Creatine loading or a daily dose
You do not have to load creatine. A daily 3 to 5 grams of creatine monohydrate reaches the muscle store over a few weeks. A short loading phase, about 0.3 grams per kilogram of body weight for five to seven days, fills that store sooner. The later maintenance dose is still 3 to 5 grams. More is not a better long-term plan, and other forms have not replaced monohydrate.
The loading debate is about speed, not about a different supplement. Creatine monohydrate is the form the sports-nutrition position stand is written around.
What the loading study showed
Hultman and colleagues measured muscle creatine while men took a loading dose and then a smaller daily dose (PMID 8828669). The muscle store rose quickly with the load and could then be held with a few grams a day. People who skipped the load and took a smaller daily amount still raised the store. It just took longer.
The maintenance dose
The ISSN creatine stand (PMID 28615996) describes about 0.3 grams per kilogram per day for five to seven days as a load, then 3 to 5 grams a day. The same 3 to 5 grams, without a load, is the simpler plan for anyone who is not in a hurry. Split the load across the day if you use it. A single huge scoop is what usually causes the stomach complaint.
What not to add
Buffered creatine, creatine HCl, and creatine mixed with HMB are marketing variants. The outcome evidence that the position stand relies on is monohydrate. Creatine monohydrate versus other forms stays on that point. Drink water as you usually would. Creatine is not a reason to dry out.