Is Your Pre Workout Making Your Skin Itchy?
Do you ever get an itchy sensation after taking a pre-workout supplement? If that’s the case, you’re not the only one. A lot of people experience this same type of reaction after taking these products.
But why is this? And is it harmful?
I’ll do my best to explain why pre-workouts cause itching and what you can do to prevent it from happening in the future.
What Makes You Itch In A Pre Workout?
In most cases, beta-alanine is the culprit responsible for the itchiness and tingling sensation. The itchy feeling is most likely to occur after taking pre-workout products that contain this ingredient, particularly if the dose is greater than 2g per serving.
This is because Beta-Alanine causes acute paresthesia. Paresthesia can be described as tingling, itching, numbness, or slight burning of the skin.
While the itching sensation may be irritating, it is not harmful and taking beta-alanine is safe. The itchiness is a common side effect when taking beta-alanine in large doses in a single serving.
Beta-alanine is actually an excellent supplement to take pre-workout and provides performance enhancement benefits. However, some individuals can find the itching sensations to be distracting and annoying, especially when it occurs during their workout.
How To Get Rid Of Pre Workout Itch
So what can you do to stop feeling itchy after a pre-workout? There are of a couple of things you can try to reduce the severity of paresthesia or eliminate it altogether.
One way is to divide your dose up and take smaller amounts throughout the day, rather than taking the entire dose at once. This will decrease the amount beta-alanine being introduced in your body at once and reduce the itching.
Another way is to avoid taking pre-workout supplements that contain any beta-alanine in them (I’ll cover one of the best pre-workouts that won’t make you itch next).
But if all else fails, and nothing seems to work, I recommend that you talk to your doctor or a nutritionist to see if there may be a better alternative that works for you.
Pre Workout That Doesn’t Make You Itch
While beta-alanine is a great additive for pre-workouts, it’s not the only one. In fact, there are some excellent pre-workout supplements that are made containing none of this itch-inducing ingredient.
4Gauge (4Gauge.com4Gauge.com) is a perfect example if an impressive pre-workout supplement that’s highly effective and does not use beta-alanine. It has a solid formula of effective ingredients that are dosed in sensible amounts, and is a great pre-workout to use before heading to the gym.
Best of all, it won’t make you itch. It’s got ingredients like l-citrulline DL–malate for vasodilation and pump, caffeine and l-theanine for energy and focus, and creatine to increase hydration and reduce fatigue.
The full list of ingredients includes:
- Caffeine
- L-theanine
- Creatine monohydrate
- L-citrulline DL-malate
- Beetroot extract
- Rhodiola rosea
- Acetyl l-carnitine
- Coconut water powder
It also comes in three great-tasting flavors, mixes well and does not use any artificial sweeteners. Perfect for both men and women, 4 Gauge is an excellent pre-workout option if your goal is to add some extra strength and endurance to your training without itchy side effects.
