I have been running creatine monohydrate for two years and the honest summary is that the effect is smaller than the internet suggests and real.
There is a serious question about whether the studied form matches what is sold, and nobody in a thread can answer it.
The effect size I actually noticed is roughly a third of what the write-ups imply, and it took two years to be sure.
Forum consensus and published consensus diverged here about five years ago and never reconverged.
Happy to be corrected on any of the above.
Test one thing at a time. It feels slower and it is the only way to learn anything.
Nobody has ever been talked out of a stack by a stranger on the internet. Same for me with creatine monohydrate, unfortunately.
A certificate of analysis answers one question and gets quoted as though it answers four. How long have you been on creatine monohydrate?