How to Take Creatine: Dose, Loading and Timing

People ask three practical questions about creatine: how much to take, whether to "load" it, and when to take it. This guide sets out what the label rules, the authorised health claims and sports-nutrition research say, so you can compare them with the directions on your own tub. It is general information for healthy adults, not medical advice. For choosing a product, see our buying guide.

Start with the label's daily portion

A food supplement sold in England must state the portion recommended for daily consumption and carry a warning not to exceed it, under the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003; Wales and Scotland have their own equivalents. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) gives consumers the same message: read the label, do not take more than the recommended dose, and do not take high-dose supplements unless a GP or healthcare specialist advises it. Everything below is background. The directions on your pack come first.

Where 3 g a day comes from

The two creatine claims on the Great Britain nutrition and health claims register are tied to a daily intake of 3 g of creatine. The claim for adults over 55 adds resistance training at least three times a week for several weeks, at an intensity of at least 65% to 75% of one repetition maximum. Our guide to what creatine does gives the wording.

The 3 g is creatine, not powder. Creatine monohydrate is about 88% creatine by weight, so the scientific committee of Spain's food-safety agency (AESAN) put the amount that supplies 3 g of creatine at 3.41 g of monohydrate. A label that shows a 3.4 g serving of monohydrate and states 3.0 g of creatine is doing the same sum.

Maintenance doses in the research

The ISSN position stand describes 3 to 5 g a day as the amount to maintain raised muscle stores, and describes an alternative of 3 g a day of creatine monohydrate for 28 days, which raises stores more gradually than loading. A 2021 question-and-answer paper from ISSN members gives 3 to 5 g a day and suggests a minimum of about four weeks to reach similar muscle levels. These figures come from sports-nutrition research, not from the register, whose condition is 3 g. Your label sets its own daily portion, so follow that.

Loading: what it is and why we do not suggest it

A "loading phase" means taking a much larger amount for the first few days. The ISSN position stand describes 5 g four times a day, or about 0.3 g per kilogram of body weight a day, for 5 to 7 days, which is about 20 g a day for an adult weighing 70 kg, followed by 3 to 5 g a day. The 2021 paper from ISSN members concludes that a loading phase is not required.

That amount is several times the 3 g in the register wording and would go beyond the recommended daily portion on any label that sets 3 to 5 g, which the FSA says not to do. This guide therefore does not suggest loading. If you are wondering whether it would suit you, ask a GP or pharmacist.

Timing: before, after or any time

The 2024 Part II paper from ISSN members says that taking creatine before or after exercise seems to make little difference in the studies it reviewed, and that consistent intake across a training programme is likely the most important variable. The register wording refers to a daily intake, so its conditions are not tied to a time of day. Choose a time you will remember.

With food, a drink or other ingredients

The same paper says creatine monohydrate does not need to be taken with other nutrients, although muscle uptake can be enhanced by glucose or insulin. Carbohydrate is therefore optional rather than necessary. A claim that creatine with carbohydrate increases muscle creatine stores is not authorised on the Great Britain register. Mix the powder as your label directs.

On caffeine, the paper concludes that short-term caffeine intake of under 5 mg per kilogram of body weight a day alongside creatine likely does not cause opposing effects. It also says that a rise in urine production after creatine is down to the extra fluid people drink, not to creatine itself.

Mixing and storing

The ISSN position stand says creatine is relatively stable in solution at neutral pH but converts to creatinine in acidic liquids over days of storage: in its figures, 4% at pH 5.5, 12% at pH 4.5 and 21% at pH 3.5 after three days at 25 °C. It gives this as the main reason creatine is sold as a dry powder. It also says that little conversion happens in the gut and that absorption into the blood is nearly 100%. The practical point is to keep the tub closed and dry, and to mix a drink when you want it rather than storing a made-up acidic one. Supplement labels must say the product should be stored out of the reach of young children, and many give storage conditions for the tub; follow them.

Vegetarians and vegans

The position stand reports lower muscle creatine stores in vegetarians, and suggests they may see a larger rise in muscle creatine from supplementation. That is a statement about stores in muscle, not a promise about performance. If you avoid animal products, read the label for vegetarian or vegan suitability, because the label is where the manufacturer states it.

Measuring accurately

Scoop sizes differ between products, so read the weight a scoop holds on the label rather than assuming a level scoop is 3 g. If you want to check a scoop against the stated weight, a small scale that reads to 0.1 g does the job: digital pocket scales on Amazon (opens in a new tab) is a search for them. Capsule products state how many capsules make one serving, and the creatine per serving is the figure to compare. Plain powders are listed in this search for unflavoured creatine monohydrate powder on Amazon (opens in a new tab).

What to expect

The ISSN position stand says the only consistently reported side effect of creatine is weight gain, linked to a small amount of water retention, usually early on. The 2021 paper concludes that creatine does not cause dehydration or muscle cramping. The FSA notes that taking more than the recommended dose of a supplement can lead to side effects such as nausea and headaches. If you feel unwell, stop and speak to a doctor or pharmacist.

If you have blood tests, tell the clinician you take creatine. ISSN members advise caution when interpreting blood creatinine and estimated kidney function in people who take creatine supplements, because creatine can affect those readings.

Who should ask first

Speak to a GP or pharmacist before you start if you have kidney disease, are pregnant or breastfeeding, take prescribed medicines or have a diagnosed condition, or are under 18. UKAD tells athletes who are subject to anti-doping rules that no supplement is guaranteed free from banned substances, and that they are solely responsible for what is found in their system. The cautions in our buying guide go into more detail.

The label is the authority on your product's dose and warnings, and a doctor or pharmacist is the right person to ask about your own health.