The Clen Chronicles

Following the Olympics in 1992, a new breed of stimulant gained global recognition. Hailed as the “dopers’ delight,” this anti-asthma medication was special. Not only could it be used as a stimulant, but many believed it could also enhance muscle growth. Only four years earlier, steroid guru Dan Duchaine had introduced the bodybuilding world to this same drug, which to this day remains one of our sport’s most misunderstood and misused compounds: clenbuterol hydrochloride.

Targeting specific receptor sites in the body’s sympathetic nervous system (SNS), Clen is a selective beta-2 sympathomimetic… wait, a what?

A car backfires and unconsciously you jump off your couch. This is an automatic physiological response initiated by your SNS in response to a perceived threat. Known as “fight or flight,” this response is the result of the release of a hormone called norepinephrine (NE). To work, NE has to bind and activate a specific receptor in your body called a beta-2 receptor. Think of this like a lock and key. Only one key (NE) can both fit (bind) and unlock (activate) one lock (beta-2 receptor). This is where clen comes in. Clen acts as a “fake” key that can unlock only some beta-2 receptors (which why it’s called “selective”).

Although its labeled use is as an anti-asthma medication, Clen is able to unlock fat and muscle tissue cells throughout the body. Like other beta-2 agonists, Clen is a thermogenic; that’s where the term “clen-sweats” comes from. This is caused by an increase in body temperature and metabolic rate, as well as its ability to directly target fat cell breakdown of triglycerides to free fatty acids. That’s what makes clen such a popular fat-loss drug.

Its anabolic capabilities, however, are still up for debate. Although bros have been using clen as a part of post-cycle therapy or as an alternative to steroids to get “lean gains” since the early ‘90s, there remains no human research (animal studies only) that provides evidence to support an increase in lean muscle mass as a result of taking clen. Regardless, clen has become a staple drug for many athletes both in and out of bodybuilding. While “clen-shreds” may sound enticing, they certainly don’t come without controversy and concern. It doesn’t matter how Clen gets into your body—inhaled, orally consumed pill or liquid, or injected—remember this: Clen is dangerous.

Clen is different than other beta-2 agonists or stimulants based on specificity, potency, and duration of effect. This makes for steady, strong, blood levels of clen, which are often easy to achieve with just a single or twice-daily dose (thanks to its 35-hour half-life). After a few weeks (usually four to six), the body’s beta-2 receptors slowly stop responding due to a process called down-regulation. Simply put, they stop responding and require rest (read: stop taking the drug!).

However, like other performance enhancers, Clen is great at turning users into complete idiots by tempting them with magical, everlasting results. What follows is the “more is better, longer is better” complex.

From developing a psychological dependency based on ill-informed perceptions that clen can be used long term to the fact that users gauge the effectiveness of the drug based on the initial (versus long-term) side effects such as shaky hands, insomnia, sweating, and nausea, it appears that we have a growing clen-head epidemic on our hands.

Initial side effects should dissipate after a few days, but this doesn’t mean that the drug has stopped working. Please stop boosting the dose to supersonic levels and believing that stacking it with other stimulants will results in “better results” and not a cardiac arrest. Wake up and educate yourself on drug dependency and the long-term effects of clen that happen even after beta-2 receptors stop responding.

Not only that, but because of its strength, long half-life, and perceived effectiveness, there’s such a thing as clen toxicity, which is why in Canada it’s not available for human use even with a prescription and veterinary practice has dramatically declined over the past few years.

Clen has never been made available for human or animal use in the US, and within sport, clen is completely banned even though some countries such as Bulgaria, Russia, and China continue to prescribe it as a therapeutic drug (I’m sure the IOC wonders why there has been an increase of athletes with “asthma”).

Since the mid-‘90s, it’s even illegal to use clen to bulk up livestock. Not only was the animals’ physiology questionable, but those who ate clen’d meat suffered symptoms of overdose, such as fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. As an FYI to athletes who travel, be mindful that not all countries have banned its use in livestock. Anti-doping agencies have reported numerous cases where athletes tested positive for clen after eating contaminated meat—or at least that’s what the athlete told officials after being caught clen-handed.

Even though, for all intents and purposes, clen is pretty much illegal, it continues to be widely available on the black market and used for performance enhancement. Even though athletes have been using stimulants for centuries (from the consumption of cocaine in the 18th century to amphetamine use during the Cold War to today’s clen-heads), that doesn’t make it safe or smart.

For a different kind of article article which looks at the morals and ethics behind taking Clenbuterol, check out this article!