ANABOLIC STEROIDS

September 2007 DEA/OD/ODE

Anabolic steroids are a class of drugs with a basic steroid ring structure that produce anabolic effects and androgenic effects. Athletes, bodybuilders, and others abuse anabolic steroids with the intent to improve athletic performance, muscle strength, and appearance.

Licit Uses:

In the U.S., only a small number of anabolic steroids are approved for either human or veterinary use. Testosterone and several of its esters, as well as methyltestosterone, nandrolone decanoate, and oxandrolone are the main anabolic steroids currently prescribed in the U.S. Some of the approved medical uses include the treatment of testosterone deficiency, delayed puberty, anemia, breast cancer, and tissue wasting resulting from AIDS. Trenbolone, boldenone and mibolerone are used only in veterinary medicine.

Most anabolic steroids are synthetically manufactured variations of testosterone. No anabolic steroid is devoid of androgenic effects. Activation of androgen receptors in various cells and tissues primarily mediate the anabolic and androgenic effects. The anabolic effects include the growth of skeletal and cardiac muscle, bone, and red blood cells, whereas the androgenic effects include the development of male secondary sexual characteristics.

The adverse effects associated with anabolic steroids are dependent on the age of the user, the sex of the user, the anabolic steroid used, the amount used, and the duration of use. In adolescents, use can permanently stunt growth. In women, use can induce permanent physical changes including deepening of the voice, increased facial and body hair growth, and the lengthening of the clitoris. In men, use can cause shrinkage of the testicles, enlargement of the male breast tissue, and sterility. Anabolic steroid use can damage the liver and can cause an increase in cholesterol levels. Anabolic steroid use can also induce psychological effects such as aggression, increased feelings of hostility, psychological dependence, and addiction. Upon abrupt termination of long term anabolic steroid use, abusers may experience withdrawal symptoms including severe depression.

Illicit Uses:

Anabolic steroids are abused with the intent to enhance athletic performance, increase muscle strength, and improve appearance. The doses used are often 10 to 100 times higher than the doses used to treat medical conditions. Users typically take two or more anabolic steroids at the same time in a cyclic manner believing that this will improve their effectiveness and minimize the adverse effects. Anabolic steroid abuse is often accompanied by the use of other drugs.

User Population:

Anabolic steroids are abused by professional, amateur, recreational athletes, and bodybuilders. Adolescents and young adults in the general population also abuse steroids to improve their appearance.

In the 2006 Monitoring the Future Study, which surveys eighth, tenth, and twelfth grades, 1.6%, of eighth graders, 1.8% of tenth graders, and 2.7% of twelfth graders reported using steroids at least once in their lifetimes. Regarding the ease by which steroids can be obtained, 17.1% of eighth graders, 30.2% of tenth graders, and 41.1% of twelfth graders reported steroids were "fairly easy" or "very easy" to obtain.

Anabolic steroids are available as injectable preparations, tablets and capsules, and gels and creams. Most anabolic steroids sold illegally in the U.S. come from abroad. The Internet is the most widely used means of buying and selling anabolic steroids. However, there is also evidence of professional diversion through unscrupulous pharmacists, doctors, and veterinarians.

New steroids, which have not undergone safety or efficacy testing in the U.S., have appeared over the years. Some of these "designer steroids" were supplied to athletes to avoid detection. Commercially available dietary supplements are sold purporting to contain novel anabolic steroids. These products, which are advertised to build muscle and increase strength, are readily available on the Internet.

According to the National Forensic Laboratory Information System, in 2005 and 2006, state and local forensic laboratories analyzed 4,341 exhibits (3,321 cases) of 12 of the most frequently encountered 59 schedule III anabolic steroids. According to the System to Retrieve Information from Drug Evidence data, in 2005 and 2006, the DEA forensic laboratories analyzed 2,037 exhibits (1,171 cases) of the same 12 anabolic steroids. Testosterone, nandrolone, stanozolol, methandienone, and boldenone are the most frequently encountered steroids as evidenced by the number of exhibits analyzed by federal, state, and local forensic laboratories in 2005 and 2006.

With the passage of the Anabolic Steroid Control Acts of 1990 and 2004, Congress placed a total of 59 anabolic steroids in schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. Any salt, ester, or ether of these 59 anabolic steroids is also controlled. Congress provided a definition to administratively classify additional steroids as schedule III anabolic steroids.