Comments December 7, 2010 at 1:59 pm(1) Phil Fischer says:

And the side effects are?

From Marcia: side effects are not known. As stated above, I do not recommend you try creatine on your own. These studies are being done under carefully controlled conditions, and there is nowhere near enough information yet on whether this treatment will really be effective and safe.

December 7, 2010 at 2:36 pm(2) mike Stobie says:

Should “don’t try it on your own” be translated as “wait until we can find a way to charge massive amounts of money by prescription only”? can the side effects realistically be thought to be worse than Abilify os Seroquil or the other highly toxic prescription treatments?

December 7, 2010 at 3:34 pm(3) MARY MAZZ says:

I agree with Mike!

December 7, 2010 at 5:03 pm(4) Marcia Purse says:

It isn’t just a matter of side effects, Mike. There’s a LOT that’s not known, including:

• How does it interact with other medications you’re taking? Is there a danger of causing another medication to produce a dangerous side effect?
• What is your optimal dosage? what will happen if you take too much?
• Since the study is for depression, how likely is it that creatine could precipitate hypo/mania?

Given the above, it would be extremely foolhardy to assume that just because the supplement is available, it is safe and effective for you to start using on your own. I wasn’t even able to find enough information about this preliminary study to assess all the possible risks.

To me the biggest danger is that the supplement could have a very bad interaction with your medications. No clinical trials have been done. Nothing has been released – maybe not even looked at yet – about these substances’ effects on mood stabilizers, anti-anxiety medications, sedating medicines, etc. and what about medications for other conditions? I take five psych meds and three other meds daily. You’d better believe I’m not going to risk trying a substance that affects the brain!

December 7, 2010 at 10:16 pm(5) judeerie says:

Will you have more info about when clinical trials begin? Will you be able to offer info on how to become involved in the trials? I was diagnosed as bi-polar for over 30 years ago and the psych meds have taken thier toll. Please keep us informed.

December 7, 2010 at 10:43 pm(6) mrs. B says:

Okay I agree with Mike. It seems like creatine has been on the market for at least 15 years as a body building supplement. I,m going to try it. my biggest problem with taking medication is the weight gain, sound like this might help me lose weight with my workouts as well as help me with my bi-polar diorder. to me its definetly worth a try.

December 8, 2010 at 12:26 am(7) Jim says:

As with any new medical discovery, whether it is a new medication, or a new use for something already on the market, we are well advised to wait and see what optimum dosing, side effects, interactions with other meds, etc. my guess is most of you, like me, are already on other meds, (I am also on seizure meds as well), so how might this react with them? We have no information on these things. yes, once the pharmeceutical companies are finished with years of R&D and are making that evil thing called a “profit”, it will cost more, but it is the price we have to pay for safe health care.

December 8, 2010 at 12:46 am(8) Paul D says:

I would be very careful with the creatine. About 10 years ago, before I knew I was BP, I took it for weight lifting and weight loss. I can look in hindsight and know that it was a time of very mild depression, but the mania was very noticeably present. while it was great for a while, it certainly did have its consequences. while looking for a possible better alternative to a cocktail of meds, self medication is never a good idea. Is the potential prize worth the toll of possible payments?

December 8, 2010 at 8:04 pm(9) Ryan says:

Creatine has been around for a long time and is considered to be fairly safe. why wouldn’t I try it? nothing my doctor is prescribing is working that well! why wait to try stuff like this until all the tests have been done, when tests have been done that show it’s safe? I guess there might be a 1 in a thousand chance that it will react with a medication that I’m on, but I’m not on that many medications.

December 9, 2010 at 12:47 pm(10) John Thompson says:

“do not self-medicate” will translate to “go out this minute and get some and eat lots of it.” A lot of people will take mania over depression.