Considering using creatine (the synthetic stuff, of course)

...was wondering what other females on the board had experienced using creatine (the powder or the Femme stuff) Is it worth it? Thanks in advance for any info...!

Janet (VnNYC)

I too am interested in supplementing with creatine. The only supplements I currently take are a multi-vitamin and glutamine. What's a good synthetic creatine and where can you find it?

I'm pretty sure it's all synthetic. That "Femme" stuff looks like a bunch of BS, especially since creatine isn't stable in water.

If you're going to try creatine, just get the common monohydrate powder and mix it into a shake/smoothie/drink for immediate consumption.

Chris -

You figure before, or after working out? Thx...!

Not a female, but I'll answer anyhoo. Creatine is mostly synthetically derived. There was an older process that had one animal byproduct, but I think it's mostly fallen by the wayside. As far as what to take, go with powder-- creatine degrades quickly in solution, so never buy a liquid creatine product. Make sure it's from a good manufacturer. 'Pharmaceutical grade' is the watchword to look for. Furthermore, if it's micronized, there's less of a chance of stomach upset. All this being said, there's definitely quality differences between brands. I once bought a 'pharmaceutical grade, micronized' creatine and it smelled weird. It gave me terrible nausea. So don't cheap out like I did. The "Creapure" trademark is a good one to look out for. It's German-made by Degussa and very good quality.

Quite a few different schools of thought, but after a workout seems to be a good bet.

After training has given me the best results and I don't think there is any need to load creatine either. The Creapure creatine is what I would recommend too.