I am interested in starting creatine monohydrate supplementation to gain muscle and weight, but want to be sure it will be safe for my kidneys. I am a 53 y/o white, male, 6'1", 165 lbs, poz and undetectable for the past 12 years. Currently taking Reyataz, Norvir, Truvada & 5mg Androgel. Chemistry labs: Cholesterol, triglycerides & glucose are all normal,but creatinine has been slightly elevated over the past 4 quarters of lab results(around 1.72). I work out hard 4x/week with weights and cardio. Eat well, no alcohol or recreational drugs and don't smoke.

After reviewing the available literature, my plan is to start taking 5mg creatine monohydrate with orange juice daily, skipping the higher dose loading phase so I don't overtax my kidneys.

Does this sound like a safe and reasonable course to follow? Should I be upping my daily water intake to help flush excess creatinine from my system? Also, what is the normal length of time to supplement with creatine before taking a 30-day flush out rest? I appreciate your feed-back. Thanks.

If you start using it, do not use more than 5 grams a day. Creatine is effective to increase lean body mass and strength, although a lot of the increase in mass is related to water gain (muscle is 80% water). There have been some reports of increased creatinine in some patients using it, but this can be reverse as soon as the supplement is stopped.

Start it and get your doctor to recheck your creatinine two weeks later. Drinks lots of water. As I said, do not do the loading dose recommended on most labels since that is too high.

Nelson