Chronic pain doesn’t just stay in your body.
It gets into your thoughts, your mood, your sleep, your motivation — your entire mental world.
For many people in long-term pain, the real suffering comes not just from the physical symptoms but from what the pain does to your mind. Over time, the brain literally starts to rewire itself. Stress systems ramp up. Mood systems shut down. Thoughts become heavier. Everything feels harder.
But here’s the hopeful part:
the same brain that changes from pain can also change again — toward healing.
And one of the most affordable, accessible tools to support that healing is something most people have never been told about:
Creatine.
Yes, the simple supplement you can find at any grocery store.
But what researchers have discovered is that creatine doesn’t just fuel muscles —
it fuels your brain.
HOW CHRONIC PAIN REWIRES THE BRAIN
Neuroscience now shows that chronic pain reshapes:
Emotional regulation
Motivation systems
Stress circuits
Neurotransmitters
The brain’s energy production
Synaptic plasticity (your ability to adapt and heal)
This isn’t psychological weakness.
This is biology.
Long-term pain drains the brain’s energy reserves, making it harder to think, feel emotionally steady, or stay motivated. As Price et al. (2018) noted, bioenergetic failure — the brain literally running out of cellular fuel — is a core driver of depression and treatment resistance.
And chronic pain hits those same pathways.
THE PAIN → DEPRESSION LOOP
Chronic pain increases the risk of depression 2–3x.
Not because of mindset.
Not because you’re “not coping.”
Because pain:
Sends nonstop danger signals
Exhausts stress circuits
Lowers serotonin and dopamine
Interrupts sleep
Shuts down reward pathways
Decreases activity
And drains your brain’s ATP (energy) supply
This is why so many people with chronic pain feel:
Brain fog
Low mood
Emotional numbness
Exhaustion
Overwhelm
Loss of hope
You’re not imagining it — chronic pain changes the brain’s biology.
“Your brain isn’t broken. It’s exhausted — and exhaustion is treatable.”
WHERE CREATINE FITS IN
Creatine is like a backup generator for brain cells.
Your brain uses more energy than any other organ in your body — even your muscles. This is why multiple studies have examined creatine as a support for mood disorders, especially in people whose antidepressants aren’t enough.
And the results are incredibly promising.
Clinical research findings include:
Creatine + SSRI = better and faster results (Lyoo et al., 2012)
Improved brain energy and network activity (Yoon et al., 2016)
Benefits in SSRI-resistant teens (Kondo et al., 2011)
Creatine + 5-HTP improved resistant depression (Kious et al., 2017)
Creatine increases serotonin & dopamine signaling (Cunha et al., 2012; 2013)
Creatine + CBT improved outcomes even in low-resource areas (Sherpa et al., 2025)
This matters for chronic pain because…
The same pathways disrupted in depression are disrupted in chronic pain.
Creatine helps restore the energy those pathways need to function.
“Creatine is not about building muscle. It’s about giving your brain the fuel it needs to function again.”
WHY CREATINE IS A SMART TOOL FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC PAIN
Many supplements are expensive.
Many treatments take months to access.
And many traditional exercise routines aren’t realistic when your body hurts.
Creatine is:
Affordable
Well studied
Widely available
Safe for most people
Easy to take
Proven to support brain energy
While creatine isn’t a cure, it can help with:
Low mood
Fatigue
Brain fog
Feeling overwhelmed
Mental exhaustion
Motivation
Cognitive clarity
Because when your brain has more cellular energy, life gets more manageable.
CREATINE + THERAPY = A POWERFUL COMBINATION
CBT remains one of the most supported treatments for depression (Cuijpers et al., 2023), and the 2025 Sherpa et al. trial found that creatine made CBT even more effective.
Why?
Because:
Therapy trains the brain.
Creatine fuels the brain.
Together, they support emotional resilience and neuroplasticity — the foundation of healing from long-term pain.
A MESSAGE FOR YOU
If you’re living with chronic pain, you’re probably exhausted — not just physically, but emotionally and mentally.
And you’re not alone.
You’re not imagining it.
You’re not weak.
Pain changes the brain.
But the brain can change again.
Creatine is one small, powerful, accessible step in rebuilding your mental energy — and with it, your hope.
Recommendations
3 creatines that I’ve personally tried:
Momentous Creatine Monohydrate — made with Creapure®, NSF Certified.
Transparent Labs Creatine HMB — combines creatine monohydrate + HMB for strength, recovery, and lean gains.
Optimum Nutrition (ON) Micronized Creatine Monohydrate — a reliable, well-studied, no-frills creatine.