THIS IS QUOTED OUT OF ANABOLICS 2005:
DNP is one of the most controversial drugs in use by bodybuilders today. This agent is not sold for human use anywhere in the world at this time, but is readily available as an industrial chemical. among other things, it is used as an intermediary for production of certain dyes, for photographic development, as a fungicide, in wood pressure-treatment to prevent rotting, and as an insecticide. although quite incongruous with this list of strong industrial/chemical uses, it was also sold a long time ago as a diet drug for humans. in fact, it was the first synthetic drug that was ever used for weight reduction in this country. popular brand names include Dinitroso, Nitromet, Dinitrenal and Alpha Dinitrophenol, and at the peak of DNP's popularity could be found in pharmacies all across the country.
as the story goes, the fat-loss properties of DNP were first noticed during world war 1, when overnight men working with dnp in munitions plants started losing substantial amounts of weight. it did not take very long for this chemical to be packaged as a drug product, and by 1935 more than 100,000 americans had used "patent medicine" remedies that included dnp. it was being widely advertised as a new, safe and effective way to get thin. but it didn't take long for reports of side effects to start pouring in. one such incident involved a dozen women in california, who were temporarily blinded by the drug. numerous reports of dnp liked cataracts were coming in from all over, from countries like the U.S., france and italy. it was said to be happening with doses as little as 100mg daily when taken for longer periods. with such highly unfavorable safety reports, the drug was soon pulled. by 1938, just three years later, it was off the market for good.
dinitrophenol induces weight loss by uncoupling oxidative phosphorylation, thereby markedly increasing the metabolic rate and body temperature. while this is an extremely effective way of producing rapid weight loss, there seems to be no ceiling to dnp's temperature increasing effect. herein lies perhaps its most dangerous trait; it may allow body temperature to rise to levels that can be damaging, even fatal. writer carl malmberg made perhaps one of the earliest and most famous quotes about it back in the 1930's, when he reported about a physician who was "literally cooked to death" from using it. this was no isolated case either, AND THE DOSE USED WAS PROBABLY NOT FRIGHTENINGLY HIGH. a man recently died on long island, for example, AFTER TAKING DNP FOR ONLY 4 DAYS. the dose used was reportedly 600mg per day, just 3 capsules of the now underground "standard" amount of 200mg. no doubt he thought the dose he was using was going to be safe-it wasn't.
the typical dose used by bodybuilders is reportedly 2mg per kg of bodyweight each day. this would mean a dose of 200mg if you weigh in at about 220 pounds. this seems to be the dose most underground sellers of dnp are putting in their capsules. at this level, admittedly, the fat loss can be scary it is so rapid. some people are capable of losing 1/2 to 1 pound of fat weight, each and every day with its use. this can mean a drop of 15-20 pounds of in only a few weeks. not many weight-loss drugs even come close to this. but then there are its many potential side effects, including increased heart rate, breathing rate, nausea, elevated body temperature, insomnia, profuse sweating, rash, decreased white blood cell count and death. the strong incidence of any side effect should immediately indicate a need to stop using the drug, unless of course you are dead, in which case this will work itself out.
i was hesitant to even include a profile on this drug in my book, for fear it might entice someone, who otherwise may not have known about it, to use it. but ultimately i decided it would be better to include it. the true story of dnp is a scary one, and now more than ever needs to be told. bodybuilders need to understand that the reemergence of underground dnp in the 1990's is not a revolutionary new achievement in fat loss, but a scary reiteration of one of our biggest past mistakes. it is a drug from a time when an unregulated market was allowing dangerous chemicals like this to harm the public. the food and drug administration exists today because we need to protect ourselves from things like this. the lessons learned in the 1930's should not be forgotten. DNP IS A DANGEROUS DRUG, AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED. THERE ARE MUCH SAFER WAYS OF LOSING FAT!!!!!
