Clenbuterol

Clenbuterol, medically used throughout many parts of the world as a broncodilator for the treatment of asthma, is a recent and popular addition to the realm of
athletics. Clenbuterol is a beta-2 agonist, with properties somewhat similar to adrenaline. It acts as a CNS stimulant and users quite commonly report side
effects such as shaky hands, insomnia, sweating, increased blood pressure and nausea. These side effects generally subside quickly once the user becomes
accustomed to the drug. Athletes find clenbuterol attractive for it’s pronounced thermogenic effects as well as mild anabolic properties. Dosage regimes will
vary depending on the desired effect. Clenbuterol generally come is 20mcg tablets, although it is also available in syrup and injectable form. Users will usually
tailor their dosage individually, depending on results and side effects, but somewhere in the range of 2-8 tablets per day is most common. For fat loss, clenbuterol
seems to stay effective for 3-6 weeks, then it’s thermogenic properties seem to subside. This is noticed when the body temperature drops back to normal.
It’s anabolic properties subside much quicker, somewhere around 18 days. Currently, counterfeits of clenbuterol do exist, but they are scarce and most are bottles
with loose tablets. Clenbuterol should only be trusted when purchased in foil and plastic strips, preferably with accompanying box and paperwork.

Clenbuterol

Brand Names: Broncodil, Broncoterol, Cesbron, Clenasma, Clenbuter.Pharmachim, Contrasmina, Contraspasmina, Monores, Novegam, Oxyflux, Prontovent,
Spiropent, Ventolase, Ventapulmin,
Description: Is available in 10 - 20 mcg tablets or in the .016 mg/gram Ventapulmin Vet variety. Clenbuterol is known as a sympathomimetic. These hormones
are taken to mimic adrenaline and noradrenaline in the human body. Clenbuterol is a selective beta-2 agonist that is used to stimulate the beta-receptors in fat
and muscle tissue in the body. Clenbuterol exhibits most of its effects on the stimulation of both type 2 and 3 beta-receptors. Clenbuterol is really one of bodybuilding’s
most misunderstood performance enhancement drugs. It is true that it is effective in helping to burn bodyfat but it is often been stated that clenbuterol
is effective in causing anabolic gains and has in times even been compared to some of the weaker anabolic steroids. Books such as the World Anabolic
Review, 1996, by P. Grunding and M. Bachmann state incorrectly that, “its effects, however, can by all means be compared to those of steroids. Similar to a
combination of Winstrol Depot and Oxandrolone....” These statements are inaccurate and misleading to say the least. A lot of these claims as to the anabolic
effects of clenbuterol are derived from studying the effects of clenbuterol on livestock. Clenbuterol is effective in increasing muscle mass and decreasing fat loss
in animals.
The problem with the variation in anabolic effects between humans and livestock is that livestock have an abundance of the type 3 beta receptors whereas
humans have little if any of the type 3 beta receptors. These beta-3 receptors increases insulin secretion and sensitivity, causing more glucose and amino acids
to be transported into skeletal muscle thus causing the anabolic effects that we, humans, just aren’t seeing. As Dan Duchaine stated in his Muscle Media article
on clenbuterol, “In those animal research studies showing an anabolic effect from clenbuterol, it’s my guess the anabolism happens specifically when the beta2
receptor stops working. At that point, the beta3 increases and causes the anabolic effect through insulin mechanisms.” Since humans, again, have either very
little or no beta-3 receptors, there is no chance of this anabolic effect. Just another of the studies where everyone assumed that what works in animals must
work in humans. This is just simply not the case with clenbuterol.
Clenbuterol does work effectively as a fat burner though. It does this by slight increases in the body temperature. With each degree that the temperature in your
body is raised from the use of clenbuterol, you will burn up approximately an extra 5% of maintenance calories. This makes it effective as a fat burner. Your
body will fight this by cutting down on the amount of active thyroid in the body as well as through beta-receptor down regulation, which explains why you only
have a limited effective period to take clenbuterol. While I am on the subject of beta-receptor down regulation, I would like to dispose of another myth. This
involves the two on/two off cycling theory that I believe was originated by Bill Phillips in the Anabolic Reference Guide and has somehow made it’s was into
every other steroid book since then including the WAR and Physical Enhancement with an Edge. The two on-two off theory simply will not work because of one
main reason: the half life of clenbuterol. This 2-on/2-off idea was a THEORY ONLY, not by a doctor or scientist, and not based on specific knowledge of clenbuterol,
but derived by imitation from other drug’s with shorter half lives.
Clenbuterol has been reported as having a half life of about 2 days, but that is not actually correct, since it has biphasic elimination, with the half-life of the
rapid phase being about 10 hours, and the slower phase being several days. Supposedly, this is one of the reasons the FDA never approved clenbuterol as an
anti-asthmatic drug...the FDA frowns on drugs with long half-lives if drugs with more normal half-lives are available. So with a 2-on/2-off cycle you never have
time to get enough of the clenbuterol out of your system for this theory to be reasonable. In actuality, it probably hasn’t even dropped to 50% of your peak concentration
before you are taking the drug again. With this all taken into account, there is no reason to think that this cycling would significantly reduce the
problem of receptor desensitization. A more reasonable approach would be either one week on, one week off, or alternately, two weeks on two weeks off. The
two week cycle has the disadvantage of a “crash” period afterwards. This crash period can be helped with the use of ephedrine to lessen the lethargy that you
will experience.
If you are interested in taking clenbuterol for anything other than fat loss then you might as well stay away from this compound. There is a lot of talk as to how
clenbuterol compares to ephedrine as well. Most “experts” feel that clen gives a better bang for the buck than the ECA stack. It should be noted that clenbuterol’s
results and effects are much shorter lived. They work through very similar mechanisms. Both products stimulate the beta-receptors but clenbuterol seems
to be a more refined version, called a second generation beta-agonist drug, than ephedrine. Clenbuterol targets the proper receptors, being the beta-2 and 3
receptors than ephedrine more specifically which should in theory make clenbuterol more effective of a fat burner. Again, most of the so called “experts” say
that clenbuterol is more effective than ephedrine. I, personally, get worse results with clen vs. the good old ECA stack. Clenbuterol also didn’t blunt my hunger
either and I ate more while taking it as well. I also seem to get much better effects out of cytomel as a fat burner as well. Even better than the ECA stack or
clenbuterol. But, again, that is my personal opinion.

Effective Dose: 80-140 mcgs. / day in split doses throughout the day. Anything over 140 mcg a day is overkill since the beta receptors can only take so much
of a product and then more is just wasteful.
Street Price: $.50 - 1.00 / tab. Fairly inexpensive in Mexico though. Spiropent is currently going for about $7.50/box, Novegam for $5.25/box, and Oxyflux
for about $3.30/box.

Stacking Info: One week on, one week off might make sense, or alternately, two weeks on two weeks off makes sense but has the disadvantage of a “crash”
period afterwards. You can take ephedrine after the clen to help reduce this “crash” period or at least make it more bearable for you. The two on/two off theory
is absolute bullshit and can’t work; read above.

Clenbuterol - Clen

What is Clenbuterol and what does it do?
Clenbuterol (often referred to simply as 'Clen') is not a steroid, but a Beta 2 Sympathomitetic and central nervous system (CNS) stimulant. It is a specific agonist, stimulating the adrenergic beta 2 receptors. It is used in certain countries in a medical sense as a bronchodilator in the treatment of asthma, though not in the UK and USA, mainly due to its long half life.

Athletes and bodybuilders use the drug due to its thermogenic and anti-catabolic effects. This is down to its ability to slightly increase the body's core temperature, thereby raising calorie (energy) expenditure. It is thought that a 1°F increase yields around a 5% increase in maintenance calories burned. Studies on livestock suggest that clenbuterol also has anabolic properties. However, this seems not to be the case in humans, thought to be due to the fact that humans lack the abundance of beta 3 receptors which increase insulin production and sensitivity.

Clenbuterol is dosed in micrograms (mcg/µg), most commonly in tablet form, though there are other forms of administration such as liquids, nasal sprays and injectables. Note: Although dosages are in microgram amounts, many manufacturers will list the active ingredient as milligrams (mg), so a tablet of 20mcg will be labelled as 0.02mg.

What are the side effects/possible implications?
Side effects are dose dependant, though most users will find that most tend to subside with persistent use. Caution is advised when employing the use of Clenbuterol in conjunction with other adrenoceptor agonists as side effects are likely to be cumulative. It is for this reason that it is generally not recommended to use ephedrine/ephedra (or ma huang) or the ECA stack (ephedrine-caffeine-aspirin) whilst using clen.

Common side effects of clenbuterol include:
Headaches
Muscular tremors (especially hand shakes)
Muscular cramps
Nervousness
Insomnia
Sweating
Increased appetite
Nausea
Palpitations
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Possible cardiac hypertrophy as clen also targets cardiac and smooth muscle fibres
Heart muscle necrosis has been demonstrated in animal studies

In view of the above side effects, it is obvious to assume that anyone with cardiac issues and/or hypertension should not use a stimulant such as Clenbuterol and caution must be observed by those already using similar compounds in the treatment of existing medical conditions. In addition, there is very little conclusive knowledge of the cardiac effects of supra-physiological dosages in humans.

Commonly used doses
It is well known that Clenbuterol use results in rapid down-regulation of beta 2 receptors. This is due to the powerful stimulatory effect of the drug. It is therefore pointless to use clen for long periods without a break. Some believe that a two day on, two day off dosing schedule will allow adequate potential for receptor up-regulation. However, I doubt this to be the case due to the relatively long half life of clen, resulting in continued stimulation even throughout the 'off' days. A much better regime would be a two week on, two week off cycle. Maximum plasma levels are reached around 2-3 hours after oral administration, and terminal half life at 34 hours (Zimmer, 1976).

A tapering up of dosages is recommended in an attempt to limit harsh side effects. Most commonly, a user will start by taking one 20mcg tablet on day 1, followed by an increase of one tablet on subsequent days. Subject to personal tolerance levels, a dosage of 140mcg (seven tabs) will be used by day 7, and this level should be maintained for the entire second week. It would be fruitless to exceed seven or eight tablets daily due to receptor over-saturation. There is no requirement to taper down.

For the next 'cycle' of clen (i.e. weeks 5 & 6), there is no requirement to taper up from one tablet as your tolerance level should now be known. As an example, if the user finished the first cycle of clen on 7 tabs, they could recommence at a slightly lower dose of 4 or 5, and taper up again from this level. Again though, the user should again limit their intake to 7 or 8 tabs daily.

During the two 'off' weeks, an ECA stack can be used as required. ECA will not cause such a pronounced down regulation and desensitization of the receptors, certainly not to the extent of clen. Ephedrine has a short half life in contrast to clen which results in times throughout the day where the betas will partially recover from stimulation by adrenaline and nor-adrenaline. Potency is also much weaker that that of clen, as it is not a specific agonist. Ephedrine is also thought to increase the conversion of endogenous/exogenous T4 to T3 through the activation of deiodinase enzymes responsible for this process. This is important as clen is known to slow the rate of T4 to T3 conversion. As a side note, some bodybuilders will use T3 concurrently with the Clenbuterol/ECA cutting cycle (together with certain anabolic/androgenic steroids no doubt!) in an attempt to at least maintain plasma T3 levels.

Cycles of Clen/ECA are normally limited to 12 weeks in total, though are often shorter.

Female dosages tend to be slightly lower than those of male users, with an upper limit of 80-120mcg (4-6 tabs).

Aside from its fat burning properties, Clen is often used as an anti-catabolic to maintain muscular gains following a steroid cycle. A dosage of 40mcg daily would be suited to this situation.

There is no particular requirement to split the dosage throughout the day due to the long half life. Most will take the full daily dose in the morning, though some prefer to take their dose just before bed in an attempt to avoid most of the side effects as they sleep.

Some user accounts suggest that splitting the dose may lessen side effects slightly. It is a trial and error process in essence, to ascertain which method suits you personally.

Muscular cramping
Cramping whilst using Clenbuterol is a fairly common side effect. This is most probably due to depletion of the amino acid taurine in the liver together with deficits in the electrolytes sodium and potassium, as well as inadequate hydration. Taurine helps stabilize cell membranes and prevent nerves from becoming over-excited. Some studies show that giving taurine supplements relieves painful muscle cramps. Japanese researchers found that the longer rats exercised, the more taurine they lost from their muscles (Matsuzaki et al, 2002).

Symptoms of cramping may be alleviated by:
Eating fruit particularly bananas
Ensuring adequate hydration
Taurine supplementation - 3-5g daily
Potassium supplementation - 200-400mg daily taken before bed on an empty stomach

Ketotifen
Ketotifen is an anti-histamine used medically to treat bronchial asthma and allergies. It has a sedative and depressant effect on the brain. It acts by decreasing the release of histamine which is a chemical released when an allergic reaction occurs. Ketotifen blocks the action of histamine on special histamine receptors and reduces the nerve response when an allergic reaction occurs.

Histamine is the chemical in the body that causes the symptoms of an allergic (hypersensitivity) reaction. These can include inflammation of the skin, airways or tissues, rashes, itching and of the skin, eyes or nose, nasal congestion and narrowing of the airways. By blocking the actions of histamine, ketotifen may prevent and relieve the narrowing of the airways that occurs in asthma due to allergies.

However, bodybuilders are interested in the drug as it has been shown to inhibit the down regulation of the beta receptors, including the beta 2s that clen stimulates. As long as you are taking ketotifen, it will continue to clean these receptors, never allowing them to downregulate, even while on a heavy clen cycle. That means you can continue to take clen indefinitely without having to cycle off to regenerate the receptors. A dose of 2-3mg daily can upregulate even severely shut down receptors within a week.

It also means that you don't need as much clen to get the same benefits. It seems you can take about 30-40% less clen and it be equally effective.

No studies have been done to find the most effective dose though most users should find 3-4mg daily ideal, which can be split or taken in one sitting. Higher doses are likely to cause (sometimes severe) drowsiness and increase appetite.