Research review
Does Creatine Have Caffeine In It?
Creatine itself contains no caffeine — they're unrelated compounds. The evidence also doesn't support the older idea that caffeine cancels out creatine's strength benefit: a randomized trial found creatine combined with caffeine or coffee produced strength and power gains similar to creatine alone, though with more reported stomach discomfort in the caffeine group specifically.
Creatine itself contains no caffeine — they're chemically unrelated compounds, and plain creatine monohydrate has no stimulant effect on its own. The evidence also doesn't support an older piece of coaching advice that caffeine cancels out creatine's strength benefit: the one trial that tested the combination directly found no such effect.
What the evidence doesn't support
It doesn't support the claim that creatine contains caffeine, or that taking a creatine product gives you a caffeine-like stimulant effect — those are two separate categories of ingredient. It doesn't support the idea, once common in gym advice, that caffeine blunts or cancels out creatine's strength and power benefit: the randomized trial below found no significant difference between creatine alone and creatine combined with caffeine or coffee. And it doesn't support combining the two as a way to get a bigger performance benefit than creatine alone provides — the same trial found no added strength or power advantage from adding caffeine either.
What the trials found
A randomized trial split 54 physically active men into four groups for a 5-day creatine loading protocol (5 g, four times daily): creatine alone, creatine plus 300 mg/day of caffeine, creatine plus coffee (about 303 mg of caffeine), or placebo. Upper- and lower-body strength and repeated-sprint power improved in every supplemented group compared with placebo, and there was no statistically significant difference between the creatine-alone group and either caffeine combination — meaning caffeine, whether from coffee or a standalone source, neither helped nor hurt the strength result in this trial. One difference did show up: mild gastrointestinal discomfort was reported in 4 of 13 people in the creatine-plus-caffeine group, and in nobody in the creatine-alone, creatine-plus-coffee, or placebo groups. That's a small, specific side-effect finding tied to combining creatine with a standalone caffeine supplement, not a general warning against caffeine or coffee.
This is one trial, over 5 days, in young physically active men — it doesn't cover longer-term use, other populations, or doses of caffeine beyond the 300 mg tested. The 2017 International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand, which reviews creatine's broader safety and performance literature, doesn't identify caffeine as a documented risk either, but it also doesn't add a second trial on the combination specifically.
| Comparison | Strength/power result | GI side effects |
|---|---|---|
| Creatine alone vs. placebo | Improved, significant | None reported |
| Creatine + coffee vs. creatine alone | No significant difference | None reported |
| Creatine + caffeine vs. creatine alone | No significant difference | 4 of 13 reported mild discomfort |
Questions people ask
Does creatine have caffeine in it?
No. Creatine monohydrate is a single compound with no caffeine and no stimulant effect. Any caffeine in a product comes from a separately added ingredient, such as in a multi-ingredient pre-workout formula.
Is there caffeine in creatine monohydrate specifically?
No — plain creatine monohydrate, the form covered in the research above, contains no caffeine on its own.
Does caffeine cancel out creatine's effects?
Not in the one trial that tested it directly. Creatine combined with caffeine (300 mg/day) or coffee produced strength and power results statistically similar to creatine alone.
Can I drink coffee while taking creatine?
The trial above found creatine combined with coffee produced results similar to creatine alone, with no gastrointestinal side effects reported in that specific group.
Is it safe to take creatine and caffeine together?
The one trial that tested it found no strength or power difference from adding caffeine, alongside a higher rate of mild stomach discomfort in the caffeine-specific group (not the coffee group). That's the extent of what a single 5-day trial in young men can tell you about safety more broadly.
When to talk to a doctor
Creatine is not a treatment for caffeine sensitivity or any diagnosed condition related to stimulant use, and the trial above doesn't establish safety for longer-term use, other populations, or higher caffeine doses. If you're told to limit or avoid caffeine for a health reason, or you take a prescription medication, talk to a doctor before combining creatine with a caffeine-containing product.
Related reading: creatine and medications: what to check and creatine side effects.
Sources
- Effects of Coffee and Caffeine Anhydrous Intake During Creatine Loading A 5-day creatine-loading trial found no gastrointestinal side effects in the group taking creatine alone; mild GI discomfort appeared only in a subgroup combining creatine with caffeine (4 of 13 people).
- International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine A 2017 position stand from the International Society of Sports Nutrition describes how creatine is stored and used by muscle, and concludes it's safe and well tolerated across the doses and durations tested in the literature it reviewed.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.