Nutritional Supplement Reviews by Real People Like You

A couple of years ago I was using creatine in the recommended dosages, including a 5 day loading phase, with really great results. After about 8 weeks of this I began to notice my heart seeming to skip every third beat or so. This would occur both at rest and under stress. I was so concerned by it that I saw a Cardiologist and took a treadmill test. She told me I was quite healthy, but noticed a number of "premature ventricular contractions", the skipping I was experiencing. She said that they were nothing to worry about, but they were certainly uncomfortable.

When I discontinued creatine use they went away and have not returned since. Could they be connected to electrolyte imbalances associated w/creatine? Since there are no double blind studies on this subject, I have no way of knowing if my heart condition was related to creatine use at all. The apparent benefits were impressive enough that I'm considering using it again, but certainly not if it's going to jeopardize my health.

I too had skipped heart beats at rest and during activity, but it mostly occurred during rest periods and would catch me off guard. I also took creatine for 1 1/2 months and never noticed any skipping heart beats. The thing I did hear about the use of creatine from a bodybuilder is that since the heart is a muscle a person can have an enlarged heart unless the creatine is cycled. An enlarged heart could lead to a heart attack. I would appreciate any other information on side affects that anyone may know of.