HealthRX.com · Printable lab tracker
Creatine plus NMN or NR: kidney lab tracker
Record your creatine and NMN or NR doses next to every kidney blood test, so a creatinine change is read in context instead of as kidney damage. Fill in the baseline before you start the stack, add each recheck, and take the sheet to the blood draw.
What you take
Creatine form and daily amount (g)monohydrate, HCl or other
Loading phase?dates and grams per day, if any
NMN or NR and daily amount (mg)
Date you started each one
Protein shakes or a high-meat diet?
Prescription and over-the-counter medicinesinclude NSAIDs such as ibuprofen
Kidney blood tests
Copy the numbers and units from the lab report. Leave cystatin C blank if it was not ordered.
| Date | Creatine per day that week | Creatinine | eGFR (creatinine) | Cystatin C | eGFR (cystatin C) | BUN | Notes: loading, hard workout, meat meal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline, before the stack | |||||||
| Recheck | |||||||
Why creatinine can move without kidney damage
- Creatine is converted to creatinine in the body, so large creatine doses may raise creatinine on its own.[1]
- In pooled randomized trials, creatine raised serum creatinine by 0.13 mg/dL on average.[2]
- Cystatin C is not affected by muscle size, age or diet, so it can check a creatinine-based eGFR.[3]
- Meat can raise creatinine for a while; you may be asked to avoid meat for 24 hours before the test. Intense exercise can raise it too.[4]
- A single high creatinine result cannot diagnose a specific condition.[4]
On the day of the blood draw
- Told the person ordering the test about creatine (dose, loading or not) and NMN or NR
- Asked whether to skip meat or fast beforehand
- Noted any hard workout shortly before the test
- Kept taking prescribed medicines unless told to stop
- Brought previous results to compare
Call your clinician instead of waiting for the recheck
- New swelling in your hands or feet, or puffy eyelids.[4]
- Peeing much more or much less than usual, or urine that looks bloody or foamy.[4]
Questions for your clinician
- Was my eGFR calculated from creatinine alone?
- Would adding cystatin C change how you read this result?
- Should I pause creatine before the repeat test, and for how long?
- I have one kidney, kidney disease or take NSAIDs. Does that change the plan?
- Which result should count as my baseline from now on?
Sources for the facts on this sheet
- Pline KA, Smith CL. The effect of creatine intake on renal function. Ann Pharmacother 2005. PMID 15886291. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15886291/
- Tsiaras A, Loufopoulos G, Theodoridis X, et al. The Effect of Creatine Supplementation on Kidney Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. J Ren Nutr 2026. PMID 42035842. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42035842/
- U.S. National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus. Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) and GFR Tests: MedlinePlus Medical Test. Accessed 2026-10-17. https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/estimated-glomerular-filtration-rate-egfr-and-gfr-tests/
- U.S. National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus. Creatinine Test: MedlinePlus Medical Test. Accessed 2026-10-17. https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/creatinine-test/
This sheet records information for a conversation with your prescriber or pharmacist. It does not replace their instructions or the medication's prescribing information.