Substance: clonidine hydrochloride
Remark:
The above list contains only a small selection of available compounds.
Only the tablet form has been listed. The substance clonidine
hydrochloride may be administered in various other forms including
capsules, injectable solutions, ampules, and eye drops. Forty additional
compounds are available abroad which, due to the limited space, have not
been listed here.
Catapres is an antihypertensive drug. In school medicine it is used to
reduce high blood pressure. High blood pressure caused by ste-roids can
be lowered by taking Catapres. Athletes became interested in this drug
when medical research reported that Catapres stimu-lates the endogenous
production of the growth hormones. It should also be taken before going
to sleep at night and in the morning immediately after getting up. Some
athletes take a 0.3 mg tablet at night and a 0. 15 mg tablet on an empty
stomach immediately after waking up in the morning. The nightly dose
increases the concen-tration of growth hormones for several hours, which
then again can be increased by taking the morning dose. The achieved
serum concentration is significantly above the normal value so that
Catapres does have a considerable anabolic effect. Athletes, however,
rarely use it since it has several undesirable side effects such as
lethargy, fatigue, dry mouth, potency disturbances, and vertigo. Those
who have a low blood pressure and a low heart rate should be extremely
careful when using it. One hundred tablets are available for approx. $60
on the black market.