Anabolic–Androgenic Steroids

Abstract

The anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are a family of hormones that includes the natural male hormone, testosterone, together with a group of synthetic derivatives of testosterone. These drugs are widely abused by men (and rarely, women) to gain muscle mass and lose body fat. Prior to about 1980, abuse of AAS was con fi ned largely to elite competitive athletes, but in recent decades, AAS abuse has broken out of the athletic community and into the general population. Many modern AAS users have no speci fi c athletic aspirations at all, but simply want to become bigger and more muscular. About 2-6% of men in many Western industrialized countries have used AAS, but AAS use is rare in Asian societies. Individuals with body image concerns, such as "muscle dysmorphia," appear more prone to abuse AAS. Male muscularity is more strongly emphasized and rewarded in industrialized Western cultures than in Asia, and this difference likely explains the geographic distribution of AAS abuse. AAS cause few serious short-term medical effects, but over the long term may cause suppression of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal function, adverse effects on serum lipids, and cardiomyopathy. The most common psychiatric effects of AAS are mood disorders (typically hypomanic or manic syndromes during AAS exposure and depressive symptoms during AAS withdrawal); these are idiosyncratic, affecting a minority of AAS users, but are occasionally severe. A growing literature describes syndromes of AAS dependence, where individuals use AAS almost continuously despite adverse medical or psychiatric effects. Individuals displaying AAS abuse or dependence may also exhibit other forms of substance dependence. Unfortunately, AAS users rarely seek treatment, but this situation may change as the fi rst large wave of illicit AAS users-those who fi rst began AAS as youths in the 1980s-now reaches middle age and enters the age of risk for long-term cardiac, neuroendocrine, and psychiatric complications from these drugs.

Intrasexual competition as a potential influence on anabolic-androgenic steroid use initiation

“…Kanayama et al (2003, 2006; Babusa and Túry, 2013) discovered users of AAS to display substantially higher symptoms of MD than non-users, which became prominent in men with a long history of abuse. Pope and Kanayama (2012) extend that while many attributes showed little association with AAS use, conduct disorders and body image concerns showed strong associations. The immediate question which stems from this associative evidence is the degree to which MD precipitates or perpetuates the use of AAS or whether AAS themselves function neurologically to perpetuate symptoms of MD.…”

“…fighting, suicide attempt and risky driving behaviour; Kanayama et al, 2003; Miller et al, 2002; Pipet et al, 2014). The available evidence suggests that AAS use mirrors other problem behaviours during the early stages of usage and that these problem behaviours can be appropriately defined as risk factors (Pope and Kanayama, 2012).…”

“…In addition, users are likely to be difficult to reach through a household survey, given the high proportion of time spent in the gym. According to Pope and Kanayama (2012), around 2–6 per cent of men in many Western industrialised countries have used AAS.…”

Support for people who use Anabolic Androgenic Steroids: A Systematic Scoping Review into what they want and what they access

“…AAS use is linked with negative physical health effects, such as testicular atrophy, liver toxicity, dermal scarring, cognitive problems, gynaecomastia, muscle damage, myocardial injuries, infertility [7], and BBVs [8]. AAS users are at greater risk than non-users of psychological risks such as: mania, delusions, aggressive behaviours, depression, suicide and anxiety [9–14]. Pilot studies have shown that lifetime AAS use may impact on some cognitive processes and the structural features of the brain [15–17].…”

O significado dos anabolizantes para os adolescentes

“…Os esteroides anabólico-androgênicos (EAA), popularmente chamados de anabolizantes ou "bombas", são substâncias sintéticas à base de testosterona (Darke, Torok, & Dufl ou, 2014), procuradas tanto pela capacidade de aumentar a massa muscular -efeitos anabólicos -quanto pelo desenvolvimento de característi-cas sexuais masculinas -efeitos androgênicos -, sendo a testosterona e a oxandrolona algumas das principais substâncias utilizadas (Pope & Kanayama, 2012).…”