What Is Anabolic Steroid Abuse?

Date: Jun-08-2012Anabolic steroids, also technically known as anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) have existed since the 1930´s. They are regarded as prescription-only synthetic substance medications that imitate the effects of the male hormone called testosterone.

On many occasions, anabolic steroids are consumed unlawfully, either as water-based and oil-based injectable solutions, tablets, capsules, sublingual-tablets, liquid drops, subdermal implant pellets, transdermal patches, creams, or gels applied directly to the skin - the aim being increase muscle mass and athletic performance. The products vary in their appearance, depending on the type of manufacturer. If consumed for these reasons, anabolic steroids can cause serious physical and psychological side effects, and eventually addiction.

Steroid abusers tend to most commonly consume their product either orally, intramuscularly (injection), or topically (applied onto the skin). The abused doses can be from 10 to 100 times higher than the approved therapeutic or medical treatment dosages.

Users typically take at least two anabolic steroids simultaneously in a cyclic manner - they believe that this is more effective, and that their risk of side effects are minimized.

Some professional athletes, but also teens and college athletes, both male and female, use anabolic steroids because of their testosterone-like almost immediate effects.

Anabolic steroids also enhance muscle mass and improve physical strength, making them appealing for a significant number of people. They can also reduce body fat levels considerably, give the user a sense of euphoria and heightened self-esteem. Some people find that these products make them more attractive to those of the opposite sex, thus reducing their feeling of vulnerability.

The term "Anabolic" refers to a steroid's ability to facilitate muscle build up. "Androgenic" refers to their role in encouraging the development of male sexual characteristics.

Anabolic steroids do have some legitimate medical uses and can be prescribed by doctors to help people with certain kinds of anemia or men who do not produce enough testosterone on their own. But doctors should not and will never prescribe anabolic steroids to young, healthy people, if their sole objective is to help them build muscles. Without a prescription from a doctor, anabolic steroids like any other drug, are highly illegal and their sale or consumption is against the law.

Some of the most common anabolic steroids on the market are called: Andro, oxandrin, dianabol, winstrol, deca-durabolin, and equipoise. And the common street names for this drug are: "juice", "roids", "gym candy", "pumpers" or "stackers" among others.

According to the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) in the USA "Anabolic steroids are Schedule III substances under the Controlled Substances Act. Only a small number of anabolic steroids are approved for either human or veterinary use. Steroids may be prescribed by a licensed physician for the treatment of testosterone deficiency, delayed puberty, low red blood cell count, breast cancer, and tissue wasting resulting from AIDS."

Operation Raw Deal, September 2007, was the result of an international collaboration by various government agencies that targeted the global underground trade of anabolic steroids, HGH (human growth hormone), and IGF (insulin growth factor). US authorities, through the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued 143 federal search warrants throughout the USA, resulting in 124 arrests and the seizure of 56 steroid labs across the country. A total of 11.4 million steroid dosage units were seized, as well as 242 kilograms of raw steroid powder. Authorities in the USA also seized 25 vehicles, 3 boats, 27 pill presses and 71 weapons.

According to Medilexicon's medical dictionary:

Anabolic Steroid is:

"A compound with androgenic properties that increases muscle mass and stimulated protein production; used to treat emaciation; sometimes used by athletes in an effort to increase size, strength, and endurance of muscle. Examples include methyltestosterone, nandrolone, methandrostenolone, and stanozolol."
Anabolic Steroids - Abuse and Addiction
Anabolic steroids are commonly manufactured in large pharmaceutical laboratories to be used as prescription drugs. Many countries have very strict laws to combat the illegal trade. Unfortunately, partly as a result of these strict regulations, some are produced illegally in small home-made secret laboratories, usually from raw substances imported from abroad. As with most significant drug smuggling operations, organized crime is involved.

Anabolic steroids, like any other illegal drug, can become quickly addictive. Some consumers believe that taking anabolic steroids is a good and fast way of getting healthy, strong and fit. This is a myth. Taking anabolic steroids is a dangerous drug habit.

At first, when the person starts consuming them, the body builds a certain kind of tolerance, and eventually they crave for more and more to get better results or to improve their looks further. Young adults can become dependent without even perceiving it. Aggression is a sign of dependency when consuming steroids.

Surprisingly, steroid abuse is growing more rapidly today amongst young women, and the generally younger population between 18 and 20 years of age.

Many consumers of anabolic steroids will also start accepting that they have a dependency problem when they find they require progressively larger doses, despite enduring noticeable physical problems, and experiencing social relationship difficulties.

When an individual becomes dependent on anabolic steroids, giving up can lead to some withdrawal symptoms, such as depression, mood swings, fatigue, restlessness, anxiety, difficulty in concentrating, insomnia, anorexia, headaches, muscle and joint pain, loss of appetite, reduced sex drive, and a craving take more steroids.

Depression is a particularly hazardous withdrawal symptom; in some cases symptoms can be severe and the individual tries to commit suicide. Untreated, some depressive symptoms associated with anabolic steroid withdrawal have been known to carry on for as long as a year or more after the person stops taking the drugs.

Studies suggest that between 1 million and 3 million people in the United States (1% of the population) have most likely mishandled anabolic steroids. Abusers tend to be mostly middle-class heterosexual men with an average age of 25. As much as 78.4% of the users in one survey were found to use the drugs for cosmetic purposes - non-competitive bodybuilders and non-athletes.

Among 12 to 17-year-old boys, use of steroids and similar drugs jumped 25 percent from 1999 to 2000, with 20 percent saying they use them for looks rather than sports.
What are the Side Effects Of Anabolic Steroids?
Side effects are many, but vary depending on the measured quantity, length of use, and the type of steroid being consumed. Every individual case is different - with some side effects being clearly evident, while others are less noticeable.

Physical Effects

A major health consequence from abusing anabolic steroids in young teenagers or adolescents can include prematurely stunted growth due to early skeletal maturation and accelerated puberty changes. In other words, teenagers who take anabolic steroids before they stop their growing process risk having short stature for the rest of their lives.

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston carried out a study which found that the left ventricle - the main pumping chamber of the heart - was considerably weaker during contraction (systolic function) among those who had taken steroids, compared to people of similar age who had not. (Link to article).

Other physical effects for both male and female consumers may include:
Alterations in the structure of the heart causing heart attacks, sudden cardiac death and cardiac arrhythmias. And sometimes even death due to heart failure
Blood clots
Cardiovascular and coronary artery diseases
Decreases in HDL (good cholesterol), and increases in LDL (bad cholesterol). Scientists at San Francisco VA Medical Center reported in a study that anabolic steroid use causes not only a drop in HDL and a rise in LDL levels, but also considerably raises the risk of liver toxicity within 12 weeks. (Link to article)
Fluid retention
High blood pressure
Jaundice (yellowish coloring of skin, tissues, and body fluids)
Liver damage
Nausea and vomiting
Oily hair
Persistent bad breath
Problem with sleeping
Severe acne
Swelling on the feet
Trembling

Specifically, physical effects for males:

Shrinking of the testicles
Reduced sperm count and sexual functioning
Infertility
Baldness
Gynecomastia (development of breasts)
Risk of prostate cancer

Specifically, physical effects for females:

If the woman is pregnant, the fetus' development may be affected
Changes in menstrual cycle
Enlargement of the clitoris
Growth of facial hair
Increased sex drive
Male pattern baldness
Permanent deeper voice
Severe acne
Shrinking of the breasts

Behavioral and psychological side effects

As with physical effects, most psychological changes will be directly related to the apparent chemical structure of the steroids being used.
Aggressive behavior and mood swings - Getting angry and very irritable over trivial daily incidences, signs of aggression will lead to violent outbursts. Mood swings can be quite common, including manic-like symptoms leading to some violence. Aggressive behavior and mood swings occur because the steroids attack the limbic system of the brain which strictly impacts mood and memory.
Forgetful and distracted  - Steroid consumers can become forgetful and very distracted. Occasionally they will be confused and will not be aware of their bizarre or unusual behavior.
Depressive behavior - Both male and female steroids abusers can feel very good and confident with their self esteem and their appearance. But this can drastically change if they see another person that they think looks better than themselves. This can cause rage and then depression. That first sign of depression is a very important marking point of an addiction. The reaction will result in larger doses of anabolic steroids and longer periods of time in the gym. Depression, in some cases, can be life threatening.
Hallucinations and delusions - A side effect that can effect a significant number of abusers. Once addicted, the person will always perceive that other people are forever staring at them and judging them by their appearance. This will have a mental impact, causing instability in relationships, with family and friends, and in their jobs.

Detection Of Anabolic Steroid Usage In Professional Sports
Major professional sports organizations around the world have joined forces and agreed that anabolic steroids should be banned in all major events.

The World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) constantly maintains an updated list of performance enhancing substances used around the world as reference. This list includes all anabolic agents and precursors.

Many countries have also joined forces with the WADA to create their own internal agencies for the sole purpose of competitive fairness and sportsmanship. When people use steroids in professional sports, it gives them an unfair advantage over others who train and practice without using illegal steroids. In other words, apart of the harms to human physical and mental health, using anabolic steroids in competitive sports is cheating.

The most common method to detect anabolic steroid usage is through urine and blood sample tests. Urine tests today can determine whether a person has (or not) taken any anabolic steroids during the previous 30 days.
Preventing Steroids Abuse
In the United States there are some organizations, such as ATLAS or ATHENA that have very effective programs for preventing steroid abuse among high school athletes.

Basically, what these organizations do is to reunite students in discussion tables. Debates are directed by coaches and young sports team leaders. The students are:

Told about the negative aspects of anabolic steroid usage
Trained on how to turn down offers of drugs in the streets or gyms
Educated on the proper way of building up strength, stamina and good health, without the use of steroids. Included are data on good eating habits, proper training routines, the importance of proper sleep, etc.

Studies have concluded that the work of such organizations can reduce new steroid abuse by as much as 50% in young athletes.

Written by Christian Nordqvist

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