Creatine kinase

Creatine kinase, also known as phosphocreatine kinase or creatine phosphokinase, is an enzyme or type of protein that is found in several tissue types of the human body, including the muscle and the brain. The function of this enzyme is to catalyze the conversion of creatine to phosphocreatine by applying itself in the consumption of adenosine triphosphate, the generation of adenosine diphosphate, and the reverse reaction. Adenosine triphosphate is a vital source of energy in biochemical reactions; in the skeletal muscle, the brain, and the smooth muscle – or all tissues that swiftly use up adenosine triphosphate – phosphocreatine acts as an energy reservoir for the quick regeneration of adenosine triphosphate. This is a very important function, and even though it doesn’t sound like much, creatine kinase definitely has its work cut out.

Going back to basics, there are three types of creatine kinase or isoenzymes in the body: CK-BB is mainly produced by the brain and the smooth muscle; CK-MB is primarily produced by the heart muscle; and most of CK-MM is produced by the skeletal muscle.

In normal conditions, there is very little creatine kinase circulating in the blood of the average, healthy human being. Taking the creatine test is a good idea to find out where exactly it is that one stands when it comes to the prevalent level of creatine kinase in one’s body. The test specifically measures the blood levels of certain muscle and brain enzyme proteins; the normal results for females range between 10 – 79 units per liter (U/L) and 17 – 148 U/L in males. A lower than normally low level of creatine kinase shows that you have been drinking excessively; alcohol liver disease and rheumatoid arthritis are two of the most common possibilities that exist with respect to lowered levels of creatine kinase.

On the other hand, if the test reveals that the level of creatine kinase circulating in the blood is higher than it should be in normal conditions, then chances are that the human body in question has suffered damage either to the muscle or the brain. In fact, astronomical levels of creatine kinase are indicative of injuries, rhabdodomyolysis, myocardial infarction, myocarditis, myositis, malignant hypethermia, McLeod syndrome, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, and hypothyroidism. If most of this sounds like gibberish to you, just remember that a heart attack, a muscle disease or a stroke may result in abnormally raised creatine kinase levels in the blood. Statin medications used to decrease serum cholesterol levels may also be the culprit.

Experts suggest that anyone who is not sure whether or not they have had a heart attack (which is hard to imagine!) or whether muscles in their bodies have been damaged as a result of any sort of activity, should make it a point to go for a creatine kinase test. This group also includes those with chest pain, muscle pain, and any sort of muscle weakness. Emergency patients (or patients with acute renal failure) are routinely taken through this test, which actually only requires one’s blood sample drawn from a vein in the arm (not scary at all!).

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134 Responses to “Creatine kinase”

  1. bob says:

    Does creatine supplementation (i.e for body building) have any effect on the creatine kinase levels in the body? If so, does it raise or lower it? Thnks.

  2. Tom McGowan says:

    I just had a CPK test done (for chronic muscle tension) that came back with a high CPK level (600+). I go back to see the physician ths week. I am wondering about the same thing. I have struggled to build and maintain muscle mass thoughout my life. Creatine (and Glutamine) helped me to gain and maintain muscle like never before (about 4 years ago). Eventually I stopped. Perhaps I need to take these supplements now to maintain? Does increased CPK signify increased catabolism?

  3. patricia rivera says:

    I CK Creatine Kinase is 648 and I am worried, I have scheduled an appt with the doctor , but I do not understand the term,

  4. john boyce says:

    i was told i have a ck level of 475 im 58 years old i have had severe calf & hamstring cramps at night also i have plantar fasiitis in my left foot i resently got to steriod shots in my foot to help that condition. i do work out with weights 3 times a week& have a very low body fat . what caused the ck level to go up i also was on zocor the last 5 years to lower my chloesterol. john

  5. Maureen says:

    I am 40, been stomach sick for about three weeks, “virus” we could say, before that usually worked out every other day, good physical condition, not excessive. Well not working out for three weeks, and engaging in two vball games after that, which left me extremely sore (legs, back, etc, all muscles were in distress) I could barely bend over the next day, mind u this was a Saturday, the following Monday while still in pain I got a full blood test and the results for Creatine Phisophisake was 249 way over the limit. I can only imagine it comes from the extreme sorness of my muscles. Everything else on the test was fine, including thyroid (at the limit) and all. Any ideas, just to be on the safe side. Mo

  6. Armando says:

    I just had CPK test myself and i came out with a extremely high levels of CP. doc said i had something like 18750 , i know i been working out but what are the concenquences of having such a high cpk level … i got retested just to make sure it wasnt a lab error and still had something over 6000+. ??????? what can happened im really confused .

  7. ajay says:

    Do you have muscle weakness at all?
    I have levels up to 2000 but that’s because i have FSH Muscular Dystrophy..Drop me a mail if you want to chat about this…

  8. Karima says:

    I am a 33 years old. I am not taking any supplements and I don’t work out regularly but my CPK is very high. I feel deep burning inside my hands, arms, knees and my back.
    05/07/07: Morning, it was 4000
    05/07/07: Evening, it was 2500
    05/08/07: Morning, it was 1695
    05/08/07: Evening, it was around 1000
    05/09/07: Morning, it was 500
    05/09/07: Afternoon, it was around 900 (Doctor made run for 10 minutes).

    Doctor hasn’t prescribed any medications to me yet. Do you have any idea please?

  9. donna says:

    I have traumatic brain injury, drink a lot of water, take bp meds that were recently changed and had anemia. my creatine level showed .1 and with all the muscle pain and head pain and trauma i have why isnt it high. I do not drink any alcohol ever. I do drink an excessive amount of water due to spinal stenosis and then take acetozmide to get rid of the water. why would my creatine not be high with brain damage and phsyical injury and pain. could it be my new blood pressure meds. all my cells have been different shapes. i am tired and fatigued from pain and anemia. i have contstant headaches and eat fish evey day.

  10. Fola says:

    I have taken a CK test and this showed a CK level of 700+ I have been wondering what could have caused this to rise….I don’t drink, I don’t really do any exercise apart from the 10 minute morning walk to the station.
    I have had a stomach ulcer in the past that has caused me Back pain on and off….and recently I started twitching in my right leg that seems to have now spread all over my body.

    please help

  11. Lori says:

    I recently had routine blood work done. My CK level was 338 everything else was normal. During the last month I have had a lot of migraine headaches, at least one a day. I had my thryoid checked a year ago, it is enlarged but the levels are normal. What could cause the Ck level to be elevated? Should I be concerned?

  12. Tim says:

    Hey guys, I’m scared,

    I just got blood work done, annual type of thing, never touched gear,

    test was normal at 495

    creatine kinase, average range around 50-190

    mine = 1396.

    I’m seeing a lot of things online like kidney failure, brain tumor, muscular disease, scary scary things, so i am not feeling good about 1396.

    Oh and I have about 1g protein per pound of body, (5 10, 185 pounds) so its not overdoing it. And i dont beat myself up at the gym, but i got 5 times a week for an hour or two, and i drink at least a gal of water a day,

    Any feedback would be EXTREMELY greatful,

    thanks guys.

  13. duncan says:

    I’m 27 years and I just discovered that my creatine kinase is at 1428 way above reference 38-174
    And I just joined a gym should I stop what should I do. The ckmb quantitative is at 30 normal rage 7-25 I’m worried.

  14. dianna says:

    I just had a ck test done and my level was 529. Lately i have been experiencing neck pain and headaches just about on a daily basis. However, a week ago I experinced leg pain bilaterally from my hip down to my knees so bad that I had to be carried. I know this is not normal, so any feedback or suggestion would really be appreciated.

  15. patty head says:

    My daughter is in the hosp. right now with her ck levels being 25,000 the doctors say this is the highest numbers they have seen. We don’t have a clue what is going on, any suggestion would be helpful.

  16. Carrie says:

    Patty, my husband was admitted to the hospital back in 2004 for the same thing. His ck levels were a bit higher than your daughters (if you can imagine that), and the doctors said the same thing–that they have never seen such high numbers in their life. They kept IV’s in his arms at all times. Basically they found out he has a condition called Rhabdomylosis. Right now his ck levels are soaring again. His regular MD keeps telling him to go to the ER. But he was already in there a few weeks ago and they couldn’t find anything wrong. Basically it was worthless. Right now I am trying to find a doctor who specializes in Rhabdomylosis. You might want to look into too and see if your daughter might have the same thing. My heart goes out to you. I will keep you all in my prayers.

  17. Leejo Abraham says:

    Hi, Im 24 year old Indian male. My blood report states that my CK measures 600 U/L. I was asked to check on my CK-MB level. I Drink around 200ml of Alcohol on weekends and smoke around 40 cigarettes a day. I dont take any body building suppliments. Is there any way to reduce the CK in my body? Thank you.

  18. Tracy McCausland says:

    My little boy is 14 months old and CK just came back at 2,900. Doc says muscular dystrophy. Is there any other explanation? I am terrified.

  19. Tom Greenan says:

    Although many of the notes on this site are very serious, as I read some of these comments, I almost feel better knowing that I have been to the doctor over the last two years with many of the same symptoms that all of you have. CPK tests ranging from 260 while on prednisone (however you spell it) to as high as 900! I have muscle pain associated with spasms and twitching, with stomach growling and night/day sweats just tossed in for good measure! If I sit too long I have pain and discomfort, and never mind when I stand up! Leg, Foot, hip, thigh and lower back pain like you wouldn’t believe! The funny thing is that, it seems to be mostly located on the left side with mild pain in comparison over the rest of my body. Than once I am up for a while it feels better. Unfortunately, after I am up for a while the pains begin again. Just can’t win!
    Thus far every test has come back perfect! The neurologist is the next stop! My MD has sent me to a Rheumatologist. He performed a bone density test as well as a Leg nerve test. All came back negative! One would think if I had anything very serious, one of these tests (which are directly associated with most if not all Nerve and muscular diseses) would have revealed something. Does anyone have any ideas as to what could be causing this pain?
    Thanks and I look forward to a response

  20. CLIVE GIBBS says:

    I sent 4 months in intensive care at my local teaching hospital as they raised my statin to 80 mg from 20mg my CK went to 55,000(fiftyfive thousand) 1 suffered 2 cardiac arrest and a respriritory arrest trachiostomy complete renal failure for four weeks the surgeon is justified he said while I am left in a wheel chair for how long no one can tell me my CK wont go under a 1000 how can I get it down I have a physio (private )who believes I will walk again, I have been out of hospital 3 1/2 months
    Regards

  21. Rudy Hernandez says:

    I just got back my lab work. My CK was 3224. What can I do to lower it?

  22. leia says:

    My husband’s CK level was 66,700 two weeks ago. He’s in the hospital right now. It’s gone down (very slowly) to 9,800 but he had intense weakness as well as bloody diarrhea. It’s been a nightmare.

  23. Robert Cheatham says:

    I just had a blood test for my yearly physical. Everythkng checked out fine except for CK. It was 600 and my doctor said that it should be under 400. He said that high CK could lead to kidney problems and wants me to take another blood test in 6 weeks. I have been doing a lot of out doors things like throwing a cast net to catch shrimp the last couple of weeks and I have sore leg and arm muscles. Could this be the problem and if so how can I get it down under 400?

  24. Ven says:

    Recently I had a CK of 1740. i am on statin medication for cholestrol level reduction.
    What are the side effecfts and how many days it takes to bring it down

  25. lee says:

    hi, i recently have had a blood sample take to check for CK it has come out at 6712 what i belive is above the norm, i would definatly say i have a muscle problem from the age of about 5 years, im now a 25 year old .Too look at me you would say im fit and healfy 5 10″ about 10.5 stone, male.
    i have always had a problem running and walking, my muscles seem to lock up and stop working (i couldnt run 100m) its not because im unfit or out of breath just that my muscles dont work.The check came about after haveing problems for the last 5 years of uranating blood and pulling muscles, i went to see a kidney specilist he said i had iga nephropathy but i was adament that when i pull a muscle i urinate blood, he didnt seem to think it could be related.
    question,, does any one on hear have any thing simular or any ideas to a problem i have??
    excuse the spelling….(thats another problem!!! lol)
    lee

  26. julia says:

    hi have just had test on creatine serum kinase level (cardiac) it is 53iu/L the range seems to be much higher in females

  27. graham says:

    If you have elevated CK AND you are taking statins STOP TAKING THE STATINS. Read the Great Cholesterol Con.

    If you are not on statins then high CK does point to some form of muscle damage. Sorry but I have no idea how to lower it (other than if it is statins then stopping those will reduce CK).

    I was on 10mg statins and MD decided to double it. Within a very short tome I got severe muscle/joint pain. I got the usual “what do expect as you get older” roting initially. Then I got wind of CK and insisted on a test. Doctor called when the tests were back to see her urgently (in UK you NEVER get appointments made for you unless serious). My CK hahit 1000. Stopped statinds and in a week level was down to 300 level andpains were very much reduced.

    If you have any pains on statins thenit will be the CK effect.

  28. azra says:

    Hi I’m Azra and i was wondering if anyone can tell me what LOW levels of CPK would indicate?
    Thanks

  29. Tashana says:

    I have a high level CK.Doctors are not sure why.All they said is have i had any protein supplements or do i do plenty of exercise.I’m going to get my thyroids checked in 3 weeks time.

  30. Monty says:

    My son Adam 2years old, his CPK 20930 , CK17400 and LDH 1214 U/L and some doctors says may be he has muscular dystrophy and some doctors’ says may be there are Virus that we don’t know …….. Any way my son still walking normal .My question is: what can I do …………… My wonderful son Adam ………….. Will not walk ……. Or…..

  31. sunil de silva says:

    I am 54 years old. I am taking regular simvastatin described by my doctor, cpk was 351 and the cholesterol levels have come down significantly. it reads total cholestorol 147, tryglycerides 77, hdl 46, ldl 87, vldl 15, ratio3.2, alt 25, creatine kinase 351. What I am have to do to get my ck reduced.

  32. Sarah says:

    Hi, I’m a 29-yr-old woman taking risperidal (Risperidone) for a mental health problem, and currently lowered the dose via advice of a healthcare advisor. Through taking blood tests have found to have CK level of 278 iu/l (normal range: 9-168 iu/l). Four weeks later they went back to normal. What could have caused the raising of CK please? (we have a history of heart probs in the family).

  33. george says:

    After getting blood work done everything was normal except my creatine kinase levels were 1200 units per liter compared to 50-100 average.My doctor called concerned and imidiatly demanded i come to the office were I explained to him i feel ok have never had a heart attack in my 30 years.Later on i explained to him i take creatine monohydrate thats probably why my c. kinase levels vwere so high.To my relief I thought i was gonna die the way he spoke to me on the phone!lol

  34. Norm Beam says:

    RE: High CPK blood test. I have been just released from the hospital, from having chest pain ( Angina) My CPK test came back at 2000. I am feeling fine now, after being home for a hour.

    I also have Muscular Dystrophy, and when I get severe muscle cramps, my CPK level can reach up to 5000, in which produces myoglobin in my urine, which looks like very dark brown in color.

    Norm Beam

  35. abdi seed says:

    i,m 39years old my creatine kinase is 618 my crosteral is 5.36

    wath can i do what is my risk levelis

  36. ginny says:

    I was just told today that my CK is 256 and normal is 24-173, and I use Lipotor, after reading all the comments I am confused as my doctor wants to do the test again in 3 months.

  37. lisa asks says:

    what happens when the CK levels are low and how does this happen. Is it possable to have a low level from being extemaly underweight and malnurished. And how would this affect a urinanalysis?

  38. damo says:

    I wet into hospital with a body cramp. 2 Days later I found out I had a CK level of 606, 000. The Doctors are surprised I lived. I just want to know what are the chances of me getting it again?

  39. Lorraine says:

    My CK was 700+. Today the neuro surgeon did a muscle biopsy. The results will be in around 7/26/08. Don’t know what caused the problem. I have been on percocets and neurontin for approcximately 3 years from back surgery. Hopefully, the pathology report will tell what is going on and I will certainly revisit this site to let you know the findings.

  40. anna says:

    Well creatine kinase seems to be a very important enzyme in the body.
    An imbalance seems to be an indicator of maybe different presenting issues.
    Just thought I would share this:
    At my place of work, (gym) it seems that there has been a ‘very odd virus’.
    Myself and several colleagues and now it seems clients have presented with symptoms which include dead feeling limbs (particularly left arm), regular leg cramps/ almost continuous, muscle tension and spasms (particularly back and neck), intense and debilitating joint pain, vein swelling, fever, occassional erratic heart beat, increased thirst and hunger, all blood tests proved normal with some low white blood cell counts, however mine included a test for creatine kinase and it was found to be a little high.
    This would corelate to the muscle symtoms.
    Just very odd to have a dead arm for weeks, and also your colleagues, with no known explanation,…..odd.
    It has lasted between 3-13weeks to date.
    Everyones comments here have helped me understand more about CK (yet also seems to raise more questions). Thanks though!
    I hope evryone who is suffering directly or indirectly progresses through positively as speedily as is poss..
    Could it have anything to do with air conditioning?
    The people I know to be invoved were not taking supplements cept me/ multivit, protein, oils.

  41. Bill says:

    In Feb 07 i was put on a diet because of weight, a Fasting Blood glucose level of 126, high Triglycerides, and Cholesterol. I had fatique, neuropathy in feet, dry itchy skin, a bacterial infection of my hair folicles, dry eye syndrome, blurry vision, and some short term memory problems. I was also referred to an Endocrinologist who confirmed I had mild diabetes, but the other problems were not caused by it. She was more concerned that my Cholesterol was 250 and the HDL was 29. She prescribed Vytorin for the Cholesterol. For the next three months the Fatigue became shooting burning pains and on and off numbness in my legs. My blood sugar levels bounced back and forth between 60 and 200 mg/dl during a monitoring period. I could not sleep for more than 2-3 hours at a time and would take naps continuously, but only for a couple hours. The Endocrinoligist was convinced I was not diabetic, only prediabetic after taking an OGTT, and therefore my problems were elsewhere. I was referred to a Rheumatologist. He immediately took me off the Vytorin, had set me up for many different blood tests, a referal to do a sleep study. He tested me for Fibromyalgia and said I failed that test considering I was sensitive at every pressure point they check you for. He put me on a a sleeping pill called ambien and another pill for anxiety and stress due to the fact I felt my life was over with and just wanted to be put out of misery.

    MY CPK came back at 2600 (should be between (50-180). Total Cholesterol dropped from 300 to 62. Tiglycerides were normal, glucose was normal, liver enzymes high, and something with kidneys was slightly elevated. He informed me that he felt it was highly probable that I had either Polymyositis, Inter-Myositis, or another MDA Disease. Polymyosits and MDA were treatable but not cureable, and inter-myositis was a matter of time if you know what I mean. Glad he had me on the stress pill which he gladly raised. The only way to be certain as to what caused the CPK to jump to 2600 and rising was by a muscle biopsy of my thigh muscle (large muscle). I was sent to a surgeon in Oct 2007 and he took a biopsy the size of a pencil and sent it off to Childrens Hospital in New Orleans. The results came back that I had severe muscular cell damage that was caused by the Statin Drug in the Vytorin. The doctors claim it will take about a year for me to get better. I have to get my CPK checked every 2 months. Where it was the following pattern every 2 months: 2600-2300-1200-500-790-

    Memory problems worstened with stuttering a couple months ago. The left side of my head was going numb and I was getting migranes. Blood tests for the Brain and Heart were done and came back normal. A Brain MRI was done and it came back normal. I was taken off Ambien and put on a different sleeping pill and the memory started to improve and the numbness has subsided.

    The bottom line with the CPK levels and my symptoms need to be monitored, if I am not cured by October 2009, I will most likely be diagnosed with either polymyositis, inter-myositis, or another MDA type disease that was caused buy the Statin Drug. Once they know what I got, they will know what treatment I need to be on.

    There are a lot of people who put faith in dotors that put them on Statins, are the side affects really worth what the drug was prescribed to cure or control.

    By the way, my total CHL is 149 and HDL is 37 today without medication.

  42. Bill says:

    One more thing, the sleep study came back that I had sever sleep athnea. So I am still on the sleep pill (not Ambien) and on an AUto CPK machine.

    My exercise routine is almost nill, since I am dead after a short period. I manage to walk my dog about a mile a day, work on the lawn once a week, and take care of my swimming pool. I am still working full time, but it is a desk job for most part.

  43. Gloria Browne says:

    Hello I am a concerned grandmother. My grandaughter is 17 very athletic and her mustles are getting very stiff. she just had a blood test and her CK level was 4500 . She is having a biopsy done her Dr is thinking she has Muscular Dystrophy . We are praying Im really concerned Gloria Browne

  44. Bryan Lee Janszen says:

    I have been exercising very hard for the last 6 months. I run 11 (eleven) miles a day. I have lost 90 pounds in the last 6 months as a rusult of the exercise and cutting out junk food and watching calories. I am now off blood pressure medication and cholesterol medication also.
    294lbs to 204lbs. All good indicators. However a recent blood test to check how things are revealed that the Creatine Kinase level was 4069. Blood was just drawn again yesterday and will be retested. The doctor thinks that the 2.5 hours of running a day could account for this. After reading up on this from this website I am a little concerned. I feel great though. I get the results of the next blood test on Friday 7-25-08. I will repost the results in an effort to inform all who may have followed a similar path as myself.

  45. Willie says:

    I had a blood test done in April 2008 during my annual physical when my Creatine Kinase level showed 305. A year prior I was taking Norvasc for High Blood Pressure and Lipitor to lower my Cholesterol.
    Six months later, my doctor said that it was okay for me to take Caduet, it’s the combination pill that works on High Blood and Cholesterol.
    Six months later I had another blood test done which was in June 2008. It was still above average not knowing how much over. Since the doctor thinks that the medication Iwas taking might have caused the rise in my Creatine Kinase level, I went back on 7/22/2008 to have another blood tests to see if there will be any decline in my Creatine Kinase level. Iwon’t know until I get my results back. I exercise regularly. Will posts results.

  46. JT says:

    Well, I did have a myocardial infarction last year in August – when I was 36 1/2. After angioplasty, I was put on medicines – Plavix, Lipitor, Concor, Aspimed, Coversil etc etc. The funniest part is/was that my cholesterol levels were all normal. However, almost a year of taking the statin (lipitor), my good cholesterol has dropped below the normal low level. Also, the level of creatine kinase (CK) has shot up to 540.

    For the past few months I had been jogging (abt 4-5 kms) say 4-5 times a week but used to notice extreme muscle fatigue even the next morning after a good nights sleep! Even the usual weekend beers used to make me kinda nauseous and I used have giddiness too!

    Anyway, my cardio attributes the elevated levels of CK to the statin (lipitor) and has asked me stop taking it.

  47. Gary says:

    Please check out resources like http://www.WebMD.com http://www.Mayoclinic.com or
    http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html The http://www.uptodate.com is by subscription only but don’t let that scare you. My Kidney doctor told me about that sight yesterday and said it was the most up to date medical reference site on the net. If you have a problem like myself. CK of 1166 at it’s highest down to 300 then back up to 474, who cares if you pay for the information, as long as it’s available to me. Here is what I learned. My doctors checked for LUPUS which can cause that CK to go up. I am 40 in decent shape 230 pounds. I don’t exercise enough but I am not a slob. My kidney function is at about 50% but I’m not in any immediate danger says the kidney Dr who wants to take another piece of my kidney for testing. I have read that Omega 3 is good at easing the LUPUS flares. My suggestion to anybody with high CK who haven’t got a clue, check your family history for Lupus and have your DR test for LUPUS along with your CK levels. While high CK can indicate all kinds of muscle damage, it could be pointing to an autoimmune disease like Lupus. I pray I don’t have it even though all my blood work is looking consistent with Lupus. Also some of my symptoms match others who have posted. Some muscle twitching and fatigue, soreness and even that stomach pain. I thought I was loosing my mind because my last PCP Primary care Dr. didn’t acknowledge I was sick and made me feel like a Hypochondriac. I’m no wimp but you should insist on a Dr who cares enough to investigate a pain and not just let it get worse. Half the battle is in our own heads. If you have High CK it could be coming from your heart, your muscles, or your brain. Have everything checked out accordingly. I am in the testing process for all of these areas. God bless everyone here and have the courage to ask for a second opinion at a larger institute like a John Hopkins Medical, where they have the latest resources to determine what the problem is. If you are seeing a Rheumatologist, They can run the necessary tests on you to determine if it is a muscle disease or disorder, but don’t stop there, see a neurologist and get your heart and kidneys checked. Most of this can be controlled but not necessarily cured with the help of steroids like prednisone which suppress the immune system. Suppressing the immune system sounds like it s not the right thing to do, but in my case, my immune system is confused and attacks itself on occasion. Research Lupus to see what I am getting at. I wish all of you the best of luck as I want to see all of you well enough to do the things you use to do. I am only 40 and if I worry myself about this CK, I might as well dig my own grave. You need to wake up each day and thank God for letting you see another day. Then tell yourself “I FEEL GREAT TODAY” even if you don’t. Your body will listen to you and eventually begin to believe you are felling great. I know it’s a Band-Aid for the CK but telling yourself you feel like crap is not going to make you feel better either. Try the Omega 3 supplements at CVS called LifeFitness, They remind me of orange starburst candies. They come in a blue plastic bag. I’m not selling them, but I have seen improvement. Just pop 2 a day and they even have Cranberry chews to help with kidney infections. Women are more susceptible to Lupus than men are but I am a man who may have it and I may have had it for almost half my life and didn’t really know it until I started feeling run down and had flank pain for several weeks. I headed to the Dr who tested me for a number of things and the ANA test came back slightly elevated which indicated a form of Lupus. Look into it and email me if anyone can find a lay to lower the CK. Gacrenshaw@cox.net

  48. Gary says:

    Magnesium helps to relax the muscles so they don’t jump as much. Listen to what this site has to say about Magnesium.

    Magnesium deficiency is rare. The symptoms include muscle weakness, fatigue, hyperexcitability, and sleepiness. Deficiency of magnesium can occur in alcoholics or people whose magnesium absorption is decreased due to surgery, burns, or problems with malabsorption (inadequate absorption of nutrients from the intestinal tract). Certain medications or low blood levels of calcium may be associated with magnesium deficiency.

    Deficiency symptoms have three categories:

    Early symptoms include irritability, anorexia, fatigue, insomnia, and muscle twitching. Other symptoms include poor memory, apathy, confusion, and reduced ability to learn.
    Moderate deficiency symptoms consist of rapid heartbeat and other cardiovascular changes.
    Severe deficiency of magnesium could lead to tingling, numbness, sustained contraction of the muscles, and hallucinations and delirium.
    Recommendations Return to top

    These are the recommended daily requirements of magnesium:

    Children
    1-3 years old: 80 milligrams
    4-8 years old: 130 milligrams
    9-13 years old: 240 milligrams
    14-18 years old (boys): 410 milligrams
    14-18 years old (girls): 360 milligrams
    Adult females: 310 milligrams
    Pregnancy: 360-400 milligrams
    Breastfeeding women: 320-360 milligrams
    Adult males: 400 milligrams

    OK I copied this from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002423.htm

    My point is that if it can affect your muscles control in my case my memory is shot and I have muscle twitching, maybe we need to take a look at our Magnesium levels to see where they are at. I already know from my last Primary care Dr, my levels could be higher. I had a burning pain in my right shoulder and I tried almost everything including Acupuncture and nothing would really ease the pain. My Dr took my Magnesium levels and prescribed 400 Mg a day which is the daily recommended amount, and the pain hasn’t returned. This may be linked to CK levels in my opinion although I am certainly not a Dr. I go in tomorrow to see my reumatologist at 10:00 and I will let her know my Magnesium levels are low and ask her if it could affect my high CK levels? I will report back to the group as soon as I hear anything. If you are having muscle spasm’s give Magnesium a try and follow up with your Dr to be checked for low levels. It may help you out, it certainly won’t make it worse. Again ask your Dr what he thinks before taking any meds. It worked for me in the past. I took a Magnesium today and I have’t had a spasm all day. There may be some link to CK levels but I’m not sure. Anyone please comment on this info and let me know how you make out if you try it.

    Gacrenshaw@cox.com

  49. Gary says:

    Today’s visit at the Dr we talked about low Magnesium and how it can affect your CK levels. Its not a test Dr’s normally do because it is rare in most cases. People don’t normally have this problem unless you are like me. Poor Kidney function. If you have low Magnesium levels in your blood, this can cause a number of health issues including an elevated CK reading. Everyone i’ts worth investigating. My Dr is now testing my Magnesium level to see if it is low. Anyone interested in writing me about this can do so at Gacrenshaw@cox.net

  50. Saajida says:

    My mom 54 years old was diagnosed 25 years ago with polymyositis and has a CK of about 400-600. My brother was diagnosed 2 years ago with either Muscle dystrophy or spheryllin myeopathy, Drs have no clue, his CK is around 12000. I am a 25 year old female and have a CK of 3800 which came down 2 months later to 2300 wiith no medication what so ever. I am currently pregnant and just a little bit concerned.

    Please advise, Thank You

  51. HighCK says:

    My CK reading was 733 U/L as of testing on July 4th. I have been told to go in again to have it rechecked.
    Is there anyway that it could be nothing? Or does a high CK reading absilutely mean there is a problem ?!

  52. Gary says:

    I am taking a multi vitamin and a Magnesium supplement. So far the muscle spasms have stopped almost completely. I feel great. My blood work will be coming in this week. I will let you know if the CK was lowered by the Magnesium. Somehow, I think it will be because I feel much better. High CK levels mean you have some kind of muscle damage going on. Weather it is from your heart, or your actual muscle tissue or your brain. Have all areas of your body checked out by a professional. Don’t take the test for granted. Parts of your body like vital organs can be damaged by high CK. Not trying to scare you but my Dr told me to get to the hospital for levels of only 1166. I was devastated, but I had to see if my heart was damaged. I realize a lot of people on this forum have levels much higher than mine, but for my DR to recommend I be seen by a hospital that night she called, says a lot to me. It says it’s not normal and we need to get to the bottom of this ASAP! Before I have a stroke, heart attack or damage my kidneys further. Check your Magnesium levels. If they are low talk to your Dr about starting a supplement that is appropriate for your weight, age and gender. I know I feel 100% better since I did which tells me my levels must have been extremely low. I wrote about it earlier, low Magnesium levels seem to have a direct correlation with muscle control which is related to your CK levels.

    God Bless you all
    Gary

  53. Elizabeth says:

    My latest bloodtest showed a creatine kinase level of 264. I had been on statins for a number of years. Also I take femara and lyrica. Could those medications cause increased CPK? The muscles in my legs ache constantly, but even so I walk the dog about 2-2 1/2 miles every day. What kind of danger am I in?

  54. Elizabeth says:

    Recently I was in the hospital with a ck level of 1400, they were concerned about renal failure and kidney failure. I have since been diagnosed with myositis, and my doctor wants to put me on prednizone to treat it or at least stabilize it. Another friend of our family’s was diagnosed with same and has had success with a diet called Isogenix, it is a toxic cleansing diet…..

  55. Ellie says:

    After reading all these questions, etc. that are posted here. I have come to one conclusion for certain… That is any statin is nothing but poison to the system of the human body. and nothing but money in the pockets of the mega pharmacutical companies, and also the Doctors perscribing these statins. thank you… In the past years there were no STATINS. and many , many people lived into their 80’s and 90’s and ate high cholesteral food.Also I have read that high cholestral does not necessarily cause heart failure or heart attack. thank you

  56. Bashobi says:

    I am so glad I found this site. High Creatine levels have been found in my father’s blood. He has a very active and extremely healthy person until 2 years ago, when he seemed to have urinary troubles, which prompted him to stop drinking liquids, which in turn caused severe dehydration, and that caused some skin damage ( like thikening and darkening of skin and constant itching). Since then he has been given some medication, high haemoglobin is up from all-tim low of 6 to 7.2 . But he is gettng weaker, and after all these posts I realise that he may be suffering from ‘Lupus’, symtoms do look similar.

    First task is to reduce the creatine levels. We are from India, so not sure if the medical tests and medical procedures are up to date everywhere in the country.

  57. Gail says:

    I am glad to have found this page. I have had climbing Ck levels for 7 years now. The last check was on 8/25/08, and it was 498. I had EMG done on 9-11-08 and it showed no muscle or nerve damage. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 7 years ago. But, now they dont know what is wrong with me. I have really low B12 levels, just found that out a couple weeks ago. None of the medicines that I am on would affect the CK level. I have had an MRI on my brain, they found 1 “spot” there, and going for MRI on spine later this week. I am concerned, dont know where to turn next, and I am tired of being passed around from Dr. to Dr. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I was told by family physician today, to go to Mayo clinic or some other major hospital and let them try and figure this out. My blood pressure is up, wonder why, and my Thyroid levels are off a little bit. I dont know what to do next.

  58. Sandy says:

    Gail,

    I was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia about 12 years ago. I just found out that my CK is 1273. My normally low blood pressure is quite elevated too. I’d be interested to hear how and what you are doing.

    ssheldo@earthlink.net

  59. Ken says:

    Anyone notice how none of the questions are answered. Why do people keep asking? Do you think you will get an answer?
    Looks to me like a site to get people to click on the google ads.
    I imagine the owner of the site writes a new comment every couple of weeks to keep it high in the rankings.
    Do you wanna buy some creatine?

  60. erick says:

    i just recently left the hospital for urniating blood. doctors took a blood test and said my cpk levels where 900 .i usually workout hard and take fat burners pill ( ripped fuel) wich i need to drink lots of water with , im somewhat irresponsible lol so i wasnt drrinking water as much . while my workouts and taking these pills. about 2 weeks later i woke up one day and i couldnt pee all that came out was blood. doctors tell me the cause of that was the pills and excessive workouts. they say my muscles broke down and caused kidney failure. this usually happens to athletes and marathoners but im no where near a marathoner or a pro athlete. why would high cpk cause me to urinate blood? now they told me to drink 3 to 4 liters of water for 4 days im sure the doctors know what thier talkin about . but theres always a doubt i need advice from you guys i would love to know if anyon eha shad this problem im really concerned and this is something to new to me and somewhat scary . if anyone has this problem or is treatin this problem or have any advice i would love to hear from you thanks guys!

  61. sher says:

    I have been suffering with back pain for 2 months now. I went to see a chiropractor but got no relief. My muscles got really sore everywhere in my back, my body ached everywhere like when u have the flu. It would keep waking me up at night. I recently got blood work done and my CPK is 5 & a half times higher than it should be. I wating to here why, but that is why my muscles have been in so much pain as it affects the muscles,heart or brain.
    Will post more later as I find out more.

  62. Jim says:

    It is VERY normal to have Ck levels of 1000 or above after a hard workout with the weights. Even a stick with a needle can raise the result. I am quoting my Dr on this one. You need to wait at least a week o having no type of strenous exercise before getting your blood work again! 🙂

  63. drissi says:

    Feb 18,2008 felt strange and weak, I was energitic and use to jog, walk and run in daily basis though I’m 72 years old, i went to see my physician and
    had blood test, find liver enzymes and lhd on alert, I was admitted to er
    my ck was 10,000, they put iv, i could hardly walk after being discharged from hospital after couple of weeks, i was on walker and just two month later i was able to get rid of walker but walking slowly, had a muscle biobsy found muscle disease due statin. I was on lipitor for almost 5 years to lower my hight cholesterol, i stopped the lipitor since i felt sick.

    My ck still very high between 6000 and 8000, just had EMG and Dr suggested to take predmison and probably another muscle biobsy!!
    some time I feel marginal and sometime miserable, I’m not as i use to be at all…. any suggestion.. I eat well and sleep 5 to 6 hours..

  64. Jerry paige says:

    I was diagnosed with polymyositis, my cpk is 4500, two weeks ago it wa 1200, i have muscle weakness. Is there anything elese that can cause my cpk to rise? I heard about myositis masquariading for other conditions.

  65. CAROLYN says:

    MY alkaline phosphate was elevated in th 300 hundres..The rest of lab work was okay except for choolesterol was slightly elevated to 21 2. do you have
    any? Thank you.

  66. KENNY says:

    DOSE BAD BREATH COME FROM HIGH Creatine kinase

  67. AJ says:

    I’m 36 year old male and have high creatine kinase for the last 2 years. I have muscle cramps and twitching with itchy burning skin all over my body. The first time my CK level was around 2300 then it dropped after a week to 1400. for the past 15 months I’m averaging around 280. I checked with several doctors including 2 rheumatologists, 2 neurologists, 1 endocrinologists, 2 dermatologists, 1 cardiologist and all think that it is normal for anyone who routinely exercises that the CK levels would be slightly elevated. They are suspecting Dermatomyositis condition but all the lab tests came back normal. Finally my neurologist suggested me to check Vitamin D levels and sure enough it was extremely low considered deficient so they put me on Vitamin D supplements and told me i need around 6 weeks to restore the normal levels of Vitamin D. So far i’ve been taking the supplements for 2 weeks and I hope it will solve the problem. I wish you all good luck and good health.

  68. ROGER says:

    I am 46 year old an my CK level is around 1100. I workout 5 days a week and I mantain a very healthy diet. I also drink protein shakes regulary. Does the additional protein intake has anything to do with my CK levels?
    Does the breakdown of my muscles during training causes that type of level of CK?

  69. JEN says:

    I WAS GIVEN LEVAQUIN FOR A STAPH INFECTION OF THE SPHENOID SINUS AFTER A SPHENOIDETOMY. AFTER JUST TAKING IT FOR 2 DAYS, I BEGAN HAVING SEVER PAINS THAT MOVED AROUND I HAVE LOST MOVEMENT IN MY SHOULDERS AND MY MUSCLES ARE SORE TO TOUCH. IT HAS BEEN OVE 2 MONTHS SINCE I STOPPED THE LEVAQUIN AND THE PAIN HAS INCREASED. I HAD A BLOOD TEST AND MY CREATINE KINASE WAS 497.

  70. Donna says:

    My son had a “Routine” blood test yesterday and the pathology rang us and told us to get straight to the docotors…he had a reading of 4268 and he said it should be 230…he is 16 and very fit…plays lots of sports and exercise…dunno whats going to happen…very concerned parent

  71. Katana says:

    Does anyone know how struggling while having blood drawn will effect CK leves? How long does it take for them to rise? My son is 3 and has had repeated (5 tests) Ck levels that come back between 1,100 – 2,380 over a 1 year period. I just swtiched dr. and we are having a MRI preformed soon but I’m not sure how accuarate the lab results are. My son is Autistic and fights terribly while having blood drawn. There have been times it took 4 adults to hold him still. Can this be causing a false positive? I asked my dr and he said that he had never seen that happen before but that it was technically possible. He didn’t feel it would cause it to rise that much. Any info. on this? I hate to have to subject my son to a muscle biopsy (which my dr wants to do after the MRI) is it is a false positive. He is a very small framed child and has some pidgeon toeing but other that that no signs of muscle weakness.

  72. Dillon W says:

    Getting tests done. In football. CK is ranging 600 after 3 days of rest to a couple thousand the morning after a workout.
    How long does it take for someone with 4000+ to go back down to 250?
    I’m guessing 4 or 5 based on my own results and a post above mine.
    Does anyone actually know or if not are they bold enough to just give me a number to encourage me?

  73. Ruby says:

    my kinase level is 674. drs cannot find why it is so high. what do you suggest i do to remedy this

  74. Katherine says:

    My husband recently had a heart attack (2 1/2 months ago). His myoglobin was 59, Troponin 26.56 and CK 1740. He had over 92% blockage in one artery and 84% in another. He had two stents put in. He is very lethargic, has memory loss and becomes extremely irritable very easily. Is this common and could these levels and medications have had an affect of this nature.

  75. steven B says:

    Yo my eye has been messed messed up to from creatine. I try drinking more water but it seems to be red and in pain. This creatine Monohydrate must be to strong for me I think

  76. Michael D. says:

    All,

    I came to this site attempting to find more info about Elevated CK levels and possible causes. Over the past year, I have been hospitalized for a host of symptoms not limited to: Chronic Fatigue, Joint pain in every joint, muscle soreness, memory loss & difficulty focusing, occassional tightness of entire torso when attempting to breath deeply, headaches, sinus pressure and depression (just to name a few). I eat great and work out daily so I knew this was not an issue of diet/exercise or even what they kept claiming was the medical profession’s favorite catch all “Stress.” Even if I take a week off, I am tired/sore/fatigued within hours of waking up. The doctor says now that he is virtually certain that this is a side effect of the Simvastatin (Generic for Zocor) that I am on for high cholestorol, and to quit taking the drug immediately. He indicated that I have 5x the normal elevated CK Levels which typically means that there is some significant tissue/muscular damage (which COULD include Heart or Brain).

    I confirmed these symptoms on Web MD today and unfortunately I would have to say I have virtually every symptom of the Simvastatin Side effects. I have read through many of these posts and see that I am not alone.

    If you are on one of the Simvastatins and suffering any of these symptoms, it is definitely a good idea to talk to your physician. I do not mean to scare you but I hope that my experience can help out.

  77. Steve W. says:

    I’m a 5’10”, 205lb, 23 year old male and I just had a blood test come back with my CK at 5510. I have been taking Hydroxycut Hardcore (made by Muscle Tech) for the past year. This is the first time that I’ve checked my blood since taking HH. I’m almost certain that this weight-loss pill has sky-rocketed my CK levels. I’m going to stop using them not and still continue my exercise 3-5 days a week and see what happens.

    My guess is that supplements whether weight-loss or creatine and not good on your CK levels.

  78. Pablo says:

    Steve W, could you please post results when you have them? I am taking Protein shakes, only serum protein no creatine, about 30g a day and have been urinating a lot for the past few months. I believe this is not normal, to the point that lately i can’t even enjoy a movie in the cinema since I need to go 2 to 3 times in that period to the bathroom.

    I have CK levels of 400 in my last blood test, in fact the only test in my life that I checked for CK so I dont have any other reference. Im 28, 200lbs, 6.4 foot and excercise regularly 2 to 3 hours a day everyday.

    Keep posting,!

  79. Scott says:

    CK LEVELS WILL DRAMATICALLY BE QUITE HIGH WHEN WORKING OUT!!!! There is nothing to worry about, high CK levels when you are training is normal. Blood tests are done on normal people, these standards are not made for people who are training.

  80. john says:

    I was just tested at over 118,000.

  81. john says:

    i started working with a personal trainer monday. by wednesday morning I could not move my arms. my bloodwork came back at 118,000. Been iv flushing for 2 days. kidneys are working great. was just released with a level of 66,000. will do more testing in a couple of days. everyone is baffled.

  82. eugene says:

    i had strained my arms to the point where i couldn’t bend them. they told me my ck levels were at 80,000 and i had rhabomyolysis. besides having really sore arms i didn’t feel that bad. treatment was iv for a week to flush out kidneys. released a week ago checked blood again at hospital, around 500 now.

  83. Sarah says:

    my husband was hopitalized last year for high ck levels, and diagnosed with rhapdodomyolysis. Iv fluids for a week and levels started to go down. they gave not answers to why this happened. Just a few days ago, he started to feel muscle pain again. He went to get levels check and they were near 4000! Why does this keep happening!

  84. Casandra says:

    A very close friend of mine is at the hospital. His ck levels were first at 180 000 then decreased to 120 000 after four days. In about 12 hours, it went from 120 000 to 245 000. I was just wondering if anyone has ever seen number so high and what can cause a sudden increase in his ck level?

  85. shane says:

    have lymes disease. Have been walking a lot on toes (sore feet) and up much , much more than I have been in years. Lower legs sore from walking around on toes more and now ck blood level at 336 and coming down to 248 , 3 months later. Definately up on feet more than I ever have. Could walking on toes and over using lower leg muscles cause ck levels to go up? how long does level stay up after exercise? How much exercise makes blood levels go up? thanks .

  86. Dan says:

    Hi,

    I’m 21 years old and I’m in the military. 2 weeks ago I did a crazy workout that caused my muscles to really hurt after the workout…even 3 days after. I noticed that my urine started to turn brown. That’s when I decided to go to the doctor. He told me that I had a possibility of rhabdomyolysis. So I was rushed down to the Emergency Room. They took a blood test and my CK level was over 300,000!! The doctors have never seen anyone with this high of an amount. Usually they admit people who have 10,000. They admitted me to the hospital immediately because too much of the stuff can cause permanent kidney damage. The treatment was to basically flush my blood of the toxin. So they hooked my up to an IV with a normal saline bag for 250 mL per hour. It caused me to urinate every hour or less. While I was there, they did blood tests twice a day to monitor the levels. There was a time when it went up to 400,000! After 7 days my levels eventually went down to 8,000. They discharged me from the hospital, but I am not allowed to do any workouts at all until the levels get close to 0. I’ve been having to get blood drawn everyday and now my arms look like a heroin addict’s. The best thing to do to get rid of this is to drink drink drink a lot of water!

  87. Khanvict says:

    Hi, Im a 20 years old male

    I just got a call from my kidney specialist, and she told me that she just checked my blood results, and it showed that i went from 73 CK from last month to 1200 ck level. I am a kidney disease patient, where one of my kidney has failed and the other only works 30%. But the doc told me this level has nothing to do with the kidney. and she kept asking me if i worked out intense in the past b 4 doing my blood test, i told her no, i jus workout 20-30 mins a day at home every now and then. So what caused my CK level to go high? If i dont even work out a lot? Somethign i should be concerned about?

  88. Jimmie Gaddy says:

    I’m 73 years old and my CK levels jump from 100 to 200 lf within a month.
    I’m concern because I’m having muscle weakness and extreme exaustion.
    Still waiting for my doctors response, but I like to have your oppinion.

  89. sajjad Gazali says:

    I am 39 Years old Man. Two months ago I went for swiming and I swim for couple of hours with my children. I had very hard excercise. I have never been swim this much. Next day had a very high pain started through whole body. I contact to doctor and they test My CK level it was about 460. After one week they test again and it goes down to 220. It means it is going down but why still I have pain in my legs muscles and back?? Anybody can advice me how to get rid of this problem.

  90. margie pearson says:

    can somebody help me with this creatine kinase (ck) i’m scred ….i have had cancer in 2006 and now this…..the doctor do’nt what to do,but give me this to take skelaxin for the legs ,back pain…i hurt so bad sometime i can’nt walk…i get cramp’s in my hand and in my stomch and my leg’s and my feet….i ask my doctor what creatine kinase (ck) was she said it is something to do with my heart…so i start looking for on my computer….i hurt so bad….please help……thank you

  91. Eric Egan says:

    Hey. I was in the hospital earlier this year because my CK levels were around 2000. I wasnt eating enough and this is why it occured. I have been recovering for the past 6 months and i have put on muscle and weight but i still dont have energy to do vigorous activities. I am taking glutamin right now with a multivitamin and some protein but i was just wondering if i should take some type of creatine. i just bought a bottle of kre alkaline (form of creatine thats better absored into the body) and i wanted to know if this could help my symptoms. Thanks

  92. donna says:

    hi all,
    my 2 year old son has had bloods done and the cpk levels have come up at 509,
    he has also recently been diagnosed with having autism,
    he has now been given an appointment to see a specialist at great ormund street hospital, im very worried about this as i never herd of it until now
    is there anyone else out there with the same problem with their child?

  93. Fash says:

    Hi,

    I have recently started working out and my doc made me take the CK test. came up with 3000+ .. yes 3000+ .. and he told me to stop working out for a few days and do the test again.. so I did.. and the numbers came out even higher..

    I don’t drink .. I eat healthy .. drink decent amount of water .. I donno.. wat to do to get this under control. PLease help

  94. Stu says:

    Hi All,

    My Dad is in hospital at the moment and his CK Level last week was just under 140,000. The Staff told us yeaterday that they have never seen a case like it before in the hospital. Yeaterday his levels were back to normal(about 130). I think this shows that this day and age they can control things with medical care.

  95. Kyle-Cameron says:

    I went to my doctor after straining both my calves, I was booked into the DVT clinic but test results showed negative for DVT however my CK readings were over 13,000, after this I was treated for compartment syndrome which could have cost me both my legs! Now the renal team are very interested in my case, why is this when they say the rest of my results are fine?

  96. ASHOK KARAMCHANDANI says:

    I am a known case of Chronic Ischaemic Heart disease since 22 years & have had Angioplasty twice.I have been on Anticholesterol drugs since 22 years. I was taking Lipotar 40mg daily to control my cholesterol. I regularly check my Ck ever 2-3 months ,recently I found around 4 months back it to be 800 IU & so I decreased my Lipotar to 10mg Daily & rechecked my CK which is still high being 560 , the cholesterol is iunder control as required as I have stopped taking Non vegetarian food & fats as such, but I still under dillema why the Ck is not come to normal. Is there any advise one would like to give me or else I seek a consultation of Rheumatoligist ? Neurologist or ???? . Apart from some Myalgic pains I have no other problems , the muscle cramps which I had have all gone. Seek ur advise.

  97. Leo says:

    I am 25 years old I just had a CK test and it came back 906. A few days before the test I had some bruises around my arm and leg from playing football with some family and friends I don’t know if I also bruised other muscles internally, but I really don’t feel pain or weekness. Don’t really know if that can cause a jump in the level. I workout occasionally walk and climb stepladders just about everyday at work. How long has anyone waited before taking another test.

  98. JK says:

    I am a 33 year old male. For the last year or so I have been getting lab work done to keep an eye on abnormal liver enzymes. About 4 months ago I noticed that my urine was a dark red or rust color. Of course being concerned about that I consulted my doctor but by the time I made it in to do lab work my urine had cleared up. This would only happen every 3 to 4 weeks. In the most recent episode, I went to the doctor the next day to do my labs…this time I spent 4 days in the hospital hooked up to IV’s because of my CK level. Initally my CK’s were at 48,000 the day I did my lab work, the next day they were at 51,000. At the same time my liver enzymes AST and ALT were in the 300’s. (I was also running a low grade fever) It took 4 days to get my CK’s down to under 5,000 but was still released from the hospital. I did ultrasounds and echo’s to make sure my kidney, liver, and heart were o.k…which they are thank God. I also did a muscle biopsy of which I have not recieved the results yet. I consider myself relatively healthy, I do not take any medications and have not had any physical symptoms?? I feel fine. No noticible pain or weakness. Hopefully I will have the biopsy results back soon.

  99. Brenda Hebert says:

    I am 62, trying to interpret my blood test. My creatine kinase reading was 183 H (reference range 29 – 143 U/L. My doctor wanted me to start taking Lipitor 3 months ago(9-23-09), I took it for a week and stopped on my own, because I wanted to loose weight first and eat better. He told me if I lost 20 lbs I could possibly be taken off of Micardis, which is the only thing I take other than Vitamins & Glucosamine Chondroitin. My HDL Cholesterol 68, Triglecerides 84, LDL Cholesterol 118. My total Cholesterol is High 203 (range 125 – 200) The other high reading was AST 41 H, ALT 53 H. Bottom line, I hate taking medicine, my main question, by loosing weight eating the right foods, exercise and get my numbers down do I need to take Lipitor & Micardis, only because heart disease in my family?

  100. sheldon says:

    I am 19 years old and tomorrow is my 20th birthday. I am in the hospital for the last day after spending a week here for rhabdo. I’ve read the other stories that other people told about and they comforted me. About a week ago I worked out after not doing so for a very long time and really pushed it. I didn’t lift heavy weights just a lot of reps. I also did many pull ups and I think that’s where I did a lot of damage. I went home that night I urinated a brown tea color. I thought this was from drinking a lot of iced tea but this continued for the next two days. I went to the hospital for swollen arms and the brown urine thinking I would probably leave that night. Turns out my muscles broke down a lot and my ck level was around 150,000. I don’t know how that work out I did made it so extremely high. I’ve been on an iv for the past week straight with 250 ml of sodium chloride. Being flushed out and peeing a lot brought my ck level down to 3,800. Its still high so I must continue to drink lots of water when I leave. I’ve been told that if immediate flushing of the toxin from the blood isn’t done, it could lead to kidney failure. I checked online and that’s what made me come to the hospital. I’m going to get blood work done to see if it continues to go down in the next couple of days. The doctors say my kidneys and liver and everything is good because I flushed out the toxin known as, check spelling, myoglobin. I’m going to keep doing research and find out more about rhabdo and ck levels. The norm is about 50-150 but I’m wondering if its possible to keep this norm and still work out. I wish you all the best and if you’re urinating dark brown, go to the emergency room and get it checked out!

  101. Ern says:

    Jordon, Angie and blah blah. Grow up. This is a very real and upsetting problem for a lot of people so take your rude comments elsewhere.

    Jk, have you had any further results from your biopsy?

  102. nadim says:

    statins raise cpk. it raised mine to 3000. stoped statins and recheked after one month. it went down to 142 again.

  103. nadim says:

    since one week i am on a new statin medication. i will check in 2 weeks. will keep u posted of the cpk result.

  104. Alen says:

    hey sheldon i had the exact same thing just last week, was in hospital for 8 or so days. Was being flushed by that damn drip with sodium chloride at the same rate.

    My ck levels were a bit lower than yours at 53,000 (the doctors were telling me it was the highest measure they could get??) and it was the cause of toooooo many squats.

    The kidneys and Liver go through a lot to process the toxins that are being released and if not treated immediately will lead to failure of those organs.

    Glad we’re both ok now.
    good luck in future training.
    Best wishes that it doesn’t happen again.

  105. Fred says:

    Sorry this is ridiculous.

    You don’t need to go to hospital and be put on a drip becuase you did squats. To all those fretting here:

    A Hard workout will elevate CK and a host of other ‘bad’ things. That’s the nature of what you are doing. It’s normal for what you are doing.

    How about everybody stop wasting each other’s time with these stupid posts about how I did a workout and my CK was elevated. There are people in this world with real medical issues.

  106. Tina Parsons says:

    Hi, My name is Tina Parsons,,,I recently had blood work done and my CKs were 4000,,, my grandfather had muscular dystrophy, so there is a history in my family,,my brother also has high CKs,,,my biggest concern is what these high levels are doing to other parts of my body,,,and what to do to lower these high levels,,,advice would be greatly appreciated from anyone experiencing this same problem,,

    tx,,,tina

  107. sheldon says:

    Alen,

    I did some blood work about 2 weeks after I left the hospital. My ck was at 354. I was pretty happy. The doc said ck levels can raise from something like getting stuck with a needle, so being at 150 is probably rare even though its the norm, which makes that an oxymoron lol. Anyway, I hope you’re well. This whole ordeal made me drink more water and I still do, so atleast I picked up a good habbit out of it. I wish the best.

  108. Chan says:

    Some of you may suffer from CPT 2 deficiency. Please
    google it! It is a rare genetic disease. My boyfriend has had numerous muscle attacks and at one point thought he was having a heart attack. When he was admitted to the hospital, the doctors thought it was all in his head, but his CK levels were through the roof and try couldn’t explain why. He has seen numerous doctors and was finally diagnosed. He tries not to do any strenuous activity for long periods of time and tries to maintain a low-fat, high protein diet. Alcohol can also be a trigger for a muscle attack.

  109. Tamara says:

    Working on my home I suffered hamstring and calf injury to both legs which caused severe cramping of the muscles. 4 days post-injury I went to a clinic and had an exam and blood tests done. My CK was 7012 compared to the reference range of 20-185. It was probably even higher in the first few days after the injury occurred. I will go back in a week for another round of tests to make sure the CK level is dropping. I’ve been advised to rest and stay well-hydrated. I am generally in good health and have no chronic issues, but I know I would benefit from more exercise and stretching and more care to not overextend myself.

    Fred, not sure why you’re so upset. CK elevation due to both disease and injury are the topic of the article. If a person doesn’t have knowledge about this, it can be somewhat alarming for them to be told “your liver enzymes indicate a potential problem, we need you to come back for more testing”. The posts on this board will help to put many at ease.

  110. Jennifer says:

    I starte working with a trainer, my CK level is over 2000. When I stop working out it goes down, then when I start again it sky rockets. I’m not sure if I’m training too hard or my body isn’t processing thing correctly.

  111. Jonathan says:

    I’m 44 years old and I have a CK level of 538. I read online that a side effect of Levitra in 2% of men causes a rise in Creatine Kinase levels.

    I have never had an out of range level until after I stated using Levitra. Should I be worried and stop using the drug?

  112. Stuart says:

    Hi everyone. i have been experiencing random twitches or spasms in my arms, neck and legs. Also I have had very vocal twitches or ticks. It was largly thought I had a form of Tourettes syndrome. I have had an MRI scan and my brain has no abnormalities and no underlying diseases. My blood tests however showed 3,000 Units per Litre of CK. I have another appointment with the hospital consultant and I know no more about the situation. It is very worrying as I am now unsure if the original diagnosis of ‘a type of tourette in the brain’ is now incorrect and it is something else. Any suggestions?

  113. Mark U says:

    I use have been using N.O Xplode NT.. Does that make CK levels worse? Should I discontinue use or use? I’ve never abused it and have always used it as directed. Please advise!

  114. Michael says:

    I had a ck level of 164,080

  115. Luis says:

    Tengo 439 en createcinasa (CK) y al preguntarme el doctor si corría maratones, les dije que lo único que hacía era andar y practicar con una máquina vibradora oscilante casi todos los días. Tengo 70 años. El médico me dice que continue andando pero que deje la máquina y a los 3 meses que repita el análisis de sangre.No me ha prescrito regimen alimenticio alguno. mi pregunta es la siguiente: ¿ Que alimentos son aconsejables para reducir el C.K y cuales no debo tomar?
    Gracias.

  116. Lam says:

    What medications could lower the CK. My friend`s test result shows the CK 4200. I am really concerned

  117. balkess abd says:

    I am 23 years all, I don’t have disease my ck is 1253 I check my heart, muscles and brain and I don’t suffer of anything
    in two years the ck is around 600-1500 I wonder if it’s from sport also I just feel general weakness how I can make my body strong

  118. Roni says:

    Is there any diabetic above 70 and having a high CPK level(1000-4000) , walking difficulty, barely walks with the help of a stick , stays home always, Progressive muscle weakness, burning pain in the legs and foot?

  119. Aaron Konstam says:

    There is something fishy about the creatine Kinase test. For 3 months a was concerned that my cpk had gone up to 525. I have no muscle pain or any other symptom

    I then decided to do a fractionates cpk with the following results:
    CK-BB = 0 [brain] which is the correct value
    CK-MB = 4% [heart] which should be under 5%
    CK-MM = 81 [skeletall muscle] which should be between 95-100 , so it is a little low

    So based on the fractionated cpk my levels are ok or for CK-MM a little low

    So which values represents my true cpk status. High or normal to a little low. Which analysis should I trust? Both tests were done by the same lab.

  120. Kevin says:

    I just got out of the hospital yesterday after being there for four days. A week ago I worked out and did a pretty tough ab workout. I was walking bent over for the two days following the workout with extremely sore abs. Then i noticed my urine was a very odd color I’m colorblind and thought it was blood but later my doctor said it was myogloben. But that went away after two days but then my stomach started to swell up and i knew something was wrong. So i went to the ER and after blood tests they put an iv in me and admitted me to the hospital. They told me my CK level was 241,000, the highest they have ever seen. They gave me 500ml an hour and after one night it dropped to 139,000. So after a few days of running the iv through me they dropped to a not so high number and let me go since i got there in time and got it treated in time to avoid kidney failure

  121. Maria says:

    Hi, i just recieved my lab rprt. It shows 271 for CK Cholesterol is204,HDL 33, Trigs 266, VLDL 53, LDL 118, and RDW 14.7 I am a Female 50 yrs old . Can you tell me what this all translates to? Can I go on strict diet and change it all to normal? Thanks

  122. jason says:

    I have not been feeling well for about 4 years. Muscle pain, joint pain, weakness, fluid retention, numbness in different parts of body. These are just a few of the symptoms that I have. I have been to every type of doctor you can think of. Every test is normal, except creatine kinase levels are constantly high 350-850. Is there anybody with similar symtoms with any answers

  123. Roy says:

    High levels can indicate Myositis,a muscle disease

  124. Kiwi nurse says:

    Hey guys,

    As you can see from the answer at the beginning of this page, CK is a enzyme which shows mainly the muscle injuries in your body. High CK is quite frequently seen in trauma cases. In the hospital, doctor tends to use higher rate of IV normal saline to wash it off from your system. Don’t panic if you see your CK 400 or 2000. The highest CK I have seen is 38000. It actually was yesterday on one of my patients. Talk to your GP and find out what is happening. You might need more test. Take care and be safe!

  125. Aziz Zhari says:

    Hi All,
    Last week I got my blood test and at 9 PM CALLED AND SCARE ME THAT MY ck is 1800 so he told me to comback and do another test.
    I did tell him that I am working out about 3 hrs a day to prepare for half Iron Man but he insisted that I need to take one week off so my test is back and my CK IS 190.
    Can someone help me and tell me why my CK WAS 1800 cause my doctor deasn’t want me to work out hard.
    Thanks

  126. Mick Hutson says:

    Hi just come back fro 6 days in Bedford hospital.. I was admitted after huge stomach pains a swelled up stomach which made it very difficult to stand up straight .. I had just done a pretty huge chest ( bench press ) and abs ( weighted crunch ) pyramid workout 8 sets of 8.. My bloods were done and i had reached a CK level of 48720.. doctors immediately infused me with iv fluids and after 12 litres iv and after 5 days constant iv my CK came down to 4170 and i was discharged yesterday.. feel very tired and unsure about the gym now although i’ve been working out for years and push well above my bodyweight I weigh 164 lbs I regularily bench 10 reps of 210 – 220 pounds.. YET I find it very difficult to add big muscle and weight.. however up until now i have been happy with my strength and general physique but these huge level of CK have me very worried.. I don’t use any steroids or other rubbish .. only protein and creatine supplements like maximuscle cyclone…

    help.. am i in danger ere .. is this normal.. no answers from the med people who just scratched their heads and have arranged a muscle biopsy for next month and say i shouldnt go down the gym.

    Mick Hutson

  127. Will says:

    My 9 year old son had a viral infection and his ck level was over 4,000. 6 months later and it is now 1,000. Any need for concern?

  128. Tejas says:

    hello Guys,

    I had my blood test done after i had something wired thing happened to me by doing exercise. blood test showed that my CK level is 11787 and Dr said you have a heart problem.
    I do not feel any kind of heart pain or pressure or numb on either side. neither i could feel any kind of pain in my skeletal muscles.

    On the other hand i had some wired symptoms – body started to have bruises like insect bites, eyes started to swell and were bit itchy and were bit red.

    I have tried going to gym 3 -4 times and every time within next 24hrs I have got the above symptoms.

    if there is some kind of muscles damage in my body how do i find that out? Cause i dont feel any kind of pain in any of my muscles.

    I have consulted few Dr’s but they had no answers for me rather than sending me to other Dr.

  129. Sandra says:

    Anyone with hihg levels of CK should go see the Dr. immediately. You are at risk of a stroke or heart attack. You could also have a disease…should also see a Rheumatologist who specializes in these thest and knows what to test for and look for. General Drs. miss all autoimmune diseases and lopts more. They are not specialists. I have a rare form of muscular Dystropy with high CK levels for 10 yrs….and no Drs could diagnose me until I went ot a Rheumatologist because my knees buckled and I hit the floor 20 times in one day. Yeah – not normal.

  130. Amber says:

    I am 22 and my ck is above 1275 but I have Pompe disease. There are a lot of conditions associated with high ck. Just do ur research and monitor it every six months. Simple lab work can help eliminate some conditions

  131. Denise says:

    i woke up one morning last week, completely unable to move my right arm. it felt as though it was ‘asleep’ w all of the pins and needle kind of feeling. after two hours, i realized that something was wrong, bc it had not gotten any better. I still had no control in using my arm, or fingers. I could barely lift my arm. when i touched my arm, i could not feel that either. On top of that, i was having severe pain going all the way up to my shoulder, and it was very intense. again, no feeling in my right arm all the way up to the side of my face. Went to the emergency hospital, and had no change. They did blood work and seemed very concerned bc two levels pertaining

  132. Nick says:

    Hey guys I’m 19 years old went to the gym did a bicep workout for an hour and within two days couldn’t bend my arms and swelling had started. Besides muscle soreness and weakness I wasn’t in that much pain. Went to the hospital and my ck was 80,000 I have been on 24/7 IV for the last week and am now at about 5,000 I have no damage to my kidneys and my liver is slightly damaged but will make a full recovery in a few weeks time.

  133. Monyea says:

    My ck levels are always elevated after us have a seizure. Recently my levels were 16000 and that was 2 days after the seizure.

  134. Brian Wilcox says:

    I’m 51 years old and Back in Jan of 16’ I started on 5mg generic Crestor. Been taking Crestor ,brand, for about 10-12 years with no issues. 2 months of taking the generic I started getting tremors and shakes. I went see a neurologist about the tremors. Did EMG on both lower and upper and all was good. Did blood work and my CPK was 583. Sent results to Cardiologist and said to stop taking Crestor. Stopped for 3 months and CPK went down to 265. Was put on Zetia for 3 months and did blood work and CPK was 298. I am a jogger and ran 4 miles the night before my blood work. My legs still feel like I just worked out as it did when all these symptoms started. Just how concerning should I be with the CPK level still above normal ? How long does it take to get over the effects of the Crestor? Is running raising my CPK ?
    Thanks for any info I can get.

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