Creatine and HIV?

[AtomicA]

I go to the gym alot, at least 5x a week. Before I started the antiretrovirals I dabbled in a couple of workout supplements to help with the muscle building but found that after a few weeks they all made me feel like crap. I also couldn't find any reliable information on how some of the newer, designer supplements would affect your immune system so I stopped taking them all when I started HAART.
I seem to have hit a plateau in both my body weight and ability to increase the weights I lift at the gym no matter what plateau busting techniques I try or how much I eat (which is ALOT) and so I was looking in to creatine. Does anyone know how safe creatine is for people with HIV? I called the clinic and all they could tell me was that it didn't interfere with my drugs and that it might put some stress on my kidney's. Is this reasonable? is it a bad idea altogether? I figure if I'm going to spend the rest of my life with a chronic wasting illness I better have something on me to waste!  plus I've always wanted to be 180 pounds...
any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[J.R.E.]

Hello Atomic,

Heres a little reading material for ya :

This one from 2000 :

http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/insite?page=ask-02-01


This on e from  2005 :

http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/1BDC0D12-19C9-419A-96F6-567F80B45D42.asp





Take care-----Ray

[blondbeauty]

I canīt find the link now, but creatine is hard on your kidneys and only gives volume to your muscles by making them hold water. You will need your kidneys in perfect condition to clear the meds from your bloodstream.
Taking creatine for more than one month can make your body lazy and stop it from making its own creatine.
Since starting meds I stopped all my supplements except selenium and protein shakes after going to the gym from time to time.
Eating well and plenty of fruit and vegetables is the best you can do.
Take care.
Juan (Dr. Helena Russel from Space 1999)

[SFscruff]

Ray,

Thanks for posting links to two excellent articles.  I appreciate hard, scientific, factual information as much as you apparently do!  It's much more time-consuming and laborious to ferret out and understand this type of information than all that other dubious, anecdotal and testimonial 'stuff' that's out there, but it's well worth it in the end, and often leads to unexpected discoveries.  My appreciation!  SFscruff

[AtomicA]

Thanks guys - Ray I think I'm probably going to ditch the whole creatine idea, I tried it for about a week and all I noticed was that the stuff gave me a monster headache. To little benefit for to much risk. pfft!