Question
Is creatine safe with HIV drugs?
3 October 2008. Related: All topics, Drug interactions, Side effects, Supplements and herbs.
Is creatine safe to use if you take HIV medications?
Answer
Creatine is sometimes used by bodybuilders as a supplement to increase muscle but it’s benefits are not clear and a study at the 7th Liposytrophy Workshop looked at use in HIV-positive poeple didn’t show a clear benefit.
Creatine will increase levels of creatinine which are routinely monitored if you are on if taking it when checking creatinine clearance (a measure of kidney function). you should not use creatine if you already have kidney problems.
It is especially important to tell your doctor if your HIV combination includes tenofovir (or Truvada or Atripla which both contain tenofovir), as this is an imprtant monitoring test with these drugs.
This study reported a caution about using creatine, especially if your HIV meds include tenofovir.
https://i-base.info/htb-south/230
Hello Amelia and thanks for getting in touch.
For a woman, your creatinine levels seem to be slightly elevated, however this can be for a number of reasons.
First of all you need to look at any supplements you take and whether they also include creatinine.
This would elevate your numbers but wouldn’t necessarily have an effect on your kidneys.
Second: take a look at any other medication you are also taking: like ibuprofen, aspirin or other NSAIDS.
These would increase the strain for your kidneys and shouldn’t be used on a permanent basis.
Third: look at how much water you drink to ensure this is not dehydration – you should be drinking 2 litres of water per day.
Finally, as TLD can increase the serum creatinine (this doesn’t cause problems to the kidneys) your doctor should be doing more tests on you and should be looking at your kidney function.
Have you discussed this with your doctor and what did they say?
Also, other conditions like diabetes are putting a strain on the kidneys.
So, you need to ensure that if you have any conditions then these are managed effectively.
For example your blood sugar should be within acceptable range.
If you have pain and are using NSAIDS then you should discuss with your doctor what other alternatives there are.
In the meantime, stop any supplements as they might be stressing your kidneys out and drink a lot of water as this is something that can help your kidneys.
im on tld for 3years now my last creatine was 113 so i just ask if must be worried or what
I am a 62 year old male. HIV + for 14 years. I am considering starting creatine, especially since I have been reading alot of studies on how it helps in cognitive issues.
Hi Bernard, thanks. I am not sure whether there is any good quality research to support this idea. Please talk to your doctor though if you want to do this because it might change the interpretation of the results on monitoring tests.
There are lots of other activities that can improve memory and brain function without having to take supplements and it might be good to also research this approach.
Please also talk to your doctor if you are worried about any recent changes that might be different to natural ageing. This is a difficult issue but your doctor can sometimes run simple tests to check whether you are generally okay.
Hi Mihlenhle, this is something you should address with your doctor. Have you had your kidney function tested before starting your HIV treatment?
What cautions should I take when taking creatine with HIV drug containing tenofovir ?
Hi Paul, the dose will be different depending on the formulation (tablet or granules) and what your creatinine level is. This link demonstrates how the dose of Tenofovir changes based on formulation and creatinine level (look under renal impairment): https://bnf.nice.org.uk/drug/tenofovir-disoproxil.html As an example, if you are using tablets with a creatinine clearance of 10-30mL/minute, your dose would be 245mg every 3-4 days.
What cautions should I take when taking creatine with HIV drug containing tenofovir ?