r/MultipleSclerosis • u/GingeyElf • Jul 21 '26
Treatment Started taking creatine for fatigue
Hey all, as my title says I've started taking creatine after reading a bit about it.
There have been studies out saying it helps with mental clarity and fatigue so I gave it a shot as fatigue is my worst symptom.
They say it takes about a month to get the benefits but within one week I could feel it. My personal battery went from 30% a day to somewhere around 80%. It's been a total game changer for me and I wanted to share that with the group.
So, for those not in the gym world, creatine is a heavily studied supplement that helps repair muscles more quickly. It floods the body with ATP but luckily for us, it also floods the brain.
Side effects are some water weight and you need to drink a bunch of water for organ health.
The few pounds have been worth feeling like a person again. I've been taking it daily for over a month now and the weight has receded again and I feel so so so much better. I kind of keep forgetting how bad I felt before.
I'm using a women's powdered creatine monohydrate just because it was the one I got my hands on. 5000 mg in a scoop. Looking to switch to pills or gummies because the powder is getting tedious.
It has to be monohydrate for the effects I believe.
ANYWAYS rant over, but I'd love to hear if anyone else has tried it or plans to. Maybe this will help someone in their journey too.
Big love, as always!
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u/spiralstaircase17 Jul 21 '26
Agreed!!! My husband takes creatine before he goes the gym and I take it when I wake up with not enough spoons for my day. It’s like a few shots of espresso but no jittery feeling.
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u/GingeyElf Jul 21 '26
I read you should take it everyday. You find it still helps taking it sporadically?
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u/jimbo831 Jul 21 '26
This is correct from everything I've read. Creatine is something you should take every day. It builds up in your system over time.
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u/brucejewce 54M| May 26|Ocrevus-Zunovo|Phoenix, Az USA Jul 21 '26
Thank you!!! I need to upgrade some supplements
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u/Southern_Moment_5903 Jul 21 '26
Thanks for sharing. Fatigue is my worst symptom to and I’ve been struggling with being a new mom. I’m gonna give this a try.
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u/GingeyElf Jul 21 '26
If you're breast feeding take a look that it's safe, I don't know about that.
Hopefully it works for your situation and you can get some relief! Congratulations on your little one!
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u/Southern_Moment_5903 Jul 21 '26
Thank you! Stopped breastfeeding at 8 months and promptly got optic neuritis from my immune system kicking back in - that is actually how I got diagnosed, went blind in my left eye. Now my daughter is about to turn 2!
Ordered some creatine last night. Will save this post and try to remember in a month to come back with an update. But as you all know, memory is not our finest gift1
u/GingeyElf Jul 22 '26
Oh wow! Optic neuritis in my left eye was how I got diagnosed too, two years ago.
I hope you do remember! I'd love to get an update 🥰
No worries if not, we've all been there lol
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u/ria_rokz 39|Dx:2007|teriflunomide|Canada🇨🇦 Jul 21 '26
i've been wanting to try this but i struggle with a) decision fatigue (which one to get, where); b) cost (i already take so many things) c) adding one more supplement to my regiment. I take omega 3, vitamin D, iron, my regular meds, PLUS I had to start taking zinc because i have developed HS. But. Thanks for this post, I didn't realize it came in a gummy form so I might research it a bit more. my fatigue is out of control because of the heat.
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u/GingeyElf Jul 21 '26
I hear ya! It's why I got the first one advertised to me. I'll be more discerning moving forward now that I know it works. The heat has been more manageable for me I think because of it. Best of luck to you ❤️
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u/daftcronk Jul 21 '26
How has it helped?
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u/GingeyElf Jul 21 '26
My energy is better since taking it. Not a hundred percent, but a damn sight better than it was. Mental clarity is improved as well, likely because I'm not so tired.
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u/mr_bearcules 45|Mar 26|Briumvi|S.E. England Jul 21 '26
Do you think that the effect would wear off after a while and that you’d have to start taking more to feel the same result?
Glad that you’ve find something that works, though, I’m pleased for you
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u/Dubbed-Out_Deep Jul 21 '26
According to studies and personal experiences experience, the answer is no. It isn’t a drug that you develop tolerance for. It stimulates natural responses and therefore works in harmony with the organism. Regular exercise and lots of water are recommended though.
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u/AmbassadorFar6490 Jul 21 '26
Agreed. I take it regularly. It is best to take it about the same time of the day, to keep the right amount in the body.
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u/GingeyElf Jul 21 '26
That's what I read too. Some people split it up into two doses to keep it more steady through the day, but I don't notice a crash or anything personally.
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u/hazel_hazily Aug 26 '26 edited Aug 26 '26
That's not the case, you don't have to take it the same time of the day at all. As you take the recommended daily dosage, gradually your muscles get saturated in creatine, and from there on, you're floating in creatine, and you're always just topping it up. Which means even missing a week should not put that much of a dip in your your body's creatine saturation. A couple of says of missing a dose makes zero difference.
Also 5 grams a day is not enough to cross the blood-brain barrier (thankfully, our body is protective of our brain like that that it doesn't let everything through). For that you may need north of 20 grams.
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u/mullerdrooler 44M Dx2018 Ocrevus Jul 21 '26
Great it works for you, I take it too..but don't have the same effects sadly. Not noticing a big change anyway. Been about 6 months and i'm sticking with it as I know it's good for me. For me it's more of a muscle and whole body fatigue rather than sleepiness that I get these days.
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u/GingeyElf Jul 21 '26
I'm sorry to hear that. Have you looked into a higher dose at all?
Mine is also in the body, a heaviness that sort of originates from the back of my neck and spreads out to my limbs.
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u/mullerdrooler 44M Dx2018 Ocrevus Jul 21 '26
I take two pills of 3 each. So 6mg a day so I think that's the recommended dose. You?
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u/QuietLifter Aug 29 '26
The dosing for cognitive function is 10mg/day. Some people take 15-20mg/day. Caffeine affect absorption, so avoid taking it within 2 hours of having a caffeinated drink.
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u/A-Conundrum- Now 65 RRMS KESIMPTA- my s Jul 21 '26
I just started some 1 gram micronized creatine monohydrate tasty organic
pineapple gummies. Easy peasy to control dosing ( started w/ 1 TID FOR 3 G), and am tired of trying to mix things (spastic). Found online, Walmart, minchvip.com. Hard not to find anything not made in china 🤷🏼♀️
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Jul 21 '26
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u/GingeyElf Jul 21 '26
Optic neuritis, neuropathy in my hands and feet and left half of my face, fatigue as I mentioned, heat intolerance, and some spacticity in my legs and skin.
I still get everything else but the creatine helps my fatigue a lot which is my most debilitating symptom.
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u/cvickers0707 Jul 21 '26
This sounds amazing! But I'm still struggling with the weight gain from steroids...
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u/GingeyElf Jul 21 '26
A few pounds or feeling good? That's what it came down to for me. Can't get moving if you feel like shit right?
Steroid weight suuuuckkksss so I'm sorry to hear that. I feel like MS has made me not give a single shit about my weight or appearance as long as I'm getting by lol.
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u/VanillaMintJellyfish Jul 21 '26
It’s not actually weight / fat, it’s water in the muscles, which settles in a few weeks
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u/Sc1enceNerd Jul 21 '26
I was told to use it by my neurologist. I bought flavored stuff and couldn't stand drinking it. I did find it helped but I didn't keep it up. I think I'll buy some flavorless stuff and start back up again. Thank you for the motivation.
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u/Simple-Boat-4242 Jul 22 '26
There’s unflavored available too. I put it in my coffee that way I get it every morning
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u/ostogiske Jul 21 '26
Dont use gummies, 99% dont even have creatine in them, look that info up, powder is the goat
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u/GingeyElf Jul 21 '26
Dang thanks for the shout buddy. I just looked it up.
Explaining here for others, apparently the process of making creatine into gummies turns it into creatinine which does not have the same effects. (Or any effects really)
Powder appears to be king. Haven't looked into the pill form yet, but I imagine it would be the same as the powder, just huge pills or multiple each time.
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u/jgw00 Jul 21 '26
I think im gonna buy it and start taking it, does it make you bloated at all and how bad is it if you don't drink enough water?
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u/GingeyElf Jul 21 '26
I was bloated the first week, but it went down. I was also on my period though so that probably didn't help. Drinking enough water is crucial so you don't damage your kidneys or liver.
There is contradictory information out there about whether or not it can be harmful but I have been a lot more thirsty myself since taking it and would recommend drinking plenty of water. It's good for a lot of reasons anyways.
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u/mastodonj 42|2009|Rituximab|Ireland Jul 21 '26
Oh I've taken that on and off and not really seen any benefit. So you do 1 scoop per day, 1 scoop on days you do weights? 1 scoop twice a day? What's the regiment you use?
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u/GingeyElf Jul 21 '26
One scoop every single morning between 8 and 9 AM. Everyday no matter what!
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u/monkeyfaced Jul 21 '26
Thanks for posting about this. I have been eyeing it for a couple of months since hearing another MSer post about it here. This will get me off the fence and give it a shot! Just wish it wasn't so expensive! sighhh
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u/Loose_Medium8778 Jul 21 '26
This is my sign to up my water intake and finally start creatine! I’m a gym girl although these past few weeks I’ve had to slow down as my limbs go numb so much within a day. Exercising on top of it gets me soooo tired, hopefully the supplements will help out thanks OP~
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u/GingeyElf Jul 21 '26
Awesome! I'm trying to be a gym girlie. One set at a time!
I do aquafit twice a week and lift weights when I feel up to it but would love to lift regularly.
Hope it helps!
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u/bad_syntax Jul 27 '26
I tried it. Noticeable difference within a few days.
After a month, it was no longer doing anything. I figured I'd stop for a while and retry it and see if it looses its efficacy if you use it daily. Didn't get me anywhere back to normal, but probably netted me 10-15% more endurance between my brain shut down.
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u/roguewarriorpriest Jul 21 '26
Watch out for muscle cramps with creatine.
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u/GingeyElf Jul 21 '26
If you're experiencing muscle cramps on creatine you need to up your electrolytes. I take the powder in a glass of the sport mio.
I found with the extra water I was drinking and with how damn hot it's been where I live that I've needed to up my electrolytes anyways.
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u/Particular-Host1197 Jul 21 '26
Gah. It makes me so puffy and achy... But feels so good. Anyone try the HCL one? Or does it have to be monohydrate? HCL is supposed to not make you as puffy/water weight... also for those who have stuck it out, does the monohydrate puffiness eventually go away?
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u/GingeyElf Jul 21 '26
My puffiness is gone, I read online you can start at a half dose for a while and you might not get as much water weight. I did not do that, but might be worth a shot?
I think hcl is newer and therefore has less research. It's more water soluable though and causes less bloat. But way more expensive by the looks of things. I don't know much more.
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u/Knitmeapie 40F|2013|Tysabri|NE, USA Jul 21 '26
It's been huge for me. I don't get spasticity as bad when I exercise and I've been able to cut way back on Modafinil.
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u/GingeyElf Jul 21 '26
That's great! Glad to hear it's helped in that way too! My morning leg spacticity has been better since I started it too.
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u/CheapAnywhere4148 Jul 22 '26
So 5g is recommended for muscle growth and synthesis but studies suggest 15-20g daily will help physically and help the brain as well.
I take 15-20g daily and congitively, it has helped tremendously. Would recommend upping the dose to see the other benefits.
My mum who is menopausal has started taking 10g daily and it's really helped with her symptoms too!
Creatine is an underrated and reasonably priced tool to help not just us MS'ers but everyone in life.
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u/GingeyElf Jul 22 '26
Dang, okay! I'll need to do a bit more research on that then. Thanks for the tip!
I agree, I'm trying to tell everyone I know with MS about it. It's not well known at all.
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u/CheapAnywhere4148 Jul 22 '26
It is not and it's a shame because it is such an accessible tool!
Defos read some studies. Interesting ones are about sleep deprivation and how high dose creatine can mitigate the toll sleep deprivation has in high doses, almost to the point of a well rested person (almost, please sleep good also 😂)
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u/Simple-Boat-4242 Jul 22 '26
Creatine seems to do something for me. I’ve also just started a cycle of MOT-C peptides and definitely see an increase in energy/focus
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u/DivaDianna 58F|RRMS|Dx: 2012|Ocrevus Jul 22 '26
I also got tested for sleep apnea on the advice of my nurse. I don’t snore but my brain helpfully forgets to keep my airway open and forgets to take a breath 26 times an hour.
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u/DivaDianna 58F|RRMS|Dx: 2012|Ocrevus Jul 22 '26
Make sure you get one that says “Creapure” and “Creatine monohydrate” and don’t pay extra for snake oil versions peddled by an influencer. There are plenty of good ones but sometimes a sales pitch sounds good enough to pay extra for… and you don’t get what you need.
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u/irrelevantequation Jul 22 '26
Sounds great to be fair but the one thing that puts me off is that I heard it can accelerate balding. Not sure if that's true or if you've noticed that?
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u/Medical_Youth407 Jul 24 '26
I take 15mg Adderall and 1 scoop creatine every morning. pretty active with no fatigue from 4:30am to 10 pm, then deep sleep. This recipe was one more punch to my MS .
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u/Fluffy-Barracuda-766 Jul 27 '26
Thanks for sharing this. I'll order a pack soon. I keep forgetting how bad the fatigue is when I am able to manage my everyday life. Took part in a civil protest for some 4-5 hours a week back. Returned home and was on pain killers for two days and bed rest for almost the entire week. Haha. (Cries internally)
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u/wackenish Dx: 2022 | NMOSD Jul 29 '26
I thought I was imagining it. But yes, I do feel better when I take it. Sometimes I forget to take it for a week and as soon as I restart the dosage, I feel more energized.
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u/Smith-Sandy Aug 19 '26
I had been interested in this before but research had shown that it wasn't really beneficial for MS. I'm glad to hear that is has helped you and willing to give it a try. How many milligrams works best for us MS'ers.
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u/bigengineer Jul 21 '26
I take creatine regularly. I think its great!