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My son will be 15 in 4 months. He trains a lot, especially now that it's the offseason.

He's been nagging me for a while now that he wants to use Creatine as a supplement.

I keep pushing back on it.  I remember when Creatine was very popular around 20 years ago. If memory serves correctly, guys were getting really dehydrated and pulling hamstrings when using it.

I guy who I worked with back in 1999 was using it and he said he ended up in the hospital because the stuff had him so constipated.

In any event, does anyone have experience with their teenage kids using this supplement?

 

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Francis, after reviewing your posts we have decided you are a Russian operative with intent to divide us.

LOL and just kidding.  I enjoy your post and responses.  Keep them coming, theoretical or not.  For your friend in 1999, further proves what organ is really in charge of the human body.

WebMD or your son's pediatrician would be a lot better than a chat board for advice.  There is good information on Creatine risks, unknowns, etc.  It's not a drug, so not regulated by FDA, meaning impurities, labeling, etc could be more suspect than a drug.  I'm sure you have read up on it.

But yeah, my son took some this fall when lifting a lot.  He is two years older than your son.  I added 5g to his morning shake.  It was everyday and strictly for eight weeks.  I think whether your son takes it is your call and based on his maturity and the level of communication you two have.  For my son, I trusted him to drink plenty of water and to tell me if something was different (how he felt, the color of his pee, if his stool was different, constipation, lightheadedness, etc, etc.).

Since he has no identical twin, I have no idea if it had any effect or not.

I am a 16 year old who has been using a creatine based protein powder for about half a year. I take about 4g a day. I have noticed that my weight has increased and I am able to lift more weight than I would off of it. I have never felt dehydrated. If you don't trust me, trust Dr. Heenan on Instagram. Here's a link to his post about creatine: https://www.instagram.com/p/BsDlIVoHTsV/.

Dr. Heenan has also been very helpful to me regarding strength and conditioning. He's a good follow on almost any platform.

Last edited by 12whitesox12

Creatine is a temporary booster - when you stop, in a few weeks your size will return to normal.

I understand when kids may want to do this if they are being looked at by scouts in Jr year, but not when you are 14.

Has he tried protein supplements ?  Eat plenty of protein. Stop eating waffles, poptarts, and cereal for breakfast.  Peanut butter sandwiches right before bedtime.

Last edited by SultanofSwat

According to WebMD it’s inconclusive if creating enhances performance. In some people it decreases performance. Possible side effects are kidney disease, kidney failure, water retention,nausea, diarrhea, muscle pain and high blood pressure. Used with other stimulants can cause cardiovascular failure. Creatinemah affect blood sugar levels. The long term effects are not yet known.

You can get a normal amount of creative from meat, poultry and fish. After a growth spurt freshman year my son was 5’11” 135. Just filling out, FASST (fitness, agility, speed, strength training) and drinking protein shakes got him to 6’ 160 the following season. During this period he lived with his face in the fridge. He was always eating.

It was easier to put on weight and fill out after he stopped playing school basketball. Playing soccer and basketball was keeping him too thin.

Last edited by RJM

Thanks to all for the info! FWIW, he drinks a Muscle Milk shake now after every time he lifts/trains. He also drinks a ton of milk, period. It seems like we're buying milk every other day because we're running out of it because of him.  He also gets a lot of sleep.  And, he's not a junk food kid. (My wife is a bit of a foodie, been vegan for a long time, and we really don't have junk food in the house.)  I would bet that my son's body fat is around 8%. He's got an 8 pack and is very defined.  He's always been that way.  (Sometimes I tease my wife that I want a DNA test because I was never that way. But, I grew up in a house and in a time where we ate donuts or pop tarts for breakfast.)

 

Let’s not turn this into a thread about TPM. It’s uncool to do it to a poster. She’s one of the more knowledgeable posters due to learning from her son’s experience from top college recruit to high MLB draft choice to college pitching coach. Her absence is the board’s loss. 

She overreacted to a post and was suspended. Just like sports the responder got a bigger penalty than the initiator. Someone pushed her. She went over the edge in a response. She’s free to return. 

When I joined the board she and I had a negative exchange. We became “board friends.” She’s a nice person.

adbono posted:
Go44dad posted:
cabbagedad posted:

Francis, you can search the site and there are quite a few threads on Creatine.  I thought this one was particularly informative...

https://community.hsbaseballwe...topic/which-creatine

 

Just read the older thread.  Two thoughts.

1)  Those people are a lot smarter than me.

2)  Is TPM in HSBBWEB jail?

 

Two answers:

1) Yes they are.

2) Yes she is.

LOL!  The first question was rhetorical.

Somebody slip TPM a file in a cake.

RJM posted:

Let’s not turn this into a thread about TPM. It’s uncool to do it to a poster. She’s one of the more knowledgeable posters due to learning from her son’s experience from top college recruit to high MLB draft choice to college pitching coach. Her absence is the board’s loss. 

She overreacted to a post and was suspended. Just like sports the responder got a bigger penalty than the initiator. Someone pushed her. She went over the edge in a response. She’s free to return. 

When I joined the board she and I had a negative exchange. We became “board friends.” She’s a nice person.

You have apparently misinterpreted my comment - although I don't know how since there was no negative connotation whatsoever.  I like TPM and would like to see her return to this board. She has a lot to offer and I enjoy her posts.  Furthermore, I don't appreciate your grandstanding. You could have just as easily shot me a PM about this.

RJM posted:

Let’s not turn this into a thread about TPM. It’s uncool to do it to a poster. She’s one of the more knowledgeable posters due to learning from her son’s experience from top college recruit to high MLB draft choice to college pitching coach. Her absence is the board’s loss. 

She overreacted to a post and was suspended. Just like sports the responder got a bigger penalty than the initiator. Someone pushed her. She went over the edge in a response. She’s free to return. 

When I joined the board she and I had a negative exchange. We became “board friends.” She’s a nice person.

May well be a nice person but is a grumpy mean poster on the site with a huge I am better then you attitude.

We will have to agree to disagree on the loss. 

Creatine is one of the most studied supplements there is. There have been several studies that showed a possible link to hair loss in men, and kidney issues if you already had kidney problems. But for the most part it's pretty much universally agreed that it is beneficial.

Yes some people can be non-responders. My oldest (16yo) takes 5g a day, never did any loading. Swears he sees a difference in strength. Doesn't really care about physical appearance. 

I use it myself, and seem to be a non-responder.

adbono posted:
RJM posted:

Let’s not turn this into a thread about TPM. It’s uncool to do it to a poster. She’s one of the more knowledgeable posters due to learning from her son’s experience from top college recruit to high MLB draft choice to college pitching coach. Her absence is the board’s loss. 

She overreacted to a post and was suspended. Just like sports the responder got a bigger penalty than the initiator. Someone pushed her. She went over the edge in a response. She’s free to return. 

When I joined the board she and I had a negative exchange. We became “board friends.” She’s a nice person.

You have apparently misinterpreted my comment - although I don't know how since there was no negative connotation whatsoever.  I like TPM and would like to see her return to this board. She has a lot to offer and I enjoy her posts.  Furthermore, I don't appreciate your grandstanding. You could have just as easily shot me a PM about this.

I wasn’t trying to show you up. I took your post wrong. I was standing up for TPM. My apologies.

coachld posted:

At his age, he has zero need for creatine. The strength gains he will make over the next couple of years will occur without the use of any supplements. Adding something like creatine would work better once he is more of an advanced lifter and is seeing his strength improvements slowing down.

I've never seen research that suggests creatine only helps advanced lifters and doesn't help beginner or intermediate lifters. i believe creatine supplementation would help most of the general population. 

Lots of good info here: https://examine.com/supplements/creatine/

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