Elevated levels indicate damage to either muscle or brain; possibly from a myocardial infarction (heart attack), muscle disease, or stroke.
my creatine Kinase is 152.....is that bad and what should i do
No, fasting is not required for testing Creatine Kinase levels. However, certain activities such as vigorous exercise should be avoided before the test as they can temporarily elevate CK levels.
the patient should come to the clinic or hospital one to seven days prior to surgery. The physician will review the proposed surgery with the patient and answer any questions. He
females, total CK should be 10-79 units per liter (U/L). In males, total CK should be 17-148 U/L. CK levels are reduced in the first half of pregnancy, and increased in the second half.
There is no such thing as maintenance with creatine. If you are not working out, you should stop taking creatine. Even if you are following a maintenance program for your workout (lifting with less intensity or lifting fewer times), you should stop creatine consumption.
Generally you should cycle on creatine for four weeks, then off for four weeks. Check out the link to see in detail how to properly cycle on and off creatine.
To maximize the effectiveness of creatine, avoid taking it with caffeine or acidic beverages.
Yes it is bad to take caffeine with creatine. Both caffeine and creatine dehydrate you so you will get really dehydrated. Even when on creatine alone you should drink a lot of water because creatine needs a lot of water to work and you will get dehydrated if you don't drink water when on it. Also caffeine will reduce the effectiveness of creatine.
Yes, it is recommended to take breaks from using creatine to prevent potential side effects and allow your body to reset its natural creatine production.
you should never take it
It is generally recommended to wait at least 2-3 hours after taking creatine before consuming alcohol to allow your body to process the creatine effectively.
You should go with a generic store brand, for the cheapest price. Most of the talk about creatine absorption problems is just marketing hype.