I have a friend who is 18 and likes to take supplements when he works out. ( I think its crietine. Not sure if spelled right or what else he takes.) But lately his kidneys have bothered him and as a result has had to go to the hospital. Is he having a reaction to all the stuff he has taken or could it be something else.

P.S.

He used to drink alot when he was younger, but stopped when he was told that he was really messing up his liver.

How and what did he drink that he's got liver problems at the age of 18? Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought it was a lifetime of drinking like 18+ years...

Not before the age of 18...

http://www.wholehealthmd.com/refshelf/substances_view/1,1525,10020,00.html

# Long-term use of high doses of creatine could potentially damage the kidneys. Don't take creatine if your kidney function is impaired.

# Avoid taking high doses of creatine with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs like aspirin or ibuprofen) because doing so may put added stress on the kidneys.


Now all that said...if you have pre-existing kidney impairment then Creatine should be taken while monitored by a physician (who will most likely say don't take it....since GP's don't like supps in general).

There's studies that say long term use will hamper kidneys and there's other studies that say it won't. You roll the dice you play your money. I think creatine cycles are fine.....I wouldn't necessarily take it daily the way you would whey or a multi-vit long term

wait... he's 18 and "he had a drinking problem when he was YOUNGER" ??
am i getting old? or does that seem crazy to everyone else, too?

anyway - if your friend is overdosing on creatine, maybe that would cause it, but i'm not a doctor...

How much creatine is he taking? With creatine monohydrate (as opposed to creatine ethyl esther) many advocate "loading" your system for a few days or a week with 20g or so, but even then after that you should be reducing your intake to about 5g just to maintain creatine levels. Assuming this is actually creatine-related, he may have been overdosing (which can be problematic with most supplements).