Clenbuterol: An Overview of the Banned Weight Loss Drug

As a common weight loss product used outside of the United States, Clenbuterol is making waves in worldwide news among dieters and athletes. Considered an illegal performance enhancing drug, Clenbuterol is believed to improve muscle tone and performance but may have life impacting complications. As a dieter, athlete or body builder, understanding the negative implicaton of Clenbuteral may work to improve the overall health outcome.

Originally created and released as a prescription product in the treatment of breathing disorders, athletes throughout the world have learned Clenbuterol may improve muscle tone and weight loss through its ephedra-like effects. Not a steroid, Clenbuterol, with the ephedra-like action, will change the contraction of smooth muscles in the body thereby increasing heart rate and placing the user at risk for cardiovascular complications. As a result, many healthcare professionals are choosing to avoid prescribing Clenbuterol unless the patient clearly needs such medication in the use of a breathing disorder.

When used in dieting or weight loss, success is reportedly common among individuals who taper the dosing, increasing over several days, with a maximum therapeutic benefit found after four weeks. Because the body will easily adapt to the effects of Clenbuterol, making it less effective, use beyond four weeks has not proven beneficial.

In the United States, it is not expected the FDA will approve Clenbuterol for use as a weight loss drug. In fact, because of the risk to the heart, with prolonged use, there is a growing enforcement of shipment of Clenbuterol into the United States. In addition to the cardiovascular complications, Clenbuterol may also be toxic to the liver leading to life impacting health complications if this drug is abused.

What is important to understand is the use of Clenbuterol by athletes and body builders around the United States. Believed to boost muscle mass, while providing a greater metabolism, athletes find Clenbuterol to be of particular interest in their sportt. When using Clenbuterol, athletes and dieters commonly report their appetites increase as the ephedra-like effects set in. Headaches, tremors and insomnia were also quite common.

Considered a banned drug, Clenbuterol is still very common among the health and athletic programs outside of the United States. While purchasing Clenbuterol is illegal, the ease with which the drug can be purchased, online, is remarkable. In fact, dosing is rather simple to obtain and, in some cases, is not adjusted based on age or sex of the consumer. This is crucially important as Clenbuterol, for women, must be administered in lower doses. For this reason, and since the drug is not FDA approved, government officials are closely monitoring the sales of Clenbuterol to U.S. consumers.

As with any weight loss or performance enhancing programs, sticking with natural supplements and working hard will provide the much desired outcome in addition to maintaining optimal health. When approached with regard to the purchase of Clenbuterol, in the United States, kindly decline and report the sale of the banned drug to the Federal Drug Administration.