Clenbuterol

Clenbuterol, commonly referred to as Clen, is a powerful stimulant used by athletes to help burn off fat. Like all stimulants, Clen can be addictive and cause unwanted side effects such as excessive heart rate, dry mouth, restlessness, insomnia and loss of appetite. Smaller doses are recommended for first-time users and increasing to no more than 150 mcg/day. Clen should be used in cycles to allow the body to recover and using an antihistamine like Benadryl or Ketotifen during off cycles is recommended.

In animal studies, clenbuterol is shown to exhibit anabolic activity, making it attractive to athletes. This compound is additionally a known thermogenic shown to directly stimulate fat cells and accelerate the breakdown of triglycerides to form free fatty acids. Its efficacy in this area makes clenbuterol an almost mandatory pre-contest drug. Those interested in this drug are most often hoping it will impart a little of both anabolic and thermogenic benefits, promoting the loss of body fat while imparting strength and muscle mass increases. The possible anabolic activities in humans however is questionable because test results from animal data was using much larger doses than would be required for bronchodilation. There has been debate as to whether or not clenbuterol has any noticeable anabolic effect in humans. Some seem to swear by the fact that it builds muscle, firmly sticking by “clen” as a great off-season or adjunct anabolic. Others believe that athletes expecting anabolic effects from “clen” have wasted valuable time and money. This debate continues today, with many still using clenbuterol as a potential anabolic. With this in mind athletes will tailor their dosage and cycling of this product individually depending on which of the two “possible” results are more desired, and how many side effects can be tolerated.

Some seem to swear by the fact that it builds muscle, firmly sticking by “clen” as a great off-season or adjunct anabolic. Others believe that athletes expecting anabolic effects from “clen” have wasted valuable time and money.

The possible side effects of clenbuterol include those of other CNS stimulants, and include shaky hands, insomnia, sweating, increased blood pressure and nausea. These side effects will generally subside after a week or so of use however, once the user becomes accustomed to the drug. One would typically start a cycle by gradually increasing the dosage each day until within the desired range. This process will minimize the unwanted side effects seen from the drug; which otherwise might be dramatic if a large initial dose is administered. Men generally end up in the range of 2-8 20mcg tablets per day, although some people do claim to tolerate even higher dosages. Women get by on less, generally 2-4 20mcg tablets daily. Very quickly, the drug will elevate body temperature. The rise is not usually dramatic, perhaps a half a degree or so, sometimes a little more. This elevation is due to your body burning excess energy (largely from fat) and is usually not uncomfortable. The number of consecutive days clenbuterol can be used is believed to be dependent on the goal of the individual. To be clear, the athletic benefits of this drug will only last for a limited time and then diminish, largely due to beta-receptor down regulation. When used for fat loss the primary effect of the drug seems to work well for approximately 4-6 weeks. During this period users will want to constantly monitor their body temperature. Temperature elevation indicates that the clenbuterol is working and once the temperature drops back to normal, clenbuterol is no longer exhibiting a thermogenic effect. At this point increasing the dosage would no longer be effective, and taking a break for at least a few weeks before it is used again is recommended. If one is looking for strength gains, clenbuterol appears to be effective for a much shorter period of time, around 3-4 weeks. This may be due to an absence of any real anabolic effect, with the strength gain possibly due only to the stimulant properties of the drug (similar to the strength boost seen by Ephedrine users). However, this is still debated.

Many competitors also find the fat burning effect of clenbuterol can be further enhanced by additional substances. When combined with thyroid hormones, specifically Cytomel T3, the thermogenic effect can become extremely dramatic. This can be to a point that the athlete could shred exceptional amounts of extra fat during contest preparations, without a dramatic restriction in calories. Such a mix can be further used during a steroid cycle, eliciting a much harder look. These cutting agents can often greatly inhibit extra fat storage during the cycle, even when using strong aromatizing androgens. A clenbuterol/thyroid mix is also common when using growth hormone, further enhancing the thermogenic and anabolic effect of this therapy.

Clenbuterol is a widely used bronchodilator in many parts of the world. The drug is most often prepared in 20mcg tablets, but it is also available in syrup and injectable form. Clenbuterol belongs to a broad group of drugs knows as sympathomimetics. These drugs affect that sympathetic nervous system in a wide number of ways, largely mediated by the distribution of adrenoceptors. There are actually nine different types of these receptors in the body, which are broadly classified as either alpha or beta and then further subcategorized by type number. Depending on the specific affinities of these agents for the various receptors, they can potentially be used in the treatment of conditions such as asthma, hypertension, cardiovascular shock, arrhythmias, migraine headaches and anaphylactic shock.

Most of the actions of catecholamines and sympathomimetic agents can be classified into seven broad types: peripheral excitatory action on certain types of smooth muscles such as those in blood vessels supplying the skin, kidney, and mucous membranes, and on the gland cells, such as those of the salivary and sweat glands; a peripheral inhibitory action on certain other types of smooth muscle, such as those in the wall of the gut, in the bronchial tree, and in blood vessels supplying skeletal muscle; a cardiac excitatory action, responsible for in increase in heart rate and force of contraction; metabolic actions, such as an increase in the rate of glycogenolysis in liver and muscle and liberation of free fatty acids from adipose tissue; endocrine actions, such as modulation of the secretion of insulin, rennin, and pituitary hormones; CNS actions, such as respiratory stimulation and, with some of the drugs, an increase in wakefulness and psychomotor activity and a reduction in appetite; and presynaptic actions that result in either inhibition or facilitation of the release of the neurotransmitters such as such as norepinephrine and acetylcholine.

The drug clenbuterol is specifically a selective beta-2 sympathomimetic, primarily affecting only one of the three subsets of beta-receptors. Of particular interest is the fact that this drug has little beta-1 stimulating activity. Since beta-1 receptors are closely tied to the cardiac effects of these agents, this allows clenbuterol to reduce airway obstruction (and effect of beta-2 stimulation) with much less cardiovascular side effects compared to nonselective beta agonists. Clinical studies with this drug show it is extremely effective as a bronchodilator, with a low level of user complaints and high patient compliance. Clenbuterol also exhibits an extremely long half-life in the body of approximately 34 hours. This makes steady blood levels easy to achieve, requiring only a single or twice daily dosing schedule at most. This of course makes it much easier for the patient to use, and may tie in to its high compliance rate. In spite of clenbuterol being available in many other countries this compound has never been approved for prescription use in the United States. The fact that there are a number of asthma medications already dominating the US market may have something to do with this.