Comparison
Creatine Monohydrate vs TB-500
Side-by-side of Creatine Monohydrate and TB-500. Every row below is pulled from the compound schema and will update as our data grows. For deeper reads, follow through to each compound page.
Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine monohydrate supplement guide: 3-5 g/day raises phosphocreatine stores, lifts anaerobic output 5-15%, supports lean mass and cognition under sleep loss.
TB-500
TB-500 peptide, a 17-aa thymosin beta-4 fragment. Preclinical tendon and wound healing via actin sequestration. Typical dosage 2 to 5 mg weekly. No human RCTs.
Effects at a glance
Creatine Monohydrate
- •Increases anaerobic strength and power output by ~5 to 15% across multiple training studies
- •Adds ~1 to 2 kg of lean body mass over 4 to 12 weeks, partly intracellular water and partly true tissue gain
- •Improves 1-rep max on bench and squat by ~5 to 10% versus placebo in resistance-trained adults
- •Cognitive benefit appears mainly under sleep deprivation or high mental load, less so in well-rested individuals
- •Saturation reached in ~28 days at 3 to 5 g/day, or ~5 to 7 days with a 20 g/day loading phase
- •No evidence of renal harm in healthy adults across long-term studies; caution in pre-existing severe renal disease
TB-500
- •17-amino-acid fragment of endogenous Thymosin Beta-4, an actin-sequestering peptide
- •Preclinical models show accelerated tendon, ligament, and dermal wound healing
- •Equine veterinary use for soft-tissue injury is the most documented real-world application
- •Anecdotal human protocols use 2 to 5 mg twice weekly subcutaneously for 4 to 6 weeks
- •WADA banned under S2 (peptide hormones, growth factors) since 2018
- •No completed phase II or III human RCTs as of 2026; long-term safety unestablished
Side-by-side
| Attribute | Creatine Monohydrate | TB-500 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | supplement | peptide |
| Also known as | creatine | Thymosin Beta-4 fragment, TB4-Frag, Thymosin Beta 4 |
| Half-life (hr) ↗ | 3 | 2 |
| Typical dose (mg) ↗ | 5000 | 2.5 |
| Dosing frequency | daily | 2x weekly (anecdotal protocols) |
| Routes | oral | subcutaneous, intramuscular |
| Onset (hr) | 168 | - |
| Molecular weight | 149.15 | 4963.4 |
| Molecular formula | C4H9N3O2 | C212H350N56O78S |
| Mechanism | Donates a phosphate group to ADP via creatine kinase, regenerating ATP during high-intensity, short-duration efforts. | Sequesters G-actin monomers, modulates cell migration and angiogenesis, and upregulates VEGF and myosin transcription. Promotes endothelial differentiation and stem-cell migration to injury sites in preclinical models. |
| Legal status | Dietary supplement (most jurisdictions) | Not FDA approved; research-use-only grey market; banned by WADA |
| WADA status | allowed | banned |
| DEA / Rx | OTC supplement | Not FDA approved; not scheduled; research-chemical status |
| Pregnancy | Insufficient data | Insufficient data |
| CAS | 57-00-1 | 885340-08-9 |
| PubChem CID | 586 | 62707662 |
| Wikidata | Q408389 | Q7799921 |
Safety profile
Creatine Monohydrate
Common side effects
- water retention
- mild GI upset at loading doses
- weight gain (2 to 4 lb from intracellular water)
Contraindications
- severe renal impairment
Interactions
- caffeine (high-dose acute): mixed data on ergogenic interference; chronic use appears compatible(minor)
- nephrotoxic drugs (NSAIDs, cyclosporine): theoretical additive renal strain in at-risk patients(moderate)
TB-500
Common side effects
- injection-site irritation
- fatigue (anecdotal)
- lethargy in early dosing (anecdotal)
Contraindications
- pregnancy
- active malignancy (theoretical angiogenic concern)
- no established human safety profile
Interactions
- BPC-157: Frequently co-administered in anecdotal healing protocols; no controlled interaction data(minor)
Which Should You Take?
Creatine Monohydrate comes out ahead for most readers on the criteria we weight: 3 catalogued goals, OTC dietary supplement, oral dosing, with a Tier-A outcome catalogued. TB-500 is the right call when one of the conditionals below applies.
- → If your priority is strength or hypertrophy, pick Creatine Monohydrate.
- → If your priority is focus or working memory, pick Creatine Monohydrate.
- → If your priority is tendon repair, pick TB-500.
- → If your priority is wound healing, pick TB-500.
Edge case: If you want to avoid research-only / gray-market sourcing, Creatine Monohydrate is the more accessible choice.
Default choice: Creatine Monohydrate. Lower friction to source, a Tier-A evidence outcome catalogued, and broader goal coverage. Reach for TB-500 only if your priority sits squarely in the goals it owns above.
This verdict is generated from each compound's schema (goals, legal status, evidence outcomes, dosing route). It updates automatically as our compound data evolves; the deeper read sits on each individual compound page.
Common questions
What is the difference between Creatine Monohydrate and TB-500?
Creatine Monohydrate and TB-500 differ in category (supplement vs peptide), mechanism, and typical dosing. See the side-by-side table for full details.
Which has a longer half-life, Creatine Monohydrate or TB-500?
Creatine Monohydrate half-life is 3 hours; TB-500 half-life is 2 hours.
Can you stack Creatine Monohydrate with TB-500?
Stack compatibility depends on mechanism overlap, legal status, and individual response. Check each compound page for specific interactions and contraindications before combining.
Go deeper