by Mike Arnold

After receiving a question about Helios in one of my Q & A’s this last week, I started asking myself why more people don’t use this product. Despite being one of the most effective Clen preparations on the market, it gets relatively little fanfare, coming up in conversation only occasionally and typically in the form of an inquiry. This is a real shame, as Helios is not only a great overall fat loss aide, but has also earned its stripes as a legitimate spot reducer. Whether its failing popularity is due to a lack of availability, general ignorance about the drug, or other reasons, it is overdue for its fair share of time in the limelight.



A combination of two routinely used fat loss agents; Helios is a mixture of 40 mcg Clenbuterol to 5 mg Yohimbine HCL, per ml. At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be anything special about this basic formulation, making it easy to question its overall appeal in comparison to traditional versions of these drugs. After all, one can more easily purchase them solo, allowing for individual dosing and bypassing the entire injection process. With these potential downsides (although sub-q injections are rarely a deal breaker for serious BB’rs), what is it that makes Helios worthwhile to the consumer?

Due to the delivery method employed, the pharmacokinetics of the compounds within Helios is altered from that of its oral form. When consumed orally, Yohimbine-HCL is rapidly absorbed (11 min half life) and usually achieves maximum plasma concentration in less than one hour. However, the mean bioavailability is low (22–33%, depending on the studies referenced), with a high degree of variance from person to person, ranging from an absorption rat as little as a 4% to as high as 87%. Although dietary fat reduces the absorption rate, variability among individuals is still high regardless of nutritional status.

In contrast, oral Clenbuterol has a half-life of about 35 hours, while achieving maximum plasma concentration within roughly 2.5 hours and lasting 6 hours. In terms of absorption rate, oral delivery has little impact on Clenbuterol relative to Yohimbine HCL. However, when assessing these 2 drugs as a whole, we see little consistency in absorption rates among individuals. This is particularly true with Yohimbine HCL, which is absorbed at less than 5% in some instances. Clearly, Yohimbine is at a significant disadvantage when consumed orally compared to intravenous or subcutaneous delivery, which boasts a near 100% absorption rate for both drugs.

Those who have used Helios will attest to the increased potency of this combination when administered in injectable form, especially Yohimbine HCL. Among many, Yohimbine HCL is viewed more as an ancillary drug rather than an integral component of one’s fat loss protocol. Take it or leave it is frequently the general consensus. No doubt, this opinion is most often due to sub-optimal dosing practices. If the ideal dosing range is 10-12 mg’s daily, but the individual is only absorbing 25% of the drug, their true usable dose is only 2.5-3.0 mg’s daily; hardly enough to provide maximum results. What about those who end up at the bottom of the pack, absorbing only 4-5%? Well, they might as well not be using it at all. The bottom line is that Helios has superior bioavailability, making it the more potent product on a mg per mg basis.

Generally speaking, I recommend that first time Helios users begin at about 50% of their normal starting dose, using Clenbuterol as a guide. So, if you would normally start out at 40 mcg per day, I suggest dropping down to only 20 mcg and gauging your response before going up. This may not seem like much to an experienced Clen user, but keep in mind that a disturbingly large percentage of the Clenbuterol sold on the UGL market today is moderately to severely under-dosed. With the addition of high-dose Yohimbine HCL at a near 100% absorption rate, the stimulant effect is further amplified. Finally, Helios hits much quicker than oral forms, so be prepared to feel maximum effects within minutes. Because of these differing pharmacokinetics, use caution when attempting to determine your ideal dose.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of this product is its ability to spot reduce. Similar to growth hormone, Helios is well known for being able to breakdown bodyfat at the injection site. However, it would be a mistake to target the exact same injection site repeatedly, unless you prefer uneven fat loss in the form of divots and bumps. When injecting into larger fat deposits, such as the love handles, most choose to break up their daily dose into 6-8 micro-injects, with 3-4 injections per side. This will allow the compounds to reach a larger percentage of fat cells within the region, allowing for a more even distribution of fat loss. Many have reported bruising at the injection site, so take this into consideration if you have a significant other who is not aware of your drug habits, as it may be somewhat difficult to explain away the existence of scattered, chronic bruising. Of course, if spot rejection is not a concern, then a single injection at a location of your choosing will suffice, although I do recommend that your total daily dose be broken up into at least 2 daily injections —preferably 3, in order to maintain blood levels of the Yohimbine HCL throughout the day.

On another note, this stuff should be injected directly into your bodyfat when used for spot reduction, not I.M. or even sub-q. It can be injected sub-q if one isn’t trying to spot reduce, but according to those who have personal experience with the drug, it tends to burn a bit when administered in this fashion. Whether this is due to the way in which some particular products are manufactured, or a direct result of the drugs themselves, I do not know, but it is worth mentioning.

If there is one downside to Helios, it is the inability to control the ratio of Clen to Yohimbine. Most people will be able to handle 10-12 mg of Yohimbine HCL daily right up front when administered in 3 equally divided doses, but much fewer people can handle 80-100 mcg Clen under the same circumstances, especially when the product is properly dosed. Therefore, one would have to build a considerable tolerance to Clenbuterol before reaching an optimal dose or Yohimbine HCL. For those people who are using around 80 mcg daily, the ratio is just about perfect, supplying 10 mg Yohimbine for every 80 mcg of Clen.

Regardless of whether your goal is whole-body fat loss and/or spot reduction, results will manifest quickly. However, it is important to remember that as a Clen product, receptor down-regulation will occur rapidly—in about 2 weeks, requiring the user to do one of three things: 1) Follow a 2 week ON/ 2 week OFF protocol 2) Continue to increase the dose in order to overcome the growing desensitization 3) Use ketotifin in combination with Helios. This will prevent receptor down-regulation, thereby allowing the user to continue using the drug uninterrupted and without the need for excessive dosages. Although Ketotifin may allow for extended use, I generally don’t recommend Helios or any Clen product be run for longer than about 4 weeks continuously, due to the increased potential for cardiac damage.

In recent years there seems have developed a lax attitude among many in the drug using community, in which all drugs are viewed as inherently safe, even when used at higher dosages and/or for lengthy periods of time. These individuals often try to justify their irresponsible use by citing deceiving statistics, thereby minimizing the potential for harm associated with these drugs. Although Clen is generally well tolerated when used at appropriate doses and for reasonable lengths of time, it is unwise to push the limits with this drug, especially one as potent and hard hitting as Helios. As always, stay safe and continue to enjoy the benefits of today’s BB’ing pharmacology.