Creatine has become one of the most talked-about supplements in the fitness world, with gym-goers everywhere adding it to their daily routines in the hope of squeezing out extra reps, building strength, and improving performance.
But while millions of people take it consistently, there’s one question that keeps coming up online whenever someone considers stopping: what actually happens when you come off it?
Fitness influencer Eric Roberts, known on TikTok as ericrobertsfitness, has addressed exactly that after responding to concerns from people worried they could lose progress once they stop taking creatine supplements.
Creatine is a naturally occurring substance used by the body to help skeletal muscles contract — a key part of movement and physical performance. Because of the role it plays in muscle energy production, it has become one of the most widely used supplements in the health and fitness industry.
According to Roberts, though, the immediate aftermath of stopping creatine is far less dramatic than some people fear.
He explained that “at first, nothing will happen”.
That’s because muscles remain saturated with creatine for a period of time after supplementation stops, meaning the effects do not suddenly disappear overnight.
Roberts explained that your body essentially continues operating as normal for a short while because the creatine already stored in the muscles takes time to leave the system.
But over the following weeks, changes can gradually begin to appear.
“In the upcoming weeks after you stop taking it your muscles will go back down to their normal levels that they were before you started taking creatine,” he said.
He added: “They’re not gonna go below.”
That distinction is an important one for people worried that stopping supplementation could somehow leave them worse off than before they started.
According to Roberts, the body simply returns to its baseline levels rather than crashing beneath them.
One of the first noticeable effects, however, could arrive during workouts themselves.
As creatine levels reduce, Roberts explained that training may begin to feel slightly tougher than it previously did.
“You may feel that you can’t push as hard or push as heavy of weight,” he said.
He also noted that some reps may become “a little bit more challenging” as the body adjusts to no longer having the same level of creatine support during high-intensity exercise.
For lifters who are used to grinding through those final few reps, that difference could become noticeable relatively quickly.
Another change people may experience has nothing to do with muscle loss at all — but the scales might still move.
Roberts said people can lose “a couple of pounds of water weight on the scale” after stopping creatine.
That’s because creatine helps muscles retain water, which is one reason some people notice a fuller appearance while using the supplement.
When supplementation stops and muscle creatine stores gradually decrease, some of that retained water can disappear too.
For many people, seeing the number on the scales drop can create panic, especially if they assume it means they’re losing muscle.
But Roberts was clear that this isn’t the case.
In fact, he directly addressed one of the biggest fears surrounding creatine: whether stopping it can undo muscle gains built while taking it.
His answer was straightforward.
“No.”
Roberts explained: “If you’ve gained let’s say 10 pounds of muscle while taking creatine, you’re not gonna lose all 10 of those pounds once you stop.”
He did clarify that some people may notice “a bit of strength” loss because they may no longer be able to “push those last one to two reps”.
Still, the overall message from the fitness instructor was that coming off creatine is nowhere near as catastrophic as some online discussions make it sound.
According to Roberts, for most people, life simply carries on as normal.
“You just keep going on with your life,” he said.
Creatine remains one of the most heavily researched sports supplements available, and medical experts generally consider it safe for most healthy adults.
However, the Cleveland Clinic advises that certain groups should avoid taking creatine supplements altogether.
The medical organisation advises against creatine use for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, as well as those with kidney disease, liver disease, or diabetes.
It also warns that people with bipolar disorder could face an increased risk of manic episodes when taking the supplement.
While creatine continues to divide opinion online, Roberts’ explanation will likely reassure many gym-goers who worry that stopping supplementation means watching months or years of progress disappear overnight.
According to him, that simply isn’t how it works.
Featured image credit: ericrobertsfitness / TikTok
