Creatine for Lifters: Dose, Timing, Weight Gain and Hair Loss
By Jordan Hoppel · · Updated · 4 min read
I start most people at about 5 grams of creatine a day and raise it as needed, or use a loading phase of 10 to 20 grams for the first 10 days. Take it at a time you will remember. The weight gain is extra water inside the muscle, not fat.
Creatine is one of the most studied supplements, and I recommend it for people who want to take it. This page is my coaching view, not medical advice. Get health advice from your doctor, someone measuring the levels in your body.
For context, the International Society of Sports Nutrition's position stand concludes that creatine monohydrate is the most effective supplement available for increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and lean body mass, and reports that supplementation of up to 30 g a day for 5 years was safe and well tolerated in healthy people (Kreider et al., 2017).
Creatine is very highly studied. People who want to take it should.
How much creatine should I take a day?
Start with about 5 grams a day, or load with 10 to 20 grams a day for the first 10 days and then drop to a low maintenance dose. I describe two ways to start:
| Approach | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Steady start | Begin around 5 g a day and bump up as necessary. |
| Loading | A loading phase of 10 to 20 g for the first 10 days to saturate the body, then a low maintenance dose. |
I also use doses up to 20 g a day to help people recover after a poor night of sleep (brain fog, low energy). Two small trials of a single high dose in sleep-deprived adults reported better cognitive performance: one used 0.35 g per kg of body weight in 15 people and the other used 0.2 g per kg in 29 people, while participants stayed awake for about 21 hours. Those were single doses in a lab, not a daily routine, and the trials are small, so treat the finding as early evidence and not a recommendation.
When is the best time to take creatine?
The best time to take creatine is whatever time you will remember every day, because consistency matters more than timing. Probably don't take it with certain minerals like calcium, since it may compete for absorption and be less efficient. I typically tell people to take it in the morning because it's easier to remember, or after a workout, or at night.
Does creatine make you gain weight or bloat?
Creatine can make you put on weight because the body holds more water within the muscle, but it's not fat gain. Bloating and weight gain are most of the questions clients ask me about it. Any bloating feeling would probably be due to something else, not the creatine.
Does creatine cause hair loss?
The research does not show that creatine causes hair loss. My view is that the link is user bias. People who work out tend to have higher testosterone, which is generally accompanied by hair loss, and the chance they also take creatine is high, so they're associative factors rather than causative.
The research is thin and not fully settled. The study most often cited is a 2009 trial of 20 college rugby players: after three weeks of creatine, their ratio of dihydrotestosterone (DHT, the androgen linked to hair loss) to testosterone rose. That study did not measure hair loss, and it was small, so it does not show that creatine causes hair loss. It does mean the question has not been closed.
Who should check with a doctor before taking creatine?
Take health questions to your doctor before you start. That matters most if you have a medical condition or take medication, because general guidance cannot account for your situation. The research summarized here is about healthy adults.
How much creatine should women take?
Women can use the same approach, though they might not need as much. That is the only distinction I make, since women generally tend to be smaller overall than men.
A simple way to start
- Check with your doctor if you have any health concerns.
- Pick a daily time you will remember.
- Start around 5 g a day, or choose the loading approach.
- Keep it consistent. For other supplements, see supplements for lifters.
Sources
- Kreider RB et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z
- van der Merwe J, Brooks NE, Myburgh KH. Three weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation affects dihydrotestosterone to testosterone ratio in college-aged rugby players. Clin J Sport Med. 2009;19(5):399-404. doi:10.1097/JSM.0b013e3181b8b52f
- Gordji-Nejad A et al. Single dose creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high energy phosphates during sleep deprivation. Sci Rep. 2024;14:4937. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-54249-9
- Gordji-Nejad A et al. Single-dose creatine reduces sleep deprivation-induced deterioration in cognitive performance. Nutrients. 2026;18(8):1192. doi:10.3390/nu18081192
Frequently asked questions
How much creatine should I take?
Start around 5 g a day and bump up as necessary. Alternatively, a loading phase of 10 to 20 g for the first 10 days to saturate the body, then a low maintenance dose.
When should I take creatine?
At a time you'll remember daily. I typically tell people to take it in the morning because it's easier to remember, or after a workout, or at night. I'd avoid taking it with certain minerals like calcium, since it may compete for absorption.
Does creatine cause weight gain or bloating?
It can make you put on weight because the body holds more water within the muscle, but it's not fat gain. Any bloating feeling would probably be due to something else, not the creatine.
Does creatine cause hair loss?
My view is that it's user bias: people who work out tend to have higher testosterone, generally accompanied by hair loss, and many of them also take creatine, so the two are associated rather than causal. The research is thin. A small 2009 study of 20 rugby players found a higher DHT-to-testosterone ratio after creatine, but it did not measure hair loss.
Should women take less creatine?
My only distinction is that women might not need as much, since women generally tend to be smaller overall than men.
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