Darryn Peterson
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I wonder if the coaching staff, family, etc. were aware of the high doses of creatine taken by Darryn? Surely things like this are monitored by KU's program. Creatine has been used by athletes for 30 years, so there must be a body of medical knowledge about healthy and unhealthy use of it. But, no one knew what I was doing when I was a freshman at KU. So, there's that. I too wish we had known about the serious medical condition earlier in the year; it really helps me understand what happened better. Coach should take Darryn's situation into account when structuring next year's boot camp.
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The article sounds like his natural level was very high, possibly unexpectedly so. The training staff likely made assumptions that would usually be appropriate. Five days ago my wife was prescribed a medicine and her NP went over the common side effects. Turns out she didn’t mention an unusual one--tachycardia, happens in less than 1% of reported effects. Her heart rate, usually about 57, has been over 100 for lengthy periods over these 3 days. It is starting to go away but we had a scary time until discovering the culprit. (Thank you, Dr. Google, and all the subreddit members!)
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@mayjay that’s scary and exactly why I go to the doctor about once every 8 years. They aren’t trained to fix a dang thing, just to prescribe all sorts of stuff so they can get their kick backs from big pharma. There is a reason elites go to other countries for medical care.
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@kjayhawks2.0 You have so many misconceptions about healthcare providers. If you have that strong of an opinion, though, I doubt that discussing the inaccuracies will make any difference. If you are interested, though, I am open to a discussion. I would create another thread, though.
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@kjayhawks2.0 @patoh3 Our doctors are great, and the cardiologist ratified our suspicions. Even the NP made an understandable mistake. What this and other experiences tell me, however, is that the internet can be very useful and people should make sure they know what is going on. But like product reviews, you have to be able to separate the crap from legitimate information. I learned about researching medical materials when I volunteered at the medical library at the VA hospital where my wife worked. Not everyone has that experience. More importantly, because my wife's family has lots of instances of drug sensitivity, we always peruse the drug info sheets to look for side effects (Walmart actually stopped giving out the info. Only a QR code to link to it). This time we were caught up in lots of stuff and blew it.
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My concern is whether someone on the KU staff knew or should have known about Darryn's creatine use. I wonder what amount Darryn is referring to when he says he took high doses of creatine during boot camp. The internet advises that some athletes go into a loading phase where they take 20-25 grams per day, usually broken up into 4-5 smaller doses to replenish fatigued muscles and that cramping is a known complication. Creatine is available over-the-counter at all parmacies, so anyone can take it in any amounts. But, I don't see anything like the whole body paralysis that Darryn described to Sports Illustrated and ESPN as a possible condition. According to an ESPN reporter, Darryn claims he suffered whole body cramping during boot camp that was so severe he was taken to Lawrence Memorial Hospital by ambulance. I understand and appreciate patient privacy, but how in the hell didn't a KU player leaving boot camp by ambulance for the hospital leak out to fans? Coach Self, what the hell is going on at your boot camps that a player suffers a condition that requires emergency treatment and is taken straight to the hospital? Oh yeah, and why is this just now coming up? Surely the KU basketball program has internal safeguards and reviews focused on player safety. Lastly, could Darryn's claim of full body paralysis/emergency hospital treatment just be made now to help his NBA draft position? Good grief, I thought I was done with Mr. Peterson until the SI article came out this week. Now I have concerns about the safety of players in KU's program.
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I certainly hope DP’s story is true, and his cramping issues are behind him.
It’s just so hard to buy into any of this given the mystery and timing.
How a millionaire can have such a bad team behind him is a mystery.
Best of luck.
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Also, if he wasn’t using creatine in HS, given the success he had there why start in college? Especially with doses high enough to lead to full body cramps. He already had all of the athletic edge he needed. Athleticism and recovery were not his limiting factors. And presumable any trainer would test pre-existing/natural creatine levels before dosing.
Or, for those of us who are suspicious, what was so bad that to hide it they had to invent a story that makes everyone involved look like a complete moron?
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@HoraceZontal But, he was just 18 during bootcamp and then turned 19 in January. I certainly can see several 18 yr old college students sitting around McCarthy complaining about tiredness after a day of boot camp and then being young Einsteins coming up with the creatine solution. But, I still don't see any medical literature online that mentions full body muscle paralysis from high doses of creatine. I sure wish a journalist would ask Coach Self to comment on the claim that one of his players was taken by ambulance to the hospital during the 2025 boot camp. No names need to be mentioned, just whether that happened and more importantly what the staff is doing to promote player safety, including revisions to the boot camp routine.
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@mayjay I have no qualms with your comments and am glad that the discovery of the reason for your wife’s symptoms was determined. Providers typically will tell patients what the most common side effects are, but don’t have the time to tell patients every possible symptom that may occur. I always advise my patients that if they have a new symptom after starting a new medicine to let me know and if it is a weekend to stop the medicine, but call us the next day the clinic is open to discuss it. Sometimes the side effect symptoms are temporary, but if too severe, then they should stop the medicine. Also, just because a symptom is not listed does not mean that it cannot be a side effect. Other medicines that a person already takes may interact with the metabolism of the new medicine making higher concentrations stay in the bloodstream. If I know a patient is sensitive to medicines in general, I typically start out with a lower dosage if possible and gradually increase as tolerated.
Dr Google and Reddit in the right hands can properly inform and confirm about similar experiences that other people have had. It largely depends upon whether a medicine is preventing a major adverse outcome or life-threatening condition versus an annoying or quality of life symptom.In Darren’s case, I would have told him to stop every new change that he has made to see if the culprit could be eliminated. I caution pt’s that creatine can be harmful depending upon your hydration status.
One thing I would point out that I find too commonly, is that patients don’t see vitamins or supplements as medicines. They don’t tell their provider about these things they use, which may affect the absorption or metabolism of prescribed medications. For me, a medicine is anything that is swallowed, inhaled, snorted, applied topically, injected, or inserted rectally to have an effect on the body. Yes, that includes food and liquid. Quite a few diseases could be prevented or cured if we would just stop poisoning ourselves with our dietary intake.
I agree with @kjayhawks2.0 that medicine is used too frequently because it is easier than changing your diet, exercise, or lifestyle, but changing those things and maintaining the change invariably will beat prescription medicine hands-down.
Have a great day!
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@stoptheflop
Yes, that’s a good point. I forget they are still kids.
