Can Creatine Make You Angry?

Are you a fitness fanatic looking to strengthen your muscles? Are you considering supplementing creatine but are scared of its side effects?

If you’ve heard the rumours of creatine and its effects on your mood swings and have wondered, “Can creatine make you angry?” let me help you clear all your misconceptions.

This article clarifies all your doubts about creatine and whether it has a role in your mood swings.

Creatine and It’s Impact

Did you know that creatine is one of the most researched and safest supplement?

Still, unfortunately, the majority has failed to understand its effects.

Although many people witness the physical benefits of consuming creatine, they are unaware of its impact on one’s mind, neurotransmitters, and serotonin.

Since these neurochemicals can influence your moods, it’s essential to read up on them to identify if supplementing creatine can make you angry or not.

Creatine and Mind

Creatine is not only formed in the body but 95% is stored there, while the remaining 5% goes to your brain and testicles.

Just like your skin acts as a barrier for your body to protect it from harmful chemicals and germs, your brain also has a protective layer around it called the blood-brain barrier.

These barriers protect the brain from harmful chemicals or toxins and ensure your brain stays safe, healthy, and at optimal working conditions.

Since creatine is safe for the brain, it not only passes through the blood-brain barriers but is also stored there.

Once creatine has crossed over the barrier, it mixes up with a phosphate molecule, making a compound known as Creatine Phosphate or CP.

This compound gives your brain extra energy and might help you think better while improving your memory.

Creatine and Neurotransmitters

When we talk about our brains, it use various kinds of neurotransmitters to communicate and control different mind and bodily functions, and creatine plays a vital role.

According to research, our brain requires sufficient energy when performing complex tasks, such as problem-solving.

In such situations, consuming creatine supplements has increased the molecule phosphocreatine, generating more energy called Adenosine Triphosphate or ATP.

More ATP leads to higher serotonin and dopamine signals linked to happiness, calmness, and motivation, improving performance and boosting satisfaction.

Creatine and Mood

While creatine is known to be a sports supplement that enhances muscle mass and strength, new research has been coming forward, depicting the impact of creatine on mood swings and even improving symptoms of depression.

The prefrontal cortex, responsible for regulating moods, emotions, and cognitive functions, stores 5% of the creatine found in the skeletal muscles of the brain.

Research conducted for eight weeks in South Korea involving 52 women had two groups: one received creatine, and the other received an antidepressant pill.

According to the results, half of the women who consumed creatine became free from depression, twice that of women undergoing treatment with antidepressants.

This is because the creatine storage in your brain helps regulate the dopamine and serotonin neurotransmitters while reducing the oxidative stress chemicals.

What Are The Side Effects of Creatine?

Researchers have studied creatine for the past two centuries and declared it one of the safest supplements, yet it still exhibits some side effects.

If an individual consumes more than the required dosage of the supplement, it can cause the following issues:

Bloating

One of the side effects that people have complained about is getting bloated. Consuming creatine every day causes the body to gain some weight.

This is because your body has increased muscle mass and water retention in your muscles. Even though this is not a dangerous situation, one may suffer from bloating.

Fortunately, you can avoid this bloating problem if you consume a limited dosage of creatine, i.e., 3-5 grams daily.

Stomach Aches

As per the research, if an individual consumes too much creatine at once, i.e., 10 grams or more, you’re likely to suffer diarrhea or stomach discomfort.

If you’re a fitness enthusiast or athlete working on loading the creatine supplement, you can still consume 10 grams of creatine in one day by dividing it over 4-5 equal doses spread throughout the day.

This will ensure that you get the required creatine amount and keep yourself away from unwanted stomach issues.

Excessive Creatine Goes Wasted

One of the few side effects you may face if you consume too much creatine, regardless of the instructed dosage, is that it’ll all go to waste.

You must consume the maintenance dosage once your muscles reach their creatine saturation level. Otherwise, they will secret the excess creatine out through your urine.

What Are The Possible Reasons Of Aggression After Consuming Creatine?

While there seems to be no reason for creatine to affect your mood swings directly, there still may be some conditions that may make you angry:

Testosterone levels

Although creatine is a known supplement that boosts your feel-happy hormone, also known as dopamine, it may also indirectly give your testosterones an unwanted boost.

Here is how it happens: when you consume creatine supplements to build up your energy levels and perform high-intensity workouts for longer hours at the gym, these increased energy levels temporarily raise your testosterone levels for up to an hour.

While the surge is temporary, the increasing testosterone levels may be the reason behind your aggressive behaviours.

However, it is essential to remember that while there might be an indirect link between creatine and testosterone, minimal research is available to give an absolute answer.

You’re Consuming Steroids

Another culprit that might get you thinking that creatine is making you angry can be the consumption of some steroids.

Athletes and fitness enthusiasts often consume more than one supplement, like testosterone boosters, that increases your adrenaline or cortisol levels.

In such a case, these supplements might be the reason behind your aggression.

Therefore, when it comes to supplements, you must check the ingredients behind them to be sure you’re not consuming any steroids and risking mood swings.

Emotional Response To Your Performance

Aggression or anger is an emotion that is not only triggered by consuming supplements. It can be as simple as an emotional response to your poor performance while training.

You might feel agitated or angered in scenarios where you cannot perform to the best of your capabilities, regardless of your supplementation.

While others may link your mood swings like these to poor performance.

You might link it to creatine consumption because you’re too conscious of its positive and negative effects on your body.

Conclusion

Research has repeatedly demonstrated that creatine is one of the safest, cheapest, and most effective supplement.

Many misconceptions have circulated regarding creatine consumption, associating its supplementation with mood swings.

However, research has consistently demonstrated that creatine supplements are remarkably safe to use.

While there may be other reasons for your anger and irritability, creatine supplements are not.