T Nation


Hey everybody… quick question for you. My brother is starting to get into lifting some and is looking for something to help with his recovery. So I told him that Creatine would be a good route for him.
The problem is that he once ate a protein bar that contained creatine in it and became extremely dizzy a little while afterward, and couldnt find anything else in the bar that he had not used before that may have caused the dizziness. So now he thinks that he has some strange reaction to creatine that causes him to get dizzy…
So is this possible? Could the creatine really have caused this type of reaction? I personally didnt think so, but I wasnt sure so I wanted to ask you guys. Thanks in advance…


Many protein bars on the market contain alot of carbs, where do these carbs come from? they most commonly come from maltodextrin or dextrose, often sugar as well, if he got a hefty dose of malto or dextrose, and he has any kind of insulin issues, there is big possibility that he had a sudden surge of insulin and then it dropped off- causing him to be dizzy, i’m sure once he ate somthing soild he felt better. but just incase, i’d say try creatine, but use it moderately, if he is fine with a dose or 2, suggest he start using it as recomended.


Does your brother get dizzy every time that he eats red meat?

What I’m getting at is that it was probably one of the crap ingredients on one of the crap bars that there are on the market. Or, he might not have taken in enough fluids with the bar (a common mistake).

If your brother needs to hear it directly from an “authority,” check out John Berardi’s feedback section.

Out of interest what brand of protein bar was it? Some brands have ATP added to them. Ive tryed one band that contains ATP and it gave me bit of a kick. Does anyone know if the added ATP is just a marketing trick? e.g. Like low fat “healthy” products that are high in sugar.

A common reported side-effect of creatine is dehydration. Maybe drinking a lot of water on a regular basis might prevent the dizziness when using creatine

Hey, Jack, I have a simple way to circumvent the whole creatine issue. Your brother is looking for something to help him with recovery, yes? Surge would fit the bill admirably. Go to the article archives and print up, “Solving The Post-Workout Puzzle I & II” by John Berardi. It discusses the importance of a post-recovery drink as it relates to reducing catabolism and promoting protein synthesis.