i was wondering how harmful creatine can be if not used right or any allergic reactions it might have??

There are varying opinions on this, and there is no conclusive proof that creatine is significantly harmful to the body. What we do know is that as a supplement, it can, over time put a greater strain on the renal system (kidneys and liver), and leave residual deposits therein. We also know that these deposits dissapate with the cessation of use.
Many of the scare stories surrounding creatine came out when its use was in infancy. As always, some bodybuilders decided that if 5grm doses were shown to be effective, then 20grm doses must be 4 times as effective . Abuse of any substance,even including vitamins and minerals can be dangerous to your health.

Other factors that muddy the waters on these stories are that some competetive bodybuilders saw creatine as a way to maintain size and volume pre contest. This meant taking a substance that worked the renal system, at a time when it was under immense strain from dehydration and starvation toxins, not to mention residual impact of steroid abuse, so could easily be seen as the straw that broke the camels back.

if you eat clean, train hard, and choose to take creatine, then to put it in perspective, your liver and kidneys will be in far better shape than the guy who ties one down in his local bar every friday night.
Thousands of people every month are diagnosed with alcohol related organ damage, yet i bet you still have a glass of wine with your meal ocasionaly, and indeed, 1 small glass of wine or beer per day has been proven to not only be good for the heart, but is now being linked to positive effects on the risks of certain cancers.

As with everything, the body interperates a substance as good or bad in relation to use or abuse.

I dont use creatine because I found it simply doesnt work well for me so is a waste of time and money, but there is no medical evidence that would lead me to believe I damaged my health trying it to find out.

You cant possibly be allergic to Creatine, you'd be dead. It already exists in your body, your just adding more by supplementing with it.

keep in mind that if you use creatine a lift, you will most probrably gain weight. the one problem can be that when you stop lifting so much, you may find yourself flabby.

Go here: http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/1999/05_99/juhn.htm

and scroll down a bit to see possible side effects.

With respect Globetrotter, it was your change in lifestyle that was the trigger to your weight gain. 20 workouts per month down to 3-4, plus irratic sleeping patterns in line with having a newborn in the house would have made you put on weight. The supplementation, or now lack of has no bearing on it whatsoever.
You will need to look at your energy intake in relation to your new expenditure levels, and the slowing of your metabolism that will have acompanied your decrease in training. May I also suggest that at times when getting to the gym is impossible, bodyweight work comes into its own as non time consuming maintenace plan.

Congratulations to you and your partner on the new arrival

cord, you are right, the creatine didn't make me fat, but when you are young and can't imagine changing your lifestyle, you don't think that putting on weight now may be unfortunate down the road. creatine did exactly what I wanted it to, it gave me very good bulk (taken with good protien). but when you bulk up, you should think about what you are going to do later - effectivly you should plan on "bulking down" at one point, because you may be taking your size a little bigger than you would be without the bulking.

I've never taken taken creatine because of the water retention and bloating effects, but I think I'll take it up after reading this article, which says that a regime of six half-gram doses per day will give similar strength and endurance gains to 20g a day, but without the associated weight gain. What do you guys think of that?

Creatine is probably one of the most widely studied supplements out there. While there's concern with kidney damage (that study was done on patients with renal failure, go figure) and muscle strains (more than likely secondary to dehydration), it's by far one of the safest supplements to take, and most effective.

If your are going to take it, make sure your taking in a LOT of water a day. Think 4 litres.

I've just posted this link in another thread about creatine, i think it's worth a look. Bupa know there stuff.

http://www.bupa.co.uk/health_information...e/creatine.html

Excellent link.

May be especially beneficial to athletes involved in high-intensity activities particularly where interval training and strength training are involved i.e. anaerobic activities

For this reason alone I'm surprised more martial artists aren't taking it. I think because most of the early research involved maximal strength output (re: lifting weights), people still think of it as a "bodybuilding" supplemnt, versus an "athletic" supplement.