Can Creatine Cause Headaches? An Evidence-Based Answer

Some gymgoers insist creatine causes complications.

They by no means suffered earlier than utilizing the complement, they are saying, however now that they take creatine, complications are an everyday wrestle.

Is that this a good accusation, or is creatine taking the warmth for one thing else?

Right here’s the reality: regardless of many years of analysis, no research has proven that creatine causes complications.

So, what’s actually happening?

This text uncovers the reality about “creatine complications,” explores the true causes you would possibly get a headache after understanding, and shares easy ideas that will help you keep away from them.

Key Takeaways

• There’s no proof that creatine causes complications.
• In case you’ve skilled “creatine complications,” they’re extra possible as a result of elements like dehydration, fatigue, pressure, or overexertion.
• You possibly can stop complications whereas taking creatine by staying hydrated, specializing in restoration, managing your coaching depth and caffeine consumption, and avoiding coaching within the warmth.
• Creatine in all probability gained’t remedy your on a regular basis complications, however it would possibly assist with these attributable to traumatic mind accidents.
• Don’t fear about creatine inflicting migraines—some analysis suggests it may truly assist handle them.

Can Creatine Trigger Complications?

Regardless of being probably the most extensively studied dietary supplements in sports activities vitamin, researchers have by no means discovered proof you will get complications from creatine.

Actually, apart from its minor gastrointestinal drawbacks, creatine has a near-flawless security file, even when taking massive every day doses for a number of years.

Why, then, do some individuals suppose creatine offers them a headache?

Let’s take a look at the almost definitely explanations.

Dehydration

Dehydration can cause complications. In case you take creatine, you’re in all probability doing intense bodily actions like weightlifting or sports activities, which make you sweat greater than standard and enhance your danger of changing into dehydrated.

On this case, creatine doesn’t trigger the headache. The headache happens since you didn’t drink sufficient water to remain hydrated whereas being lively.

READ MORE: The Best Way to Stay Hydrated? Just Drink When You’re Thirsty

Fatigue

Studies show you’re extra prone to expertise a headache once you’re drained. Creatine doesn’t trigger fatigue, however if you happen to’re taking it, you’re in all probability exercising quite a bit, which naturally makes you are feeling extra drained.

In different phrases, being drained from coaching might make you extra prone to endure a headache, however creatine has nothing to do with it. 

READ MORE: The Definitive Guide to Muscle Recovery

Stress

Tense, stiff, or sore muscular tissues can lead to complications, particularly if the stress is in your shoulders, higher again, or neck. That is frequent for weightlifters, significantly after doing new or intense workout routines that practice these areas of the physique. 

Some individuals blame these complications on creatine, however they’re truly attributable to the stress in your muscular tissues from lifting weights.

Caffeine

Many gymgoers take pre-workout dietary supplements to enhance their efficiency, however these dietary supplements usually include excessive doses of caffeine, which might cause complications. In case you’re utilizing each creatine and caffeine and get complications, it’s much more possible that caffeine is guilty, not creatine.

Caffeine also can cause complications by disrupting your sleep. For instance, if you happen to take pre-workout earlier than a night coaching session and it retains you up at evening, you’re extra prone to get up with a headache. 

One other potential wrongdoer is how your physique reacts to modifications in caffeine consumption. In case you often consume caffeine and instantly reduce, your physique might react with withdrawal signs—together with complications.

Coaching

Technically, this bracing known as the Valsalva maneuver, and whereas it reduces your danger of injuring your backbone, it can cause complications (typically known as “weightlifter’s headache” or “cough headache”).

These complications are frequent amongst individuals who often carry weights, no matter whether or not they take creatine.

READ MORE: The Complete Guide to the Valsalva Maneuver

Warmth

Coaching in scorching circumstances increases your danger of struggling a heat-related sickness—a spectrum of circumstances that happen when your physique produces extra warmth than it dissipates. 

Complications are a standard symptom of heat-related sickness. In case you take creatine, you’re extra prone to practice, and coaching within the warmth can result in heat-related complications. Nonetheless, creatine isn’t the trigger.

READ MORE: How to Enjoy Outdoor Workouts Safely

Overexertion

Pushing your self too arduous throughout train can trigger a sort of headache known as an “train headache.”

Since creatine helps you practice tougher, it would not directly contribute to those complications. Nonetheless, blaming creatine because the trigger is a stretch—it’s the depth of your exercise that’s extra possible at fault. 

READ MORE: Feeling Weak and Tired? You Might be Suffering from Low Energy Availability

How you can Stop Complications When Taking Creatine

• Keep Hydrated: You don’t have to observe a flowery “hydration protocol” to remain hydrated. Merely drink to thirst and no extra. 
• Prioritize Restoration: Recovering effectively between exercises is important for minimizing general fatigue and stopping stiff, sore, or tense muscular tissues. As a normal rule, most individuals ought to take two days off power coaching every week, and at the least in the future off all train (no cardio or sports activities, for instance).
• Get Loads of Sleep: Sleeping extra is a straightforward however highly effective approach to reduce your danger of complications. Stick with a constant sleep schedule, intention for 7-to-9 hours of sleep every evening, and nap when wanted to atone for missed sleep.
• Monitor Coaching Depth: Keep away from overexerting your self by protecting your weekly units per muscle group to fewer than 15 if you happen to’re new to coaching or fewer than 20 if you happen to’re extra superior. On every set, go away 1-to-3 reps within the tank.
• Restrict Caffeine: Everybody’s tolerance of caffeine is totally different. Learn the way a lot you may take with out experiencing unwanted effects, then keep inside your limits. Utilizing a “stim-free pre-workout” generally is a helpful approach to keep away from taking an excessive amount of caffeine. 
• Be Conscious of Warmth: In case you’re coaching in scorching or humid circumstances, put on light-weight, breathable clothes to keep away from overheating.

Can Creatine Remedy Complications?

There’s no proof that creatine cures on a regular basis complications. Nonetheless, one small study discovered that taking creatine drastically lowered complications, dizziness, and fatigue in youngsters and youngsters recovering from traumatic mind damage (TBI).

How creatine relieved complications on this research wasn’t utterly clear, however the researchers believed it was possible linked to the way it helps power manufacturing within the mind, which can assist restore harm from trauma.

Whereas these outcomes are promising for TBI-related complications, they don’t recommend that creatine has the identical impact on complications attributable to different elements like dehydration, fatigue, or pressure.

Can Creatine Trigger Migraines?

Actually, research exhibits migraines are sometimes linked to modifications in mind power metabolism, together with lowered mind creatine ranges. Since taking creatine helps preserve excessive ranges within the mind, some research recommend taking it’s extra possible to assist handle migraines than trigger them.

For now, there’s no motive to imagine creatine triggers migraines, however we want extra analysis to completely perceive its results.

FAQ #1: Does the kind of creatine you’re taking have an effect on complications?

There’s no proof that various kinds of creatine—resembling creatine monohydrate, creatine HCL, or creatine malate—have an effect on complications in a different way. The identical applies to the type of creatine, whether or not it’s powder, drugs, or gummies.

In case you’re getting complications whereas taking creatine, the trigger is probably going your coaching, eating regimen, or restoration habits relatively than the creatine itself.

FAQ #2: Can beginning creatine instantly trigger complications?

Beginning creatine doesn’t instantly trigger complications, however it could affect your coaching habits. As a result of creatine enhances power, energy, and endurance, many individuals push themselves tougher after they begin utilizing it, pondering they will deal with way more.

Nonetheless, this could typically result in overexertion, which will increase the chance of creating a headache.

FAQ #3: Do you have to cease taking creatine if you happen to get complications?