Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2023 Jul;137(4):1023-1037.
doi: 10.1007/s00414-023-02996-1. Epub 2023 Apr 17.

Adverse events of clenbuterol among athletes: a systematic review of case reports and case series

Affiliations
Case Reports

Adverse events of clenbuterol among athletes: a systematic review of case reports and case series

Sweta Kumari et al. Int J Legal Med. 2023 Jul.

Abstract

Clenbuterol is a potent beta-2 agonist widely misused by professional athletes and bodybuilders. Information on clenbuterol associated adverse events is present in case reports and case series, though it may not be readily available. This systematic review aimed to critically evaluate the evidence of adverse events associated with clenbuterol among athletes. The search strategy was in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched from 1990 to October 2021 to find out the relevant case reports and case series. There were 23 included studies. Using a suitable scale, the included studies' methodological quality analysis was evaluated. In total, 24 athletes experienced adverse events. Oral ingestion of clenbuterol was the most preferred route among them. The daily administered dose of clenbuterol was ranging from 20 µg to 30 mg. Major adverse events experienced by athletes were supraventricular tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, hypotension, chest pain, myocardial injury, myocarditis, myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, hepatomegaly, hyperglycemia, and death. The cardiac-related complications were the most commonly occurring adverse events. Clenbuterol is notorious to produce life-threatening adverse events including death. Lack of evidence regarding the performance-enhancing effects of clenbuterol combined with its serious toxicities questions the usefulness of this drug in athletes.

Keywords: Adverse effect; Adverse events; Athletes; Bodybuilding; Clenbuterol.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Hwang JH, Spurlock ME, Kube JC, Li XZ, Smith SB (2021) Characterization of β-adrenergic receptors in bovine intramuscular and subcutaneous adipose tissue: comparison of lubabegron fumarate with β-adrenergic receptor agonists and antagonists. J Anim Sci 99:1–12. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab116 - DOI
    1. Kim H-K, Della-Fera MA, Hausman DB, Baile CA (2010) Effect of clenbuterol on apoptosis, adipogenesis, and lipolysis in adipocytes. J Physiol Biochem 66:197–203. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13105-010-0024-8 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Yamamoto I, Iwata K, Nakashima M (1985) Pharmacokinetics of plasma and urine clenbuterol in man, rat, and rabbit. J Pharmacobiodyn 8:385–391. https://doi.org/10.1248/bpb1978.8.385 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Al-Majed AA, Khalil NY, Khbrani I, Abdel-Aziz HA (2017) Clenbuterol hydrochloride. profiles of drug substances, excipients and related methodology. Elsevier. 91–123.
    1. Grimmer NM, Gimbar RP, Bursua A, Patel M (2016) Rhabdomyolysis secondary to clenbuterol use and exercise. J Emerg Med 50:e71–e74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2015.09.006 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources