Ingredient guide · fitness

Creatine Monohydrate

Most researched supplement for strength & muscle

The clinically studied dose

5g per day Clinical

Source: ISSN Position Stand (Kreider 2017) — 3–5 g/day maintenance after an optional loading phase — the most-studied ergogenic dose.

What it is

The most researched sports supplement in existence. Creatine helps your muscles rapidly regenerate ATP, the energy currency for short, intense efforts.

What the research supports

How it works

Boosts phosphocreatine stores in muscle, letting you recycle ATP faster during heavy or explosive work.

Human evidence

Creatine monohydrate is the most effective ergogenic supplement available for increasing high-intensity capacity and lean mass; no adverse effects up to 30 g/day for 5 years.

Position stand (evidence review) · n=hundreds of trials · 3–5 g/day — Kreider et al., 2017 — ISSN Position Stand

Creatine plus resistance training added significantly more lean mass and strength than training alone in older adults.

Meta-analysis of RCTs · n=721 · ~5 g/day + resistance training — Chilibeck et al., 2017 — Open Access J Sports Med (meta-analysis)

No change in DHT, DHT:testosterone ratio, or hair-growth measures vs placebo — direct evidence against the hair-loss myth.

12-week double-blind RCT · n=38 · 5 g/day — 2025 — Int J Sport Nutr (hair-loss RCT)

Bottom line: The most thoroughly proven supplement in this whole catalog — hundreds of human trials show consistent strength and lean-mass gains, and the long-term safety record is clean. Plain monohydrate at 5 g/day is all you need.

Side effects & safety

Very safe. May cause a few pounds of water weight and, if you take a large dose at once, mild stomach upset. Loading is optional — 5 g/day gets you there in ~3–4 weeks.

What users report COMMUNITY · ANECDOTAL

Strongly positive
Distilled from 12 top r/Supplements threads (2,500+ comments) on r/Supplements · read the threads yourself →
✓ Reported benefits
very commonReal strength and 'fullness' gains — one of the few supps people say clearly works
commonHigh-dose (10–15 g) for mental energy / brain fog is the current hot take — many credit it for focus on low sleep
⚠ Reported downsides
commonA few pounds of water weight in the first weeks (not fat)
someStomach upset for some, even at small doses
🤨 The skeptic take
recurringHair-loss is hotly contested — trials show no DHT effect, but a vocal set swear they shed on it and blame DHT sensitivity
recurringBiggest responders are vegetarians / low-meat eaters; heavy meat-eaters often notice less
notedA skeptic camp: high-dose creatine is a 'patch' — find why your energy's low instead of chasing 15 g
strong consensusFancy forms (HCl, buffered, liquid) seen as a waste vs cheap monohydrate / Creapure

Anecdotes, not evidence, and not medical advice. Frequency labels are our read of forum sentiment, not a formal survey. Individual responses vary widely.

What it should cost

Per serving
Typical branded single-ingredient product$0.67
Bulk powder at the clinical dose (500g, $22.97)$0.23

Buying bulk powder instead of a branded bottle saves about 66% per serving.

Bulk price: $22.97/500g → Alt source: $19.99/500g

Graded products that contain it

C4 Original — FN.O.-Xplode — FPre JYM — CMicronized Creatine — A+Creatine — A+Creatine Gummies — DCreatine HCl — FPurple Drank — A

Related ingredients

Whey ProteinL-CitrullineBeta-AlanineBCAAsL-LeucineBetaine Anhydrous

Educational only — not medical advice. Grades and clinical doses are computed from public labels against sourced research (citations on the main site); prices last verified 2026-07-21. Expensive Powder has no sponsors; bulk links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a grade. Talk to a clinician before starting any supplement.