Triacana (3,5,3-triiodothyroacetic acid - Tiratricol)

Triacana is a naturally occurring thyroid product containing the substance known as Tiratricol. Tiratricol is a metabolite of the iodiferous thyroid hormone, L-triiodthyronine (T3) (1), and is available at health-food stores, sold over the internet, and is quite popular in Europe. The drug is marketed under the brand names Triax, Tri-Cuts, and Triacana.

In order to provide you with a sound understanding of Triacana, I will first briefly explain the function of the two main hormones produced by the Thyroid gland. The two main hormones produced by the thyroid are L-triiodthyronine (T3), and L-thyroxine (T4). T4 is the hormone which the thyroid produces the lions share of, and is converted by a deiodinase enzyme into what is known as T3 (2).

When a person is involved in a calorie-restricted diet, the body produces less deiodinase enzyme, and hence produces less T3. When our bodies lack the effects of T3 (the more potent of the two hormones) our BMR decreases. An abundance of T4 is still present, however, T4 simply isnt potent enough to maintain the high metabolic rate we seek while trying to burn fat. When our metabolism is slower, fewer calories are burned, and our dieting struggles to remain productive. This is all described as a "negative feedback loop," and its part of the bodys way to maintain homeostasis. While your goals may include being ripped and huge, your body would prefer you to remain small and fat, in order to survive famines and starvation.

Now you can begin draw the connection between fat loss, and the use of Triacana (tiratricol).

Triacana has held a solid reputation since the 1970s among athletes and bodybuilders for being a strong fat-burning drug. While it can aid lipolysis, the effects are extremely mild when compared to stronger thyroid hormones, namely T4 and T3. One exception would be Triacanas higher thermogenic potency in brown adipocytes (3). The misconception that many people possess regarding Tiratricol is that the effects are harmless. Simply put, this is untrue. Tiratricol can significantly suppress Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (4). Although the effects are mild when compared to those caused by T3, theyre still present. Thyroid recovery generally takes up to 6 weeks; however, extreme cases have shown to take up to 5months to fully recover from the TSH suppression (4). Thankfully, TSH recovery is very quick (5), and there has yet to be a documented case of the Thyroid being permanently shut down from the use of Tiratricol.

One thing that is often overlooked is the addition of thyroid supplementation, and post-cycle therapy (PCT). Many anabolic steroids can lower your thyroid levels (most notably Trenbolone). There are numerous supplements that can aid in the recovery process of your thyroid. T-100x is a well-known thyroid support formulation, as is Coleus forskohlii (5). Thyroid support supplementation will work to increase thyroid hormone secretion, and will enable your thyroid to recover quicker.

Common dosages of this product range from 10-14 tablets per 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 should be taken 3-4 times daily (7)(8). Doing so will allow a constant amount of the substance in the blood, so the effects are continual. There are also many athletes who prefer to combine Triacana with Clenbuterol, or another type of thermogenic. Popular choices include a stack of Ephedrine, Caffeine, and Aspirin/Yohimbine. Many feel that the addition of one of these choices substantially increases the effects of Triacana, and provide better fat loss results when combined. Additionally, by adding a stimulant, it is easier to sustain hunger pains which can occur with the use of Triacana. Something of additional note, is the common inclusion of Triacana while exogenous Growth Hormone is being administered. This is performed in order to meet the bodys increased requirement for thyroid hormone. Additionally, Triacana is superior to T3 the treatment of thyroid hormone resistance (9), and is often favoured for treating Hyperthyroidism (10).

Regarding duration of application, the range of opinions varies by a large amount. Athletes have taken Triacana from one week, ranging up to many months. The reason behind most people straying from long duration use, is the fear of their thyroid shutting down permanently. As mentioned above, the likelihood of this happening is slim to none, however, it is still a possibility many consider. In fact, Triacana is often considered more TSH suppressive than the more potent T4 (11). A suggested duration for moderate usage would be up to 12 weeks; however, there is little evidence that running longer cycles have any different effects versus shorter durations. Something to keep in mind, is that you shouldnt slowly decrease dosages in fear of a sudden rebound effect. By doing so, you only prolong the amount of time until your thyroid can recover. Stopping abruptly allows your thyroid to begin recovery right away.

If youre interested in making the commitment that taking thyroid hormones/derivatives requires, and the risks involved, Triacana isnt your best choice. The side effects are very similar to that of T3, yet lacking the potency by a substantial amount. In fact, it has been observed by some that the effects were non existent, even at a TSH-suppressive dose of 3mg split throughout the day (12).This is a substantial reason as to why the drugs popularity and usage by the bodybuilding and sport communities has dropped immensely in past years, as its quite inferior when compared to T3.

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.

References:

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3. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2003 Sep;60(9):1957-67.
4. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2003 Mar;13(1):112-6.
5. J Clin Invest. 1984 Feb;73(2):570-5.
6. Roger PP, Servais P, Dumont JE. Exp Cell Res 1990;172:282 92.
7. Thyroid. 1996 Dec;6(6):563-70.
8. www.steroid.com/
9. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1995 Jul;80(7):2033-40.
10. Monatsschr Kinderheilkd. 1993 Feb;141(2):100-2.
11. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1993 Jul;77(1):221-8.
12. Nuklearmedizin. 1989 Dec;28(6):217-20.