AAP News Vol. 14 No. 7 July 1998, p. 2
© 1998 American Academy of Pediatrics
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Drug side effects

Carla Kemp and Luann Zanzola

Creatine, a food supplement athletes use to enhance performance, may cause kidney damage, especially in those at risk for renal failure, according to British researchers. The pair reported a case of a 25-year-old man with kidney disease who experienced deteriorating renal function after taking creatine supplements to improve his soccer training regimen.

Prior to taking the over-the-counter supplements, serum creatinine was 1.2 mg/dL and creatinine clearance 93 mL/min. The patient started with the manufacturer's recommended "loading dose" of 5 g three times a day for one week, then a maintenance dose of 2 g/day. After about seven weeks on the maintenance dose, serum creatinine was 2.0 mg/dL and creatinine clearance 54 mL/min. One month after stopping the supplements, the patient's plasma creatinine returned to 1.5 mg/dL with creatinine clearance of 115 mL/min. (See story on page 13.)