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Anabolic Steriods
Anabolic Steroid abuse has become a national
concern. These drugs are used illicitly by weight lifters, body builders, long
distant runners, cyclists, and others who claim that the drugs give them a
competitive advantage and/or improve their physical appearance. Once viewed as a
problem associated only with professional athletes, recent reports estimate that
5 to 12 percent of male high school students and 1 percent of female students
have used anabolic steroids by the time they were seniors.
Concerns over a growing illicit market and
prevalence of abuse combined with the possibility of harmful long-term effects
of steroid use, led Congress to place anabolic steroids into Schedule III of the
Controlled Substance Act (CSA).
The CSA defines anabolic steroids as any drug or
hormonal substance chemically and pharmacologically related to testosterone
(other than estrogens, progestins, and corticosteroids), that promotes muscle
growth. Most illicit anabolic steroids are sold at gyms, competitions and
through mail order operations.
For the most part, these substances are smuggled
into the United States. Those commonly encountered on the illicit market
include: boldenone (Equipose), ethylestrenol (Maxibolin), fluoxymesterone
(Halotestin), methandriol, methandrostenolone (Dianabol), Depo-Testosterone
Android - 25 (mehyltestosterone), nandrolone (Durabolin, Deca-Durabolin),
oxandrolone (Anavar), oxymetholone (Anadrol), stanozolol (Winstrol),
testosterone and trenbolone (Finajet). In addition, a number of bogus or
counterfeit products are sold as anabolic steroids.
A limited number of anabolic steroids have been approved for
medical and veterinary use. The primary legitimate use of these drugs in humans
is for the replacement of inadequate levels of testosterone resulting from a
reduction or absence of functioning testes. In veterinary practice, anabolic
steroids are used to promote feed efficiency and to improve weight gain, vigor,
and hair coat. They are also used in veterinary practice to treat anemia and
counteract tissue breakdown during illness and trauma.
When used in combination with exercise training and high protein
diet, anabolic steroids can promote increased size and strength of muscles,
improve endurance and decrease recovery time between workouts. They are taken
orally or by intramuscular injection. Users concerned about drug tolerance often
take steroids on a schedule called a cycle. A cycle is a period of between six
and 14 weeks of steroid use followed by a period of abstinence or reduction in
use.
Additionally, users tend to "stack" the drugs, using multiple drugs
concurrently. Although the benefits of these practices are unsubstantiated, most
users feel that cycling and stacking enhance the efficiency of the drugs and
limit their side effects.
Another mode of steroid use is "pyramiding." 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) reaching a peak amount at mid-cycle and
gradually tapering 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.
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