try 5g a day total and see how that treats you.. i never have bloat from creatine but some people do

Switch your salt source to Himalayan (Pink) salt.  Bloating is due more likely to high sodium intake from table salt (iodized salt). 

Switch your salt source to Himalayan (Pink) salt.  Bloating is due more likely to high sodium intake from table salt (iodized salt).

Any bloating from Sodium is due to either going from high to low or low to high. Habitually stable intakes cause no problems. Himalayan also has too much iron (the pinkness)which we don't really want more of. Deadman I would try "buffering" normal creatine with some baking soda before trying any of the over priced over hyped forms. http://suppversity.blogspot.com/2012/04/supercharging-creatine-with-baking-soda.htmlBloating suggests (IMO) that you are not absorbing the creatine. Try the baking soda approach and if it doesn't work consider giving up on creatine. You can do fine without it. I absorb it fine but it does absolutely nothing for me.

Himalayan Pink Salt is NOT expensive.  And your body absorbs it way better than table salt. WAY BETTER.  In addition Himalayan Salt doesn't promote water retention, unlike iodized table salt which is filled with residuals of other chemicals used in the processing. "Any bloating from Sodium is due to either going from high to low or low to high." <--hmm, studies based on let me guess...iodized salt, which is highly processed and your body can't deal with it, hence, the BLOAT. In addition, I would not recommend the daily ingestion of baking soda.  Why?  What does baking soda do?  Neutralizes acids.  What is in your stomach? ACID.  Daily consumption of baking soda leads to diluting stomach acid which leads to poor digestion.

First off I was talking about the various forms of CREATINE being overally expensive for what you get. Secondly theres nothing particularly wrong with table salt but I would prefer people to use something like celtic sea salt. The Himalayan stuff just has too much Iron which we don't need more of in our diets (even for women its merits are debatable). My statement about salt and bloating is based on the hormonal effects of transient fluctuations of salt intake by the salt regulating hormone Aldosterone. Sodium is a crucial mineral and as such is regulated very tightly by the body. The hormone Aldosterone increases with lowered salt intake in order to hold onto more Sodium. Any major change in salt intake (either up or down) causes a short term change in fluid balance (i.e bloating effects) while the hormone regulates sodium. It's usually not more than a day or two and therefore can easily be ruled out as a cause of bloating. Yes baking soda does lower the acidity of the stomach. Thats how it works to buffer creatine and allow for better digestion. It does this acutely not chronically and therefore it would only be a problem if you were eating food at the same time. Taken on its own its not going to cause any problems. Again its a short term change. Unless you were taking large, frequent amounts or had problems with low stomach acid to begin with you shouldn't have any trouble with using it.