The Effect of Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation on Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis

Fatigue is considered to be one of the main causes of impaired quality of life among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Creatine enhances ATP synthesis and possesses antioxidant properties. There has been interest in the use of creatine supplement for fatigue and muscle strength in neurological disorders. It has previously been reported that, using 20 gram/day creatine supplement for 5-7 days followed by 5 gram/day for another 7 days did not ameliorate fatigue in patients with MS. In this study, we aimed to determine whether longer application of creatine supplement would be effective in controlling fatigue in these patients.
In a double-blind controlled trial, 20 patients with MS with fatigue and mild to moderate disability were randomly assigned to creatine (10 gram, two times a day for 14 days) and placebo (10 patients in each group). Fatigue was assessed at baseline and after 14 days using fatigue severity scale (FSS).
No significant differences were observed between FSS score before and after the intervention. Furthermore, no significant difference was observed between the experimental groups in the mean difference of FSS.
Creatine supplementation had no significant effect on fatigue score even after longer administration.