Creatine - any risk ?

[imported_guyben]

I've been training for some time with only protein drinks to supplement my diet. As I start my first HST cycle I'm thinking to start taking Creatine.
As I'm sure many of you guys here take it, has anyone had any side effects, problems, with prolonged use of Creatine ?
I read some articles on Pubmed, but most of the research today seems to be focusing on the benefits of short term Creatine use rather than on its' long term effects on the liver,kidney, etc.

Looking forward to gaining some insight here,
Thanks

 

[mikeynov]

there's no particular evidence that i'm aware of indicating that creatine monohydrate supplmentation (at sane doses, eg 5 grams per day) is even POTENTIALLY harmful in humans. i suspect you could take ~5 grams a day for the rest of your life and be just fine.

my .02

 

[imported_guyben]

Thanks mikeynov.
The loading phase is also something that troubles me, aside from the effects of the maintanance 5g a day or so.
The most troubling factor is the lack for research, but I have managed to find this one article about long term effects of Creatine. I am aware that the results are not conclusive, I just thought I'd share it with you.
Check it out at Histological assessment of intermediate- and long-term creatine monohydrate supplementation in mice and rats.

 

[Aaron_F]

Creatine supplemnets have been researched for a long time (1920s), but follow up is something they havent done.
Most research on it shows no real change in any biochemical indicies of interest, except perhaps creatinine. But this generally only effects urinary not plasma creatinine.
People have also been on creatine supplementation for >10years and still nothing shows up.
Then theres hte fact that all meat contains some creatine and eating that for most of the history of man hasnt done us too bad.

Rats and mice also are usually reasonable poor examples of humans