Taking Creatine While On The Big Three?

[hejsamm]

Hi. I am currently on the big 3 and i am weightlifting and therefore i am considering taking creatine monohydrate. Have heard a lot of rumours of creatine and hair loss. Can i take creatine without any problems or will it affect my hair loss?

 

[biddybomb]

unlikely IMO. If you were taking winny and tren I'd be worried but creatine is some lightweight sh!t.

 

[Silver88]

Hi. I am currently on the big 3 and i am weightlifting and therefore i am considering taking creatine monohydrate. Have heard a lot of rumours of creatine and hair loss. Can i take creatine without any problems or will it affect my hair loss?

What is big 3?

 

[Afro_Vacancy]

Hi. I am currently on the big 3 and i am weightlifting and therefore i am considering taking creatine monohydrate. Have heard a lot of rumours of creatine and hair loss. Can i take creatine without any problems or will it affect my hair loss?

All of the rumours are based off one mediocre study on creatine use in college athletes. It looks like thousands of articles discussing the issue, but it's just one mediocre study.

 

[JeanLucBB]

All of the rumours are based off one mediocre study on creatine use in college athletes. It looks like thousands of articles discussing the issue, but it's just one mediocre study.

Creatine gives a strength boost of about 2-10% and only in the short term. I agree the Rugby Institute study size is mediocre and more broader scale studies would be worthwhile, but it isn't a "mediocre" study in terms of how it was conducted, and the results have very obvious implications for hairloss. It seems pretty clear cut, and there is substantial anecdotal evidence across various forums about its negative effects.

"After 7 days of creatine loading, or a further 14 days of creatine maintenance dose, serum T levels did not change. However, levels of DHT increased by 56% after 7 days of creatine loading and remained 40% above baseline after 14 days maintenance (P < 0.001). The ratio of DHT:T also increased by 36% after 7 days creatine supplementation and remained elevated by 22% after the maintenance dose (P < 0.01)."

Seems pretty stupid to take the risk of a DHT increase over 40% just for a 2-10% strength gain. Take it if you like, but if you're worried enough about hairloss to be on the big three you'd be a moron to also use creatine.

I think the better question is why would you take a supplement giving you at the very most a 15% (but for most only 2-8%) short term boost in strength that costs a few $100 per year and there is a strong chance it contributes to hairloss. Unless you're a pro body-builder or fitness model/Youtuber, it's just plain stupidity.

 

[Afro_Vacancy]

Creatine gives a strength boost of about 2-10% and only in the short term. I agree the Rugby Institute study size is mediocre and more broader scale studies would be worthwhile, but it isn't a "mediocre" study in terms of how it was conducted, and the results have very obvious implications for hairloss. It seems pretty clear cut, and there is substantial anecdotal evidence across various forums about its negative effects.

"After 7 days of creatine loading, or a further 14 days of creatine maintenance dose, serum T levels did not change. However, levels of DHT increased by 56% after 7 days of creatine loading and remained 40% above baseline after 14 days maintenance (P < 0.001). The ratio of DHT:T also increased by 36% after 7 days creatine supplementation and remained elevated by 22% after the maintenance dose (P < 0.01)."

Seems pretty stupid to take the risk of a DHT increase over 40% just for a 2-10% strength gain. Take it if you like, but if you're worried enough about hairloss to be on the big three you'd be a moron to also use creatine.

I think the better question is why would you take a supplement giving you at the very most a 15% (but for most only 2-8%) short term boost in strength that costs a few $100 per year and there is a strong chance it contributes to hairloss. Unless you're a pro body-builder or fitness model/Youtuber, it's just plain stupidity.

1) Theoretically, the increase in type-II and type-III DHT if you're on both finasteride and creatine (as is the original poster) should be zero. Finasteride nukes type-II and type-III five-alpha reductase by an overwhelming margin, so you can't make DHT. It might matter if you're microdosing finasteride.

2) There are a lot of reports out there, that you can look up, suggesting that the majority of the medical literature is wrong. It's because when you only have one study, with mediocre conditions (in this case small number of people over small amount of time), you might just be publishing a chance event, or worse yet, someone who manipulated the data, subconsciously or otherwise.

 

[JeanLucBB]

1) Theoretically, the increase in type-II and type-III DHT if you're on both finasteride and creatine (as is the original poster) should be zero. Finasteride nukes type-II and type-III five-alpha reductase by an overwhelming margin, so you can't make DHT. It might matter if you're microdosing finasteride.

2) There are a lot of reports out there, that you can look up, suggesting that the majority of the medical literature is wrong. It's because when you only have one study, with mediocre conditions (in this case small number of people over small amount of time), you might just be publishing a chance event, or worse yet, someone who manipulated the data, subconsciously or otherwise.

Agree with this, however I'd simply put it as a risk/reward scenario. Is that small short term boost in strength worth the possibility of negative effects on your hairloss? I don't think there is conclusive scientific data to make an accurate conclusion on its effects especially in the context of finasteride users, but I've seen enough anecdotal evidence linking creatine and hairloss to conclude for myself that it isn't worth the risk.

 

[Afro_Vacancy]

Agree with this, however I'd simply put it as a risk/reward scenario. Is that small short term boost in strength worth the possibility of negative effects on your hairloss? I don't think there is conclusive scientific data to make an accurate conclusion on its effects, but I've seen enough anecdotal evidence linking creatine and hairloss to conclude for myself that it isn't worth the risk.

I admit I'm not consistent on this issue, but I'm weary of giving too much credence to anecdotes and hair loss. We have anecdotes on everything from creatine to saw palmetto to low-carb diets to revita. You might make progress if you incorporate it all, but you'll also be at risk of going insane.

 

[dralex]

Hi. I am currently on the big 3 and i am weightlifting and therefore i am considering taking creatine monohydrate. Have heard a lot of rumours of creatine and hair loss. Can i take creatine without any problems or will it affect my hair loss?

Take beta alanine and citruilline malate instead. These have much greater effects on muscular development and weight training than creatine, but for some reason no one supplements them. Technically creatine is something you can take in addition to these, but it isn't really worth the risk if it could possibly accelerate male pattern baldness.

 

[Afro_Vacancy]

Take beta alanine and citruilline malate instead. These have much greater effects on muscular development and weight training than creatine, but for some reason no one supplements them. Technically creatine is something you can take in addition to these, but it isn't really worth the risk if it could possibly accelerate male pattern baldness.

Could you reference that?

 

[zzzzz]

What is big 3?

minoxidil, finasteride, and nizoral shampoo