A Few Creatine Questions

[Taurus]

I have a few creatine questions. I searched many threads to answer these questions for myself but to no avail.

I used creatine back in 1997 and it was in pill form. I didnt know much about it then and I dont know much about it now. I bought it from SNL Labs in America and I got amazing gains from it. I took the pills for between 2-3 months and never took creatine or any other supplement after that. I have kept the majority of my gains from that time period up untill now and my training regimen hasnt been that good. I read on here that most people lose their gains from creatine once they stop using it; so how did i manage to keep mine even though 7-8 yrs have passed by. I gained between 20-25 pounds in 8 months or so. This has confused my quite a bit. I honestly dont know how i did it and how i managed to keep the gains without much training. I tried to find SNL Labs but they dont exist anymore.

From the threads in here, I am seeing that CEE is the better creatine and causes minimal bloating. My questions are as follows:

1. How long is one cycle on either CEE or monohydrate?
2. How long should you wait to start the second cycle?
3. How long can you take CEE or monohydrate before it starts to adversely effect your body?
4. If you stop using CEE or monohydrate will you lose your gains?

I know I have taken creatine and I should be in a good position to answer these questions myself. But my experiences seem to differ greatly from most of the guys on here. Maybe I am overlooking something and someone can point it out to me. Your help will be much appreciated.

[prolangtum]

1. How long is one cycle on either CEE or monohydrate?
however long you want
2. How long should you wait to start the second cycle?
no need to cycle
3. How long can you take CEE or monohydrate before it starts to adversely effect your body?
it wont
4. If you stop using CEE or monohydrate will you lose your gains?
you may lose some water, but gains from creatine should be permanent