^^^ creating does not harm the kidney's.. that is a myth started by doctors who don't know how to read bloodwork properly and whose patients do not fast properly. creatine should be stopped 2 weeks ahead of blood work, otherwise it will screw up the test. also bodybuilders in general are going to have higher then normal creatinine and BUN levels because of their diets but also because they are constantly breaking down and repairing muscle. the numbers doctors are taught to pay attention to are for the average fat American couch potato, not for an athlete. so when they look at blood work they always think someone's kidneys are being damaged, which is absolutely not true.. if it was true then I would be dead a long time ago.. I've lifted with no break for 25 years and always have high BUN/creatinine levels (based on the couch potato range). even if you only lift 3X per week you are still going to be in a constant breakdown/repair muscle mode.
as far as effectiveness creatine is a great option for those who are natty. as it is a naturally occurring compound in our bodies and very safe. of course it isn't like AAS, but it also isn't suppressive either. it can be used in PCT or bridge between cycles very effectively. I think the issue is a lot of creatine out there is poor quality, full of fillers.. so maybe you got a bad impression of it because of that.. that's why its important to buy a good quality creatine.. n2bm.com sells ancient strength, which is cheap and is solid product