Is Creatine safe for high school kids to use?

[jwinston]

Heres an IDEA. Forget the creatine. Get your lazy butt in the weightroom a little earlier and stay a little later. If you think you need that stuff to get buff, then think again. Taking creatine is not going to discipline you or boost your dedication to what you are doing. Working harder on your own will.

Most teenagers I know that take supplements are already at the max of their natural physical ability, and now they want more.

Edited December 8, 2003 by jwinston

[c]

creatine is produced naturally in the body. your body does not stop producing it until you are around 40. your body just flushes it out just like anything else that you put into it that it does not need.

 

if you want to take something just take protein, but only whey or soy protein. it is the building block of muslce.

 

p.s. nothing beats working out hard and a healthy diet.

[jwinston]

you are correct, but without a well balanced diet(which most teenagers don't have) creatine is in short supplie in the body.

[ELA]

Almost every state has banned the use of creatine or strongly suggested that student-athletes NOT USE IT! The National Federation has asked coaches not to recommend it to their players. Most high school coaches are now asking their players not to use it! If you need more natural creatine in your body, eat more red meat. There are many new studies out that suggest it can be dangerous to some people and most doctors do not think it should be sold over-the-counter and the FDA is reconsidering it altogether. I don't care what you may think about it as an athlete, it can be dangerous and I know of at least three people who have gotten very sick because of its misuse!

[tackle]

Does anyone know the long term effects of creatine? What is going to happen in the human body 20-30 years out of those who take large doses of it?

 

Why not just do what others have pointed out? Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, take a good multi-vitamin every day and work out 3-5 times a week. Short cuts to success often lead to problems in the future. After all, football is just a game. It's not worth risking unknown future health problems for quick fix. Don't take it. In 30-40 years when more research is available about long term side effects, I may change my view. By then, I don't think you will be playing football anymore.

Edited December 8, 2003 by tackle

[redbyrd84]

Drinking 12 beers a day would be easier on you! Creatine is terrible! I couldn't even walk out of AppleBees one night because of cramps! Stay away from this crap!

Flossie....

 

Expand on your 12 beers a day diet. Sounds mighty good to me. I think I have been going about this health stuff all wrong.

 

Kids in High school need three things in order to grow:

 

Good diet

Proper exercise

Sleep

 

And if your Hulk Hogan--> say your prayers

 

I think the most overlooked aspect is sleep. Alot of kids don't understand how crucial rest/sleep really is.

 

Tackle...

 

I don't think ANYONE knows of long-term effects of creatine. That may be the most dangerous thing about the stuff.

Edited December 8, 2003 by redbyrd84

[mustang69]

From my understanding of creatine it only does this......

 

takes body fluid from under your skin and deposits it into muscle mass, thus giving you a "pumped up" look, hence, the need to drink plenty of fluid. I believe it is HGB and potassium that helps with muscle healing. There are alot of mixes available today that have all of these components combined together, like BetaGen by EAS, maybe that is why people have the misconception about the uses of creatine. It's been my experience using creatine, that it doesn't help with adding strength, but it does help in mass....but it's fake mass. You quit using it and you deflate like a ballon. I do agree with the poster who said whey protein is the best supplement to use to build strength and mass...you gotta be careful though and don't overdo protein either, to much is bad for the kidneys. and whatever you do....DO NOT TAKE EPHEDRA.

Edited December 8, 2003 by mustang69

[FatCat]

..... I know of at least three people who have gotten very sick because of its misuse!

ELA,

 

You said the critical word......"MISUSE". If you MISUSE anything, you are going to have problems. What about the football players who basically becomes immune to lower levels of pain killers such as Motrin. They end up taking more and more motrin to kill the pain. Then addiction sets in. If you MISUSE anything, it becomes a problem. You must be responsible about using it just like you have to be responsible about taking Whey Protein and not misusing it.

 

Here is the first misconception amongst all the naysayers. Creatine does not build mass. It does not make you stronger. It is NOT a shortcut. Like JWinston said, all it does is make it easier for you to get back in the weight room and work harder because your muscles have recovered faster.

 

I can't count all the workouts when I was in high school where I wanted to work harder, but my body just wouldn't let me. I have absolutely no problem allowing my son to use it as well as a Whey Protein supplement. I strictly monitor his usage. He did not use it during the season since he was not lifting. He hasn't gotten "huge", but he didn't miss a single workout in the offseason. He even went to the YMCA with some of the other players on a regular basis to get in more lifting outside of the team workout. He worked his butt off during the off-season and it payed big dividends during the season.

 

I don't know for a fact that creatine is directly responsible for his great workouts, but I do know he said he could tell a big difference when he forgot to take it. Additionally, he never had cramping problems off-season or in-season. He took it properly!

 

Bottom line, YOU HAVE TO WORK YOUR BUTT OFF to build muscle. Creatine is in no way, shape, or form related to steroids. You know, there was once a time when everyone thought the world was flat! Like several of you have said, you don't know the long term....blah, blah, blah. No one knew the long term effects of sailing across the Atlantic, but someone found out!

[ELA]

ELA,

 

You said the critical word......"MISUSE". If you MISUSE anything, you are going to have problems. What about the football players who basically becomes immune to lower levels of pain killers such as Motrin. They end up taking more and more motrin to kill the pain. Then addiction sets in. If you MISUSE anything, it becomes a problem. You must be responsible about using it just like you have to be responsible about taking Whey Protein and not misusing it.

 

Here is the first misconception amongst all the naysayers. Creatine does not build mass. It does not make you stronger. It is NOT a shortcut. Like JWinston said, all it does is make it easier for you to get back in the weight room and work harder because your muscles have recovered faster.

 

I can't count all the workouts when I was in high school where I wanted to work harder, but my body just wouldn't let me. I have absolutely no problem allowing my son to use it as well as a Whey Protein supplement. I strictly monitor his usage. He did not use it during the season since he was not lifting. He hasn't gotten "huge", but he didn't miss a single workout in the offseason. He even went to the YMCA with some of the other players on a regular basis to get in more lifting outside of the team workout. He worked his butt off during the off-season and it payed big dividends during the season.

 

I don't know for a fact that creatine is directly responsible for his great workouts, but I do know he said he could tell a big difference when he forgot to take it. Additionally, he never had cramping problems off-season or in-season. He took it properly!

 

Bottom line, YOU HAVE TO WORK YOUR BUTT OFF to build muscle. Creatine is in no way, shape, or form related to steroids. You know, there was once a time when everyone thought the world was flat! Like several of you have said, you don't know the long term....blah, blah, blah. No one knew the long term effects of sailing across the Atlantic, but someone found out!

When I was at another high school we had one of our best athletes rushed to the Emergency Room after using creatine before a workout. He was following the Directions EXACTLY as they were prescribed on the box. The doctors said he didn't have enough body fat to prevent him from having dehydration problems. The young man went into convulsions. We had to hold him down most of the way to the ER. There is plenty of research that has caused many doctors to rethink Creatine. The FDA is considering taking it off the market or reclassifying it out of the supplement category. As a coach, I will not recommend anything to a teenager that can cause him harm. It's just not worth the risk! Anyone can gain muscle mass without taking any supplements! There is no short cut to perfection

[GreenMan]

Bottom line, YOU HAVE TO WORK YOUR BUTT OFF to build muscle. Creatine is in no way, shape, or form related to steroids. Anyone can gain muscle mass without taking any supplements! There is no short cut to perfection

Thats hitting the nail on the head.

[ELA]

Thats hitting the nail on the head.

very creative editing!

[FatCat]

There is plenty of research that has caused many doctors to rethink Creatine. The FDA is considering taking it off the market or reclassifying it out of the supplement category. As a coach, I will not recommend anything to a teenager that can cause him harm. It's just not worth the risk! Anyone can gain muscle mass without taking any supplements! There is no short cut to perfection

ELA,

 

I can fully respect and understand your position as a coach. I don't want to come across saying I think you are wrong. But, I am saying at this time I feel safe with my teen using it.

 

I have become immune to listening to doctor's reports, etc. Every time you turn around, you hear one study says a glass of wine every day is good for the heart and then another study says a glass of wine a day is bad for the brain. Doctor's argue for and against the Atkins diet. I think you get my drift. So, the FDA "rethinking" their position on Creatine doesn't do much for me.

 

What says something to me is how it affects my child. I monitored closely when he first began. Again, he has had no problems. He works his butt off. He is not looking for shortcuts and he is actually not looking for mass. He simply wants to be stronger to make himself more effective on the field of play. Creatine just makes it easier to keep getting back in the weight room and let strength be developed naturally. Again....IT IS NOT A SHORTCUT!!! He started today with his off-season weight lifting and running. He drinks a lot of water daily. But, he would do that whether or not he takes Creatine.

 

As far as the "why take the risk?" part of it, this is my view. The sport of football itself provides a certain degree of risk that you will be paralyzed or killed. Now, what is the percent risk of being "damaged" taking Creatine? I don't know. But, I do believe it is safe enough that I don't feel I am gambling with my child's future. We take risks in many aspects of our life every day. I feel safer putting him on Creatine than I would feel putting him on an airplane!