BODYBUILDERS, athletes and slimmers are misusing a livestock drug, putting them at risk of serious health problems. Research reveals the use of veterinary drug clenbuterol has spread from elite athletes to the general public.
A rising number of Australians are calling poison hotlines with racing hearts, nausea, vomiting, tremors and anxiety.
There has also been one *reported cardiac arrest in a young man linked to the drug.
Clenbuterol is predominantly used to treat respiratory illnesses in horses and, in some countries, it’s still used illegally to increase lean meat in food-producing animals.
The study by the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital’s Dr Jonathan Brett and researchers from the NSW Poisons Information Centre found 63 calls for help about the drug from 2004-2009.
Most patients were using it for slimming and bodybuilding and had to be hospitalised.
The Medical Journal of Australia report said there was a dramatic spike from three in 2008 to 27 in 2012.
Dr Brett said the diversion of veterinary products for misuse in humans was a “longstanding issue”.
The performance-enhancing drug made headlines when it was popular among elite *athletes, with cyclist Alberto Contador and sprinter Katrin Krabbe receiving bans.
In humans, it’s used to boost aerobic capacity, the body’s ability to transport oxygen and metabolise fat.
The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority has also sanctioned bodybuilders and Australian rules footballers in relation to it.
An ASADA spokesman said clenbuterol was a potentially dangerous drug that was not approved for human use.
“Unsupervised use of clenbuterol can worsen heart conditions or hypertension, and there is a risk of overdose and stroke,” he said.
It is on the World Anti-Doping Code’s Prohibited List.
Mr Jeff Robinson, manager of the Victorian Poisons Information Centre, said there were 14 calls to the centre about the drug over the past four years.
But Mr Robinson said it was concerning that people were buying the drugs on the *internet and experimenting with doses.
http://www.news.com.au/national/vic...drug-clenbuterol/story-fnii5sms-1226843077461
A rising number of Australians are calling poison hotlines with racing hearts, nausea, vomiting, tremors and anxiety.
There has also been one *reported cardiac arrest in a young man linked to the drug.
Clenbuterol is predominantly used to treat respiratory illnesses in horses and, in some countries, it’s still used illegally to increase lean meat in food-producing animals.
The study by the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital’s Dr Jonathan Brett and researchers from the NSW Poisons Information Centre found 63 calls for help about the drug from 2004-2009.
Most patients were using it for slimming and bodybuilding and had to be hospitalised.
The Medical Journal of Australia report said there was a dramatic spike from three in 2008 to 27 in 2012.
Dr Brett said the diversion of veterinary products for misuse in humans was a “longstanding issue”.
The performance-enhancing drug made headlines when it was popular among elite *athletes, with cyclist Alberto Contador and sprinter Katrin Krabbe receiving bans.
In humans, it’s used to boost aerobic capacity, the body’s ability to transport oxygen and metabolise fat.
The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority has also sanctioned bodybuilders and Australian rules footballers in relation to it.
An ASADA spokesman said clenbuterol was a potentially dangerous drug that was not approved for human use.
“Unsupervised use of clenbuterol can worsen heart conditions or hypertension, and there is a risk of overdose and stroke,” he said.
It is on the World Anti-Doping Code’s Prohibited List.
Mr Jeff Robinson, manager of the Victorian Poisons Information Centre, said there were 14 calls to the centre about the drug over the past four years.
But Mr Robinson said it was concerning that people were buying the drugs on the *internet and experimenting with doses.
http://www.news.com.au/national/vic...drug-clenbuterol/story-fnii5sms-1226843077461