[Paintb@ller]

Would creatine be safe for someone under 18 to take? Could it possibly stunt their growth or have any negative side effects?

[Distortion_UK]

When you say you're under 18 how old exactly?
Creatine has had very inconclusive studies performed, non of them prove that creatine significantly effects a persons health. It's a relatively new supplement so studies are still coming in. I've personally used it for about 2 years now and never had any ill effects. It's only something id recomend if you're training a lot. Once or twice in the gym a week will be pointless. Don't let people fill you brain with bullshit about it rots your liver.

[Paintb@ller]

The person I know who takes it is 15, they swim for an hour and a half each day and on top of that they do workout sessions for 45 minutes in the afternoon which vary from day to day (One day they do abdominal trainin the next they focus on chest shoulders and back ect.). They take 4g an hour before the afternoon workouts which is mixed in a smoothie, but not before the swimming, could this stunt their growth?

[Distortion_UK]

While I really wouldn't recomend a 15 year old to take creatine or weight train heavily I don't thank creatine will stunt his growth. Heavy weight lifting is more likely to stunt growth.

[MidgetKickerx11]

You are not going to stunt your growth or have any side effects from taking creatine. Make sure you drink 8 to 10 glasses of water everyday and you are set. I recommend you take the monohydrate form of creatine, for it is the most tested out of any form of creatine, and has results to back it up. However, i dont really recommend you take it before your workout for your body could use it as energy before it even gets fully absorbed by your muscles. I recommend taking your 5g dose right after your workout with a protein shake or smoothie or whatever you would like. This way you your body will have the ability to fully absorb the creatine and it will be saturated in your muscles. Also look up recommendations on 1 week loading phases.

[Paintb@ller]

If I was to take any I only have the powder form and from what research I have done I have gathered the conclusion that it takes about an hour for the creatine to settle in your bloodstream which allows you to lift more/ lift for a longer period of time which is helpful during a workout and it dosent get stored as fat. But if you have it at anytime other than when you work out it will absorb water and be stored as fat. Correct me if I am wrong on my conclusion. However, if there is any chance that it could affect my growth, even though it has not been proven to stunt growth or even be harmful, I rather wait until it is at a safer age to consume and just stick to whey protein for the mean time.

[MidgetKickerx11]

Paintb@ller, on 20 June 2012 - 10:30 PM, said:

If I was to take any I only have the powder form and from what research I have done I have gathered the conclusion that it takes about an hour for the creatine to settle in your bloodstream which allows you to lift more/ lift for a longer period of time which is helpful during a workout and it dosent get stored as fat. But if you have it at anytime other than when you work out it will absorb water and be stored as fat. Correct me if I am wrong on my conclusion. However, if there is any chance that it could affect my growth, even though it has not been proven to stunt growth or even be harmful, I rather wait until it is at a safer age to consume and just stick to whey protein for the mean time.

Your not going to stunt your growth, the whole ideology of stunting your growth with weight lifting and supplements is nothing more than a wives tale. i started taking creatine around 14 or so and i npticed no side effects except for swollen muscles . and no, creatine is not going to be stored and turned into fat. If you take it after your workout it is going to help repair your muscles after a hard workout, and will still be in your system the NEXT day for your workout. ive messed around with taking it before and after, and after a few months of trying this i really like taking it after. Im much less soar and im still able to get a great workout the next day. you can take it whenever you want but i would recommend post workout with your whey protein. Also look into loading phases in a week to get your body completely saturated with creatine.I believe the one i did was 10g of creatine for a week, one in the morning and one after. After the week of loading, i dropped it down to 5g a day right after my workout.