With nearly 20 million dollars spent on creatine supplementation every year in the USA alone it is little wonder that there are many different users of creatine that do not take in the correct amount of creatine required for their specific training and objectives.
Your creatine intake that you give yourself on a daily basis is vitally important and there have now been well recognized studies done examining the side effects when you are not taking the optimal amount of creatine in your diet as a supplement.
You are more than likely very aware of the fact that you are getting creatine in any good and balanced diet from all whole food sources like meat and fish. According to University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), there is a standard correct adult dose in order to achieve an enhanced athletic performance which is 5 g of creatine monohydrate taken four times daily for a one-week loading phase which is then followed by a maintenance dose of 2 to 5 g daily.
Research done that has been on creatine shows that it can be very difficult to overdose when using creatine from whole-food sources but there are still side effects shown specifically from creatine supplementation. What this means is that you need to watch your own creatine intake very carefully.
The side effects taking too much creartine includes liver and kidney damage, upset stomach, dizziness, diarrhea, high blood pressure, weight gain and muscle cramps, strains and pulls, according to UMMC. It is important that the loading phase only last one week and that the maintenance doses not be exceeded.
The University has also noted that during the extensive studies done on creatine there was one reported case where an athlete who took 10 g of creatine for six weeks and experienced some rhabdomyolysis which is the breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue. The Mayo Clinic advises that heat intolerance, dehydration, fever, reduced blood volume and electrolyte imbalances are also possible side effects of taking too much creatine.
The point is that your creatine intake needs to be something that you always keep a close eye on as the results of over dosing are simply not worth it at all. When you purchase any creatine supplement you will more than likely see on the package insert that 5mg a day is the recommended dose.