Creatine Monohydrate

Here's one combo worth getting right: creatine and water. Creatine is a supplement that works by pulling water into your muscle cells — think of it like a little water battery that charges up your strength. The catch is that it also raises your body's overall fluid needs at the same time your GLP-1 medication quietly dulls your natural thirst signals, so you may already be drinking less than you realize. If you don't actively drink more water than you're used to, the two together can stir up nausea, headaches, and constipation that's hard to shake.

Creatine also acts as a quiet sidekick to your medication in ways that go beyond holding onto muscle. While GLP-1s focus on trimming fat and calming appetite, research suggests that long-term creatine use may help your body manage blood sugar better and even lower hemoglobin A1C — a number that reflects your average blood sugar over roughly the past three months, which is why doctors use it to track diabetes over time. For people using these medications to manage type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance, that's a real two-for-one: the two tools work on different systems to support your metabolic health together. That same partnership can help you keep your mental sharpness and resilience steady even while you're eating far less than usual.

One friendly safety note: where you buy your creatine matters. Plain creatine monohydrate is safe and inexpensive, but many "multi-ingredient" blends sold at gyms or discount shops can hide stimulants or low-quality additives that send your blood sugar on unpredictable swings and leave you jittery. Stick with the "gold standard" — plain creatine monohydrate from brands that do third-party testing (meaning an independent lab checks what's actually in the bottle) — so you're not stacking your medication with anything that could irritate your stomach or muddy your results. And always show your full supplement list to your clinician so they can keep an eye on your kidney function as you settle on your dose.