Triacana
Substance: t1ratricol
Triacana belongs to the group of thyroid hormone preparations. Its
substance tiratricol is a precursor of the iodiferous thyroid hormone,
L-triiodthyronine (L-T3). L-T3, together with another iodiferous
thyroid hormone, L-T4 (L-thyroxine), is produced in the thyroid and is
the distinctly stronger and more effective of these two hormones.
School medicine use Triacana in the treat-ments of obesity and
hyperthyroidism (e.g. Jod-Basedow phenom-enon-, goiter).
Hyperthyroidism is an abnormal function of the thy-roid gland in which
the amount of secretion by the thyroid hor-mone is above average. The
thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) stimulates the thyroid gland to
produce more L-T3 and L-T4. By the use of Triacana an excessive
release of TSH can be avoided.
In the medical arsenal of bodybuilders Triacana has had a firm place
since the late 1970's. After all, its lipolytic (fatburning) ef-fect
is sufficiently known. This is due to the hypermetabolic state,
increased irritability, and especially higher body temperature
(gen-eration of heat) during the intake of Triacana. These are
factors, which help the competing bodybuilder break down fat more
eas-ily. By a caloric intake which is higher than usual it is still
pos-sible to obtain a lower body fat content together with good muscle
hardness. Although Triacana enjoys the reputation among ath-letes as a
strong and especially effective fatburning thyroid hor-mone
preparation, this preparation is a rather mild, well-toler-ated and
relatively harmless compound. The often-made com-parison with the two
L-T3 thyroid gland hormone compounds, Cytomel and Thybon, is a poor
comparison since Triacana, mi-crogram for microgram, has a
considerably lower effect. Even the more moderate L-T4 thyroid hormone
drugs such as Synthroid or L-thyroxine are stronger than the substance
tiratricol.
In order to achieve a visible fat-reducing effect most athletes must
usually take 10-14 tablets/day. Generally, two 0.35 mg tablets are
taken on the first day of intake and with two tablets added each
successive day until 10-14 tablets/day are taken. The half-life time
of tiratricol is 5-7 hours, so Triacana is usually taken 3-4 times
daily. This guarantees a constant quantity of the sub-stance in the
blood and thus a continued effect. Many athletes, in the meantime, are
combining Triacana with Clenbuterol or Ephe-drine and report
considerably better fat breakdown than when Triacana alone is taken.
Among competing female bodybuilders and participants at the Miss
Fitness pageant, in particular, the simultaneous administration of
8-10 Triacana tablets/day and 80-100 mcg Clenbuterol/day is a
favorite. A series of bodybuild-ers use Triacana in combination with
growth hormones in order to meet the body's increased thyroid hormone
need during STH treatment (see chapter "Growth Hormones"). The
theoretical ap-proach seems to be correct but Triacana is not an
"ideal" thyroid hormone drug. The preparation Thyreocomb from the
German Berlin-Chemie Company taken with a combination of the
iodiferous L-T3 and L-T4 thyroid hormones would be more suit-able.
As for the duration of application the opinions of athletes vary
greatly. Some use Triacana for only 4 weeks, mostly because they are
afraid of a thyroid dysfunction. Others take it over a period of
months. When looking at the physiological character-istics of the
substance tiratricol, it becomes easier to make more accurate
indications as to a possible duration of intake and the potential
health risks that go along with the use. When taken in a dosage of 0.6
mg/day the reduction in the body's own TSH release can be obtained;
with increased dosages it can be com-pletely suppressed. The fear that
the TSH release will be continu-ously disturbed or suppressed after
using the medication is with-out reason since this is a reversible,
temporary process. 'Already 2-3 weeks after the intake is discontinued
the TSH release is com-pletely normalized" (from Vidal 1994, page
1498). With this back-ground knowledge and based on the experiences of
several ath-letes we would choose an intake interval of 10- 12 weeks.
Potential side effects such as palpitations, tremors, irregular
heartbeat, dizziness, restlessness, nervousness, and excessive
perspiration occur mostly during the first few days of intake. Those
who in-crease their dosages slowly and evenly over several days as
sug-gested usually have few problems with Triacana. Toward the end of
the intake period a step-by-step reduction in the daily tablet dosage
is better than abruptly discontinuing the substance. In summary one
can say that Triacana is a (mild) alternative to the strong L-T3
thyroid hormone compounds such as Cytomel or Thybon with their strong
side effects. It has only a lower lipolytic effect but can be taken
over a prolonged period of time. Mistakes made during the intake are
forgiven with Triacana rather than with Cytomel. Ambi-tious
bodybuilders and athletes who are able to responsibly use strong
medication choose Cytomel; persons who, however, fear side effects,
who do not know much, or believe that "more is better," should select
Triacana.
One hundred tablets are packaged in a box containing four push-through
strips of 25 tablets each. The tablets are white and have neither an
imprint nor a break indentation. The price on the black market is
usually $60 - 80 per box.
