Side-Effects of Clenbuterol

More and more women are using Clenbuterol, which is commonly called “Clen”, to lose weight quickly. Fore some, this could be a potentially life threatening decision. Even short-term usage of Clenbuterol is known to produce side-effects such as headaches, muscle tremors, insomnia, restlessness, palpitations, increased perspiration, muscle spasms, increased blood pressure, and nausea. Long-term consumption of Clenbuterol may lead to serious health problems. Permanent side effects, such as left-sided cardiac atrophy, can occur very quickly; in as little as one month in some cases when Clenbuterol is taken in high doses.

See also related article: Clenbuterol and Weight Loss

What is Clenbuterol?

Recently, the media have been reporting on the revelation that, for well over a decade, celebrities have been using Clenbuterol. Clenbuterol HCL, also known as Clenbuterol Hydrochloride, Ventipulmin, Spiropent, Novegam and Oxyflux, is a drug that is growing in popularity as an illegal diet pill.

Clenbuterol was initially developed to alleviate asthma symptoms in horses by relaxing the muscles in the airways. Its stimulant effect on the heart and central nervous system is comparable with adrenalin or amphetamines.

Clenbuterol is illegal in the US for human use. This is due to the fact that the drug has side-effects, such as palpitations and arrhythmia [irregular heartbeat], and has been linked to several cases of poisoning. In the US and most countries in Europe, Clenbuterol is prohibited for use in animals that will enter the food chain.

Although many dieters would like to use Clenbuterol for weight loss indefinitely, the drug is rarely taken for more than a month at a time. This is due to progressive loss of effectiveness. It is believed that this reduction in efficacy is due to a drug induced decline in the number of beta-2 receptors in the body over time, making Clenbuterol less potent. If the dose is increased, little additional benefit is achieved and side-effects become a major problem.

Side-effects of Clenbuterol

Clenbuterol is usually only effective for around 4 weeks. Thereafter, the body develops resistance to the drug. Short-term usage of Clenbuterol is known to produce side-effects. These side-effects are usually short-lived and often subside after 8-10 days, despite continued use of the drug. Side-effects of Clenbuterol are dose-dependant and include:

• Headaches
• Light-headiness
• Dizziness
• Pallor
• Heartburn
• Weakness
• Paradoxical bronchospasm
• Dysuria
• Dry mouth
• Muscular tremors (especially hand shakes)
• Muscular cramps
• Nervousness
• Insomnia
• Facial flushing
• Sweating
• Increased appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Chest pain
• Palpitations
• Tachycardia
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Possible cardiac hypertrophy
• Heart muscle necrosis has been demonstrated in animal studies

After ingestion, Clenbuterol remains in the body for up to 39 hours. As a result of its long residence time, the adverse effects of Clenbuterol can be prolonged. Long-term consumption of Clenbuterol may lead to serious health problems. Permanent side effects, such as left-sided cardiac atrophy, can occur very quickly; in as little as one month in some cases when Clenbuterol is taken in high doses.

Clenbuterol overdose

Other side-effects can develop rapidly when overdosing on the drug: sudden racing heart beat (tachycardia), irregular heart beat (arrhythmia), depleted phosphate levels, potassium depletion, taurine depletion, headaches, tremors, vertigo and even stroke. Liver damage is also possible. Sudden death is possible at very high doses of Clenbuterol.

Symptoms may begin within minutes of ingestion of Clenbuterol at high doses, and last for hours/ days leading to prolonged toxicity due to the long-half life of the drug.

Because Clenbuterol can increase muscle definition and reduces fat, livestock are often dosed with the drug. In Spain in 1994, 140 people were hospitalised after they consumed meat tainted with Clenbuterol. They suffered dizziness, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, shakes and headaches. In China recently, the newspaper People’s Daily reported that 336 people in Shanghai had been poisoned after eating pork contaminated with Clenbuterol. The drug had been banned by the Chinese government in the 1990s.

Clenbuterol interaction with other drugs

Caution is advised when using Clenbuterol in combination with other adrenoceptor agonists, as side effects are likely to be cumulative. It is for this reason that it is not recommended to use ephedrine/ephedra (or ma huang) or the ECA stack (ephedrine-caffeine-aspirin) whilst taking Clenbuterol.

Clenbuterol studies in rats

Researchers at the University of Melbourne in Australia recently gave Clenbuterol to laboratory rats at a dose of 2 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day.
After only 4 weeks, Clenbuterol-treated rats were unable to maintain the activity levels of normal untreated rats. The hearts of the Clenbuterol-treated rats increased dramatically in size compared to untreated rats, but unfortunately heart growth was probably due to the infiltration of collagen fibres into the heart walls, not to an increase in heart-muscle cell size and density. Collagen is a tough connective tissue which stiffens the organs in which it grows. In the case of the heart, the presence of collagen fibers would lead to a decrease in cardiac output. Increases in collagen may also result in cardiac arrhythmias. Clenbuterol treated rats also suffered from noticeable cardiac-cell degeneration.

Clenbuterol and Weight Gain

Despite the fact that the list of potential side-effects induced by Clenbuterol is extensive, there is one side-effect that is probably of key interest to slimmers. In the long-term Clenbuterol is known to suddenly lose its efficacy and can cause rapid weight gain – possibly due to a sudden slowing in the body’s metabolic rate.

Clenbuterol dosage

Clenbuterol can be administered as an inhaler spray, orally and intravenously. It is usually taken orally by slimmers and bodybuilders in dosages ranging between 20 and 60 micrograms a day. Users who have never taken Clenbuterol before, or users who have been off the drug for several weeks or months, typically start with one 20 milligram pill. Starting Clenbuterol at higher doses may induce noticeable side-effects.

Generally, Clenbuterol is gradually increased, depending on how well it is tolerated. The highest typical daily dose range is two to four tablets (40-80 micrograms) for women and two to eight tablets (40-160 micrograms) for men.

The information presented in this article is strictly for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice or attention of healthcare professionals.