In this presentation, David Brimacombe, a concussion survivor with seven concussions over 20 years, explains how creatine—traditionally seen as a gym supplement—can be leveraged to support brain energy, reduce brain fog, and accelerate recovery from post‑concussion syndrome (PCS). He outlines the core paradox of concussion recovery: the brain’s demand for energy rises while its production falls, creating a cognitive “energy deficit.” Creatine, which can cross the blood‑brain barrier, provides an additional phosphocreatine reservoir that restores cellular ATP, improving mental clarity, calculation speed, and overall cognition. Brimacombe details a step‑wise dosing protocol: start with 3‑5 g daily to saturate muscle stores, then, after medical clearance and a 30‑day loading period, gradually increase to 10‑15 g per day, splitting doses if gastrointestinal discomfort occurs. He emphasizes safety—consulting a physician, monitoring kidney function, and understanding that elevated creatinine from supplementation is not necessarily harmful. He advises selecting high‑quality, third‑party‑tested creatine monohydrate, preferably the German Creapure brand, to avoid contaminants. Common myths (excessive bloating, hair loss via DHT) are addressed and largely debunked. Practical tips for consistency (e.g., pre‑mixing creatine with morning tea) are offered. The overall message is that, when used responsibly, creatine is a low‑cost, effective adjunct for anyone experiencing PCS‑related mental fatigue.
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Today I want to talk about how creatine is no longer thought of as just a gym bro supplement and how it has great powers to increase your brain energy, reduce brain fog, and just be an overall amazing supplement for concussion recovery. Hi and welcome to the PCS Resilience Collective. My name is David Brimacombe, and after 7 concussions over 20 years, I learned a lot about how Creatine can change your recovery trajectory, and it might be the one supplement you're missing. Let's begin. Now, here's the biggest paradox of concussion recovery. When you suffer a concussion, your brain requires more energy, but it actually produces less at the same time. Now, how are you going to increase that energy So that you can function. Now, I have found the most profound way to do this is through supplementation of creatine. Now, naturally, if you're consuming an animal-based diet, you're going to get 2 to 3 grams a day. And a lot of people have been taking creatine for decades. Now, the thing here that I want to talk about, Hal, is that most people are taking it wrong. Most people are simply taking it in that 3 to 5 gram dosage, Simply for your musculoskeletal system to improve, improve the energy output in your muscles, to have that extra rep when you're going to the gym. But what I want to talk about today is that all the new research that is coming out on the profound benefits of actually taking a higher dosage so that you can see the brain effects from it. Now, a disclaimer before we talk about any of this. This is not something I want you to go and just purchase a supplement, start taking it willy-nilly. Now, there has been very few side effects from people taking a higher dosage that I've read online from various studies, but it is still very important that you go and discuss this with a doctor, especially if you have any kind of kidney issues or have had kidney failure in the past. So let's start that as a disclaimer. Second to this, If you start taking creatine and you go get some blood work done, if you get a simple kidney functioning test called creatinine and it shows higher than normal, your doctor might say, well, we might need to keep an eye on this. We might need to do further tests. This is normal if you're taking creatine and it doesn't mean that you have damage. You can ask for some alternative tests. Tell your physician that you're currently supplementing with creatine. And they will be able to help you out. But again, disclaimer: like anything else in this channel, I want you to go and discuss this with your doctor. Don't just go ahead and willy-nilly start taking supplements. Okay? Have a discussion. Okay. With that said, let's dive deep into why you need to be taking creatine for your post-concussion syndrome. Now, one of the most debilitating things I found with my concussion recoveries was just. That mental malaise. Like, I felt I did not have the energy to think, to do a simple math equation. It was like that everything was sucked out of your brain. It felt like there was— there's no energy, no life in there. Someone would ask you a question and it would— you'd strain and think and the hamster wheel would spin and nothing would come out. And then you'd just feel tired after it. It took so much mental bandwidth, so much energy. to do something so simple. It's like when your phone is running multiple apps at the same time, or your computer has so many tabs open that it can't function. That's what the brain is like after a concussion. It requires more energy, and at the same time, it actually doesn't output as much. So what are we going to do? Now, insert creatine here. It's going to break the blood-brain barrier, get into your brain, and provide an additional energy source for your brain. Wow. I noticed when I started taking 10 and 15 grams of creatine, huge impact on clarity. I'll take it in the morning with my, my tea, and within hours I know I have that sharper feeling. I feel like I can answer a question quicker. I feel like I can compute a small, simple equation a lot more clearer. Everything seems easier because I have that energy. Again, before, I couldn't look at a screen, I couldn't think for more than a few seconds, okay? Because again, I had such limited reserves. Adding that additional reserve is going to help you. So how are we going to dose this? Now, I mentioned the 3 to 5 is where you're going to saturate the muscles. And again, I don't want you to go ahead and start with 10, 15, 20 grams of creatine. So what I want you to do actually Once you have that approval from your doctor, is start low. Start with 3 grams, 4 grams, 5 grams. The smaller you are, start with a lower dose. And then over time, it takes about 30 days to actually saturate the muscles. Okay? And then after that, I want you to actually increase the dose. If you start to feel any kind of GI distress, you start to feel a sore stomach, you could do one of two things. You can taper off your dosage. Okay, or you can have it in 2 separate times of the day. So I might take 5 grams in the morning, 5 grams at night. For a lot of people, that helps reduce that GI distress, and that's really the only major side effect, as long as you don't have any kidney distress. So once I get to the point where I can actually take 10 grams, 12 grams, 13 grams, whatever you want to do, okay, then you're going to start to feel Okay, that additional energy, that, that brain, your brain is going to feel sharper, clearer. You can answer a question, the word pops to your mind. The person you see at the store, their name comes to mind quicker. And it's simply because your brain has the available energy that it needs to make those computations, to make those, that kind of cognition. Whereas before, it's not that you forgot who that person was or you don't know simple math equations. It's that you don't have the capacity. Your brain's like, I can't. You know what? I need to save that for something else. Save that for what I need to survive, not these additional activities. So creatine, simple. Your dosage, start low and taper up. The most important thing here is you're going to get high-quality creatine. Now, like any other supplement, there's varying degrees. You can get one from an undisclosed place that could have contaminants, could have heavy metals in there that you do not want to be consuming, especially for something that's going to enter the blood-brain barrier. Okay, so make sure that you have a clean source. If it's third-party tested, so it says on the label that it's been tested by an additional party, additional company, that is great. That proves that it has what it says in the label, so it has the creatine. Secondly, it also proves that it's not gonna be contaminated. Now, I have found the cleanest form is a German form called Creapure. So a lot of companies use it, it's called Creapure, and it is the cleanest form that I have found. And through my research and through what I've read and heard online, that is the cleanest form of creatine. Okay? Now, what kind are you gonna use? There's so many different kinds. Go with the basic, the OG, creatine monohydrate. It's usually the cheapest form, and it is usually the most effective. Now, you can take this at any time of the day. The biggest thing is consistency. So, if you know that you're going to have trouble remembering this, find a time of the day. I always do it in the morning. I have all of my teacups for the week up in the cupboard with the tea bags and the 10 grams of creatine in there. And I do that every Sunday. So I fill them up. So I know I just grab a tea mug, I fill it up with hot water, and I am good. I won't forget it. So find a way that you can structure your life so you won't forget this. Okay? It's really simple, but it's super effective. It was one of the best things I added to my concussion recovery because it was cheap, it was easy, and it had a huge impact on my cognition. So let's quickly break a few myths. Okay, so creatine's gonna make you bloated. You might retain a little more water in the cells, but that's fine, maybe a pound or 2, don't be scared. Okay, that's not a bad thing per se. Okay, it just requires a little more water in the cells. Creatine causes hair loss. Now, there was a study done with a bunch of rugby players 20 or so years ago. And in that study, they found an increase in DHT, which is a form of testosterone, That is linked to hair loss. Now, that study was never duplicated. So, for those, especially males, who are like, I don't wanna lose my hair, I'm already struggling, okay, don't worry, okay? This has never been duplicated, and it is, I think, from my perspective, unfounded. So, creatine will not make you lose your hair, but it will help you with your brain. So, it's definitely a worthwhile thing to consider. So, as I mentioned before, If you are looking to decrease those days of mental malaise, of brain fog, of not being able to remember a simple thing— when is my son's birthday? When did I get married? Who am I? I hope you're not at that point. But if you're struggling with those simple forms of cognition, I honestly think this is the supplement that might be for you. I truly believe that any and everyone should be on this supplement. Okay. Using a clean form of creatine, starting with a low dose and building up. And lastly, and most importantly, being consistent, finding a time that you can do this. So, I believe that this is something that you should consider. You can do your own research, but it's something that I have researched and I find great benefit in my cognition, and you might as well. Thanks for listening to the end, and I hope you have a great day. Bye.
