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Anabolic steroids
are synthetically produced variants of the naturally occurring male
hormone testosterone. Both males and females have testosterone produced in
their bodies: males in the testes, and females in the ovaries and other
tissues. The full name for this class of drugs is androgenic (promoting
masculine characteristics) anabolic (tissue building) steroids (the class
of drugs). Some of the common street (slang) names for anabolic steroids
include arnolds, gym candy, pumpers, roids, stackers, weight trainers, and
juice.(1)
Currently, there
are more than 100 different types of anabolic steroids that have been
developed, and each requires a prescription to be used legally in the
United States.(2)
Anabolic steroids
can be taken orally, injected intramuscularly, or rubbed on the skin when
in the form of gels or creams.(3)
These drugs are often used in patterns called cycling, which involves
taking multiple doses of steroids over a specific period of time, stopping
for a period, and starting again. Users also frequently combine several
different types of steroids in a process known as stacking.(4)
By doing this, users believe that the different steroids will interact to
produce an effect on muscle size that is greater than the effects of using
each drug individually.(5)
Another mode of
steroid use is called "pyramiding." With this method users
slowly escalate steroid use (increasing the number of drugs used at one
time and/or the dose and frequency of one or more steroids), reach a peak
amount at mid-cycle and gradually taper the dose toward the end of the
cycle. The escalation of steroid use can vary with different types of
training. Body builders and weight lifters tend to escalate their dose to
a much higher level than do long distance runners or swimmers.(6)
Federal law placed
anabolic steroids in Schedule
III of the Controlled
Substances Act (CSA) as of February 27, 1991.
Arnolds, gym candy,
pumpers, roids, stackers, weight trainers, gear, and juice.
Anabolic
steroid abuse has been associated with a wide range of adverse side
effects ranging from some that are physically unattractive, such as acne
and breast development in men, to others that are life threatening. Most
of the effects are reversible if the abuser stops taking the drug, but
some can be permanent. In addition to the physical effects, anabolic
steroids can also cause increased irritability and aggression.(7)
Most
data on the long-term effects of anabolic steroids on humans come from
case reports rather than formal epidemiological studies. From the case
reports, the incidence of life-threatening effects appears to be low, but
serious adverse effects may be under-recognized or under-reported. Data
from animal studies seem to support this possibility. One study found that
exposing male mice for one-fifth of their lifespan to steroid doses
comparable to those taken by human athletes caused a high percentage of
premature deaths.(8)
Steroid
abuse has been associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including
heart attacks and strokes, even in athletes younger than 30. Steroids
contribute to the development of CVD, partly by changing the levels of
lipoproteins that carry cholesterol in the blood. Steroids, particularly
the oral types, increase the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and
decrease the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). High LDL and low HDL
levels increase the risk of atherosclerosis, a condition in which fatty
substances are deposited inside arteries and disrupt blood flow. If blood
is prevented from reaching the heart, the result can be a heart attack. If
blood is prevented from reaching the brain, the result can be a stroke.(9)
Steroids
also increase the risk that blood clots will form in blood vessels,
potentially disrupting blood flow and damaging the heart muscle so that it
does not pump blood effectively.(10)
For
purposes of illegal use there are several sources; the most common illegal
source is from smuggling steroids into the United States from other
countries such as Mexico and European countries. Smuggling from these
areas is easier because a prescription is not required for the purchase of
steroids. Less often steroids found in the illicit market are diverted
from legitimate sources (e.g. thefts or inappropriate prescribing) or
produced in clandestine laboratories.(11)
Results
from the 2005 Monitoring the Future Study, which surveys students in
eighth, tenth, and twelfth grades, show that 1.7% of eighth graders, 2.0%
of tenth graders, and 2.6% of twelfth graders reported using steroids at
least once in their lifetimes.(12)
Regarding
the ease by which one can obtain steroids, 18.1% of eighth graders, 29.7%
of tenth graders, and 39.7% of twelfth graders surveyed in 2005 reported
that steroids were "fairly easy" or "very easy" to
obtain. During 2005 56.8% of twelfth graders surveyed reported that using
steroids was a "great risk."(13)
The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
also conducts a survey of high school students throughout the United
States, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)
4.8% of all high school students surveyed by CDC in 2005 reported lifetime
use of steroid pills/shots without a doctor's prescription.(14)
In December 2005,
DEA led the largest steroid bust in history. Operation Gear Grinder was a
21-month investigation that targeted eight major steroid manufacturing
companies, their owners, and their trafficking associates. To learn more
about the operation, click here.
Federal law placed
anabolic steroids in Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA)
as of February 27, 1991. The possession or sale of anabolic steroids
without a valid prescription is illegal. Simple possession of illicitly
obtained anabolic steroids carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison
and a minimum $1,000 fine if this is an individual’s first drug offense.
The maximum penalty for trafficking is five years in prison and a fine of
$250,000 if this is the individual’s first felony drug offense. If this
is the second felony drug offense, the maximum period of imprisonment and
the maximum fine both double. While the above listed penalties are for
federal offenses, individual states have also implemented fines and
penalties for illegal use of anabolic steroids.(15)
The International
Olympic Committee (IOC), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA),
and many professional sports leagues (e.g. Major League Baseball, National
Basketball Association, National Football League (NFL), and National
Hockey League) have banned the use of steroids by athletes, both because
of their potential dangerous side effects and because they give the user
an unfair advantage. The IOC, NCAA, and NFL have also banned the use of
steroid precursors (e.g. androstenedione) by athletes for the same reason
steroids were banned. The IOC and professional sports leagues use urine
testing to detect steroid use both in and out of competition.(16)
The Anabolic
Steroid Control Act of 2004 - placed 32 additional steroids in Schedule
III and expanded DEA’s regulatory and enforcement authority regarding
steroids.
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Click
here to see high resolution photos of steroids>>
Click
here to read DEA news releases involving steroids>>
1.
Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of Diversion Control, Anabolic
Steroids: Hidden Dangers, March 2004
2-3. National Institute on Drug
Abuse, Research
Report: Anabolic Steroid Abuse, April 2000
4. National Institute on Drug Abuse, Infofax:
Steroids (Anabolic-Androgenic), 1999
5. National Institute on Drug Abuse, Research
Report: Anabolic Steroid Abuse, April 2000
6. Drug Enforcement Administration, Drugs
of Abuse 2005
7-10.
National Institute on Drug Abuse, Research
Report: Anabolic Steroid Abuse, April 2000
11. Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of
Diversion Control, Anabolic
Steroids: Hidden Dangers, March 2004.
12-13. National Institute on
Drug Abuse, Monitoring
the Future national results on adolescent drug use: Overview of key
findings, 2005 (PDF), April 2006
14. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Youth
Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2005, June 2006
15-16. Drug Enforcement
Administration, Office of Diversion Control, Anabolic
Steroids: Hidden Dangers, March 2004 |
