Does creatine make you bloated?
Not in the way people mean: it pulls water into the muscle, not under the skin, and the position stand found no evidence of bloating at normal doses.
The 1 to 2 kg that appears in the first weeks is water stored inside the muscle cell, which is where you want it: it makes the muscle slightly fuller rather than puffy. That weight is also why the scale jumps when you start, and why it drops again if you stop.
If your stomach is unhappy, look at the dose rather than the supplement. Large single servings are the usual cause, so take 3 to 5 g a day with food and skip the loading phase, which buys you a week at the cost of a sore stomach.
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- Kreider, R.B. et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 14. Reviews the common complaints: the evidence does not support creatine causing bloating, cramping or dehydration at recommended doses.
- Ostojic, S.M. & Ahmetovic, Z. (2008). Gastrointestinal distress after creatine supplementation in athletes: are side effects dose dependent? Res Sports Med 16(1). 10 g in one serving caused more diarrhoea than two 5 g servings, which is the complaint most often mistaken for bloating.