Albuterol
(Albuterol Sulfate)
Albuterol Description:
Albuterol, a.k.a. Salbutamol, is a relatively selective beta2-adrenergic bronchodilator used to prevent and treat wheezing, difficulty breathing, and chest tightness caused by lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; a group of diseases that affect the lungs and airways). Albuterol is in a class of medications called bronchodilators which are absorbed at the beta-receptor level, which work by relaxing and opening the air passages to the lungs to make breathing easier. Some of Albuterol more popular brand names include Proventil, Salamol, Ventolin, Volmax and Vospire.
Albuterol Form:
Albuterol comes as an aerosol, syrup, tablet, and as an extended-release (long-acting) tablet. Due to a very short half-life (about 4 hours) the aerosol, tablets and syrup are usually taken three or four times a day. The extended-release tablets are generally taken once every 12 hours. It is recommended that you take Albuterol at around the same times every day.
Albuterol is a white or off-white powder thats freely soluble in water, slightly soluble in ethanol, and comes in both 2 and 4 mg tablets. Many drugs can be cut, broken, crushed or chewed, but Albuterols instructions explicitly state that none of the above should be done to the extended-released tablets because it disrupts absorption. For all delivery methods, maximum plasma concentrations of about 18 ng/mL are achieved within 2 hours of administration.
Albuterol Indications/Purpose:
Essentially, Albuterol is Clenbuterols (
Clen) fast-acting cousin. It possesses all the traditional properties of
Clen, but may actually be better for athletes. Whereas Clen has a very long-lasting effect in the body, Albuterol possesses a substantially shorter half-life. Not only can you expect the effective fat-burning benefits of Clen when using Albuterol, but it also has some rather interesting effects on your strength as well.
In one study, subjects performed 9 weeks of isokinetic knee extensions twice weekly. For 6 weeks, Albuterol was given to one group, and a placebo to the other. Both groups received 16 mg of either treatment, were strength trained, and had their results recorded. The Albuterol group, at both mid-testing and post-testing, had greater strength increases than the non-Albuterol group. These results clearly indicate that even therapeutic doses of Albuterol, administered in conjunction with resistance exercise augments strength gains above and beyond those experienced without Albuterol. Similarly, other beta-agonists namely
Clenbuterol and
Ephedrine have also demonstrated the capacity to temporarily improve strength in the resistance trained body. The
bodybuilder/athlete dosage and administration of Albuterol varies with the delivery method.
Albuterol Side Effects:
Although the manufacturer lists numerous possible side effects, the use of Albuterol and its beta-agonist relatives generally result in very few which typically include: shakiness or slight tremors; increased mental alertness; muscle cramping; difficulty falling asleep and; slightly accelerated (not irregular) heartbeat. However, when excessive amounts are taken, or when someone is reacting poorly to these medications they often experience: dizziness; headaches; uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body; nosebleeds; nausea; fast pounding or irregular heartbeat; chest pains; fevers; blisters or rash; hives; swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, eyes, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs; difficulty breathing; difficulty swallowing and; hoarseness.
Additional Albuterol Information: Albuterols contraindicated drug and drug categories (those that should not be taken at the same time) include Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors or Tricyclic Antidepressants, Beta-Blockers, Diuretics, and Digoxin.
Chemical Composition Formula: C13H21NO3
Molecular Weight: 576.71
Bioavailability: N/A
Protein Binding: N/A
Half-Life: 3.8 Hours
Manufacturer: Multiple
Active Ingredient:
Albuterol Sulfate
Inactive Ingredients: anhydrous lactose, magnesium stearate, pregelatinized (corn) starch, and sodium starch glycolate
