The active ingredient clenbuterol is primarily used in medications to treat asthma. It relaxes the respiratory muscles, relieving spasm during an asthma attack. However, because of the fat-burning effect at high doses of clenbuterol, this active ingredient is also often taken by bodybuilders. Competitive athletes not only want to lose weight with clenbuterol, but also rely on its anabolic effect: by slowing down protein breakdown, it helps to increase muscle cell size. This makes it possible to build muscle more quickly. However, clenbuterol does not belong to the anabolic steroids, but to the substance class of beta-2 agonists.
Clenbuterol side effects
Since it is not a hormone preparation, the side effect potential of clenbuterol is much lower and is often not taken seriously by athletes. Doping with clenbuterol may indeed result in muscle tremors, excessive sweating, headaches, insomnia, elevated blood pressure, and nausea. However, these side effects usually subside after a week or two, once you get used to the drug.
Nevertheless, clenbuterol is a prescription drug that should only be used under medical supervision and in the prescribed dosage. Failure to do so may result in long-term damage to the lungs, heart and other internal organs.
Doping with clenbuterol
Apart from that, doping with clenbuterol is usually only successful in competitive athletes. Non-athletic, overweight people usually record only short-term successes – if any – when losing weight with clenbuterol.
Probably the best-known case of clenbuterol doping is that of two-time sprint world champion Katrin Krabbe. She was found to have taken the performance-enhancing drug in 1992. Since then, the abuse of clenbuterol has declined sharply due to strict controls within the EU. There are also repeated scandals in animal fattening, where the active ingredient clenbuterol is administered to animals in a prohibited manner in order to produce lean meat.
