "normal" levels don't apply.  Same goes for a BUN (blood urea-nitrogen) test if you're supplementing protein or glutamine. You're dumping much higher levels of nitrogen into your body, so of course your blood levels of nitrogen will be at the high end of, or above the normal range.



The Polish Hammer is dropping science!


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## pilip99 (May 25, 2012)

good info threegigs i agree!

to the OP, take a few months and get on some liver support for extra insurance; liv52 from orbitnutrition; cheap and effective


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## mrchest (May 27, 2012)

ThreeGigs said:


> Creatine gets broken down to creatinine by the body during exercise. Liver and kidney tests use creatinine levels to see if they are doing their filtering properly. If you take extra creatine, your body will produce higher than normal levels of creatinine, and thus the tests get thrown off. Normally, high creatinine levels indicate your body isn't filtering out waste products very well, however in the case of someone supplementing creatine, the "normal" levels don't apply.  Same goes for a BUN (blood urea-nitrogen) test if you're supplementing protein or glutamine. You're dumping much higher levels of nitrogen into your body, so of course your blood levels of nitrogen will be at the high end of, or above the normal range.



okay but isn't the fact it is significantly over the range still a bad thing. I mean yeah it would have higher levels as i supp with creatine, but at the end of the day is that not bad for your liver?


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## bjg (May 27, 2012)

^^^ yes ...if you sustain higher levels for a long time you will do harm for the liver.


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## ThreeGigs (May 27, 2012)

mrchest said:


> okay but isn't the fact it is significantly over the range still a bad thing. I mean yeah it would have higher levels as i supp with creatine, but at the end of the day is that not bad for your liver?



CreatINine is only slightly toxic. You'd need levels of 10 to 20 times normal to even begin seeing effects. LD50 is something like 9000 milligrams per kilo of body weight, so if you weigh 200 pounds, and took (and managed to absorb, it'd probably have to be intravenous) 800 grams of creatine in one shot, you'd have a 50/50 chance of dying.

Creatinine isn't tested for because it's really bad for the body, it's tested for because the test is cheap and easy to administer. Same with blood urea content. BUN is more toxic to more body systems, but again it's generally used as an indicator of problems, not because it causes them. Basically, if your creatinine or BUN levels are high, one of two things is occurring: your kidneys aren't working right, or you're supplementing beyond 'normal' ranges. 

Imagine a doctor taking your temperature during an intense cardio workout. Of course it'll be higher than normal, but in those circumstances, that IS normal, and not harmful.


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## mrchest (May 27, 2012)

i have been thinking actually and it has occurred to me that as i train in late afternoon/evening and take my creatine post-workout, i get the bulk of my water intake before i ingest the creatine. Would this have a significant effect as I would not have ingested enough water afterwards? I drink about 1.5 liters of water in total afterwards


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## ThreeGigs (May 27, 2012)

As long as you're relatively hydrated, it's not an issue. Dehydration from creatine is a myth.


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## bjg (May 27, 2012)

both cases are not recommended : creatine levels that are continuously high for a long time or  considerably high like 20 times normal range  for a short time....it is a question of level and duration.
 As threegigs suggested if it is slightly high for a short period then it is ok .


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## mrchest (May 28, 2012)

bjg said:


> both cases are not recommended : creatine levels that are continuously high for a long time or  considerably high like 20 times normal range  for a short time....it is a question of level and duration.
> As threegigs suggested if it is slightly high for a short period then it is ok .



well by my estimations it has been high for over 2 years, bad I'm guessing...


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## bjg (May 28, 2012)

^^ you can never tell if it was high for 2 years .......but to be on the safe side just stop creatine completely for a month then take 2 pills instead of 6 for a month and check your enzymes.
But in any case you can stop taking creatine for good , your shape and your workout will not be affected, maybe you will even improve since your liver enzymes would be normal.


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## blergs. (May 29, 2012)

if your taking creatine, higher than normal createnan levels (they look at that for liver function and others) means nothing in regards to liver health.

test is flawd, only ok for thioses not taking creatin or lifting hard. lifing can raise thema lso.


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## blergs. (May 29, 2012)

I take my normal 2-6g creatine ed and my ASGT (from LG ) pre-WO that has a coupel more g of creatine. and am fine.
but I dont eat meat. 
so if you do you might have higher levels


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