Guide
Who should not take creatine?
Our label reserves creatine for adults 18 and over who aren't pregnant or nursing. A separate review of the kidney-safety research adds a caution for people with an existing kidney condition, and anyone on medication should check with a doctor first.
Our label directs adults 18 and over, and says to consult a physician first if you're pregnant, nursing, or have a medical condition. Beyond that label caution, a review of the kidney-safety research adds one specific group worth naming directly: people with an existing kidney condition.
What our label already says
Electric Tiger Creatine Monohydrate's warning reads: consult a physician if pregnant, nursing, under 18, or you have a medical condition. That's standard label caution rather than a specific finding about creatine and any of those groups — the loading-and-maintenance research this product is based on was conducted in healthy adults, not pregnant people, minors, or people with a diagnosed medical condition, so there's no trial data to point to either way for those groups.
Existing kidney conditions
A review of 19 clinical and experimental studies on creatine and kidney safety found no known effect on kidney function — including glomerular filtration rate — at doses from 5 to 30 g a day, for periods from 5 days to 5 years, in healthy athletes and bodybuilders without an underlying kidney condition. That same review specifically advises against creatine supplementation in people who do have one, or who have a known risk of kidney dysfunction, so if that describes you, ask your doctor before adding creatine at any dose.
Anyone on medication
If you take a prescription medication — especially one that affects the kidneys, such as certain long-term pain relievers or blood pressure drugs — ask your doctor or pharmacist before adding creatine. We didn't find a dedicated trial testing creatine against specific drug classes for this kind of interaction; the caution here is about checking with someone who knows your full medication list, not a documented interaction we can point to.
People already prone to hair loss
A small, dated trial found creatine loading raised a hormone (DHT) linked to hair loss in people who are already genetically susceptible to it, though the trial itself never measured hair or scalp outcomes. It's thin evidence, not a reason to rule creatine out on its own, but if hair loss is a specific concern for you, creatine side effects covers exactly what that trial did and didn't show.
Questions people ask
Who should not take creatine?
Per our label: anyone pregnant, nursing, or under 18 should consult a physician first, as should anyone with a medical condition. A dedicated review of the kidney-safety literature adds a specific caution for people with an existing kidney condition.
Who can take creatine?
The research this product's dosing is based on was conducted in healthy adults. That's the population the loading-and-maintenance protocol and the safety literature above actually describe.
Can creatine hurt kidneys?
In people without a pre-existing kidney condition, a 19-study review found no known effect on kidney function at doses from 5 to 30 g a day, for up to 5 years. In people who do have a kidney condition, that same review advises against creatine use, and we'd point you to a doctor rather than a label direction.
Does creatine affect your kidneys or liver?
For kidneys: see the review above. We didn't find a comparable dedicated review isolating liver function specifically, so we're not making a claim on that here one way or the other.
Who needs creatine?
That's a benefits question, not a safety one — creatine benefits: what the research does and doesn't show covers who the strength, muscle-mass and cognitive research above was actually conducted in.
Sources
- Potential Adverse Effects of Creatine Supplement on the Kidney in Athletes and Bodybuilders A review of 19 studies found doses from 5 to 30 g a day, taken for anywhere from 5 days to 5 years, showed no known harmful effect on kidney function in healthy people without existing kidney disease, while advising against use in people who do have kidney disease.
- Three weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation affects dihydrotestosterone to testosterone ratio in college-aged rugby players A small trial in 20 male rugby players found creatine loading raised blood DHT levels, a hormone linked to hair loss in susceptible people, but the trial itself never measured hair or scalp outcomes, and no larger trial has followed up on it.
*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.
