Pro and anti steroids are still debating on the extent of the side effects of using anabolic steroids. Those people who are not against the use of these drugs belie many reported side effects especially on the emotional aspect of a person. Though there are side effects, not all negative behavior seen on a steroid user can be attributed to his use of the drug. For them there could be other factors that cause this behavior. However, anti-steroids people are quick to blame steroids for violent behaviors seen on most bodybuilders and other users. The aggressive behavior of the users is often referred to as “roid rage.”

Anabolic steroids actually provide many benefits especially if it is used for medical treatment. However, its misuse has given the drug a very bad reputation. When you hear steroids, you will always think of its negative side effects. But when it is used properly and with the guidance of a health professional or a doctor, these side effects are minimized or avoided. Young cadet Matt Dear died of steroid complications due to self-medication. Taylor Hooton committed suicide because he wants to take a shortcut in becoming one of the greatest baseball players in his school. Jose Canseco admitted that he is on a testosterone therapy because of long term use of steroids but it made him one of the best baseball sluggers in the country. Chris Benoit murdered his family and killed himself because of steroids. All of these cases are attributed to abuse of the drug.

Any kind of medicine if taken at high dosages can be harmful to the body. People usually get the side effects because they want to take shortcuts. The culture plays a major role why there are a lot of people who are now engaged in bodybuilding. A bodybuilder said that taking steroids are common among bodybuilders. But the problem is they usually take beyond the recommended dosage. “You’re supposed to take just one a day, but the other guys all take five a day so I decided I should do that as well. It quickly became routine to take a pill before work,” he said.

According to Roy Jones, a substance abuse worker, the profile of steroids users have changed dramatically. “The average age used to be 34. But in the last decade it has gone down to 22 or 23. They are generally male and, unlike before, aren’t using the drugs to enhance performance but simply to enhance their image. The people I was seeing came from professions across the board - solicitors, bankers, people in average jobs. They wanted to lose body fat and to look toned,” he told the Dailymail.

A steroid expert interviewed by BBC said that the link between steroid misuse and actual behavior changes can be very hard to prove. According to Jim McVeigh of the Centre for Public Health of John Moores University at Liverpool said the evidence was “quite thin.” “To date it’s not been possible to prove a causal effect between anabolic steroids and aggression. Part of the problem is that a lot of the side-effects are self-reported so there is a high level of bias. Also, because of the nature of the drugs used it is rare to identify the exact drug used. It’s an illicit market - most of the drugs are fake or counterfeit and we do not know what’s in them,” he said.

He also said that any change on behavior of the user is difficult to blame on any history of steroid abuse. There are drugs which may be fine with other users but others may experience side effects. “But you can’t separate out the effects of the drug from other factors like lifestyle and personality traits when it comes to behaviour. Steroid use is just one of a number of factors to consider,” MVeigh added.

The use of anabolic steroids and other dietary supplements are not only popular among professional athletes and bodybuilders but also on teens. Most of them tries to bulk up and wants to attain bigger bodies because of their desire to excel in the sport. School competitions cause a lot of pressure to some high school athletes. In fact there are already some cases where the use of steroids in teens results to severe complications and deaths. The sons of Don Hooton and Frank Mariero were both victims of steroid abuse. Their sons were high school athletes who turned to anabolic steroids hoping that it will help them become a better athlete.

According to the survey of the NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), there were approximately 3.4% of high school seniors who have used anabolic steroids. Some lawmakers argue that the actual number of teens using performance enhancing drugs could be higher. This is the primary reason why some states have not remove their steroid testing program in high school. Even though they have a reduced budget for the testing, lawmakers and school officials are still hoping that it can deter steroid use among teens.

Anabolic steroids and other supplements are not actually dangerous if it is used with medical supervision. In fact anabolic steroids play a significant role in the treatment of some degenerative diseases like HIV and cancer. It is also used in the treatment of delayed puberty and some types of impotence. Steroids are also beneficial in promoting the growth of skeletal muscles and the development of male sexual characteristics. In the case of dietary supplements, some of them may also improve one’s health. People who have an active lifestyle or engage in sports usually use supplements to augment the intake of necessary nutrients.

However, these products are not intended to be used by younger people. Instead of getting the benefits from these supplements, they may suffer side effects and complications. According to some experts, steroids use in teens could affect their physical development. They may never reach their full adult height because an increase in synthetic hormones may give a wrong signal to the body to stop growing. Taking steroids and supplements can lead to addiction which can cause depression and roid rage. Other side effects are heart problems like heart attacks and stroke, liver disease, gynecomastia, facial hair or a deeper voice in women, fertility problems, hair loss and many others.

Steroid use in teens is difficult to curtail because of the availability of these products. Although anabolic steroids are controlled substances, it is still being sold online and even distributed at local gyms. Dietary supplements are also available in pharmacies and health stores. These can be purchased over-the-counter without prescriptions. The worst thing is most teens purchase these supplements without any supervision from a nutritionist or health professional.

According to a sports physician, there are supplements which are banned just like anabolic steroids. Though products like creatine, HMB, alanine, caffeine, green tea, conjugated linoleic acid and medium chain triglycerides are widely used supplements to increase athletic performance and develop muscles, expert supervision is still necessary.

Anabolic steroids are not only prohibited in sports competitions but also in other type of work. They consider steroids just like those drugs classified as substance of abuse. Recreational drugs and performance enhancing drugs are not treated lightly by most organizations because of its possible side effects to the user. Recreational drugs are considered dangerous because of its addicting properties. On the other hand, anabolic steroids would result to other health conditions if used for longer period. Employees who will be tested positive for steroids will definitely be given sanctions which may include termination from the service.

The use of steroids in the law enforcement agencies is a typical example. There are many cases of police officers who were involved in the use of performance enhancing drugs. The usual reason- they want to be more effective in their jobs by becoming bigger and stronger.

Although they may have a good intention but it is still a clear violation of policies. If some of them were terminated from the service because of possession and use of anabolic steroids, there were also a few who were able to fight their case and avoid the stiff sanctions.

In Phoenix, a police officer who was fired last year because of a positive test for steroids was reinstated to the service. The city’s Police Civil Service Board ordered for the reinstatement of Officer Cedric Tillman. The Board opted for a lighter penalty which is a 5-day suspension. Tillman, who is already at his 40’s was tested positive for the metabolites of nandrolone. Although he denied that he intentionally used a performance enhancing drug, he admitted to taking supplements which he believes contained the banned substance.

According to the AP report, Tillman was a former wide receiver for the Arizona Rattlers football team. Phoenix police chief Jack Harris is disappointed on the decision of the Board. If the positive test was for other illegal drug, their decision could not have been questioned. As a former football player, Tillman could have ample knowledge about anabolic steroids. So saying that he was a victim of another company who failed to declare steroids or steroid like substances is a hard thing to believe.

Meanwhile, a NY State Corrections officer was sentenced to 5 years probation for selling steroids. Zachary Lazore, 23, of Yorkville, admitted during the trial that he sold steroids to clients including a police informant last year. The Oneida County Court did not impose prison time for the defendant because of his cooperation in the case.

Another respondent in the case, Peter Dinardo, 42, of Deerfield is scheduled for a trial later this month. Dinardo is also a corrections officer and was suspended without pay while the case is being heard. Lazore, on the other hand, was terminated last year from the service.

A recent study showed that most Indian teenagers living in South Africa depend on anabolic steroids to enhance their image and body physique. The culture and emotional problems are the main factors that influenced these young boys to try these drugs. It was also found out that Bollywood movies have a strong impact on the way these teenagers build their body. They idolize Bollywood actors who have masculine body which are being portrayed in movies as Adonises who can easily get and loved by women.

Jarred Martin of the University of KwaZulu-Natal studied 500 Indian schoolboys aged 13 to 19. He investigated the relationship between traditional masculine beliefs, body-image discrepancy and socio-cultural influences on appearance of Indian teenagers. This was a follow up on a previous study which showed that there was high level of anxiety about the appearance among young Indians as compared to their black or white counterparts. Moreover, it was also noted that other races perceived these teenagers as having a “softer” masculinity. The reason could be due to the close family ties among Indian families thus there were perceptions that they were “mommies boys.”

Martin’s findings were significant because it helps explain why these teenagers, who are not involved in sports, used anabolic steroids. Of the 500 respondents, 57 percent said that Bollywood films put too much pressure for them to look muscular. Most of them believe that having a muscular body will improve their self-worth. 79.3% of the respondents have this perception.

The study also revealed that 25% of these teenagers used supplements and other drugs to develop muscles and better body physique. There are students who admitted that they took illegal supplements or steroids to achieve this goal. Although they were only composed of 5.5%, this could still become a major concern for the authorities. Taking steroids at a very young age could pose many health risks to the users.

This was explained by Professor Yoga Coo-poo of the University of the Witwatersrand’s Centre for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine. He told the Times Live that the use of steroids can cause a number of ill-effects on young users which may include muscle tears and reduced HDL - the high-density cholesterol that helps reduce heart disease. Coopoo said that the Indian community generally has lower HDL levels, and a further decrease in it with the use of steroids creates greater risk of heart disease as they grow older.

It was also noted that these steroids were available in most local gyms and pharmacies. Some doctors and veterinary nurses and assistants were also involved in the sale and distribution of some anabolic steroids used for animals like the equipoise which is mainly used as a horse steroid. Other anabolic steroids commonly used by these teenagers were deca durabolin and dianabol.

“The way in which these cinematic heroes are portrayed is that they always get the girl. They get respect, adoration and envy from other men,” Martin told the Times Live. “It may be that Bollywood cinema, in its portrayal of its action heroes and leading men as muscular Adonises, simply capitalizes on the anxieties of young boys about their masculinity and body image,” he added.

According to Rakhi Beekrum, a Counselling psychologist, the six-pack is portrayed as being favourable and desirable among Bollywood stars. “This can be seen in the shift from Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor to Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, John Abraham and even Shahrukh Khan,” Beekrum said. A respondent said that these Bollywood stars are so popular with girls and he wouldn’t mind looking like his idol. Another respondent said that the only way they can look like these stars is by using steroids.

Sherona Rawat, a Clinical psychologist, said that the findings on these young Indians were not surprising. They being perceived as “soft” was a “contributing factor” in the young Indian male’s decision to use a substance that has been clinically proven to be dangerous and damaging to the body said Rawat. “The pull on South African males of Indian descent to prove themselves masculine in relation to their South African counterparts of other cultures and communities is understandable in this light,” Rawat added.

The current anti-doping policies of state athletic commissions has been criticized for not coping up with the latest technology and methods to catch cheating athletes. Athletes especially in combat sports like boxing and mixed martial arts are required to undergo urine testing to know whether they are taking any banned substances. However, urine testing for steroids and other PED’s is not enough since there are other substances which cannot be detected in urine samples. Human growth hormone or HGH is one of those drugs that can only be traced with the use of blood testing.

The call for a tougher policy on doping was started by Floyd Mayweather Jr. when he asks his opponents to undergo an Olympic style blood testing. His fight with Manny Pacquiao was stalled due to unresolved terms related to the blood testing but Shane Mosley agreed. Some UFC players also urge other players to take an Olympic style blood testing to disprove allegation of steroid use.

Experts suggest that athletic commissions such as NSAC, where most combat sports were held, should adopt both urine and blood testing. This is to ensure that all types of designer steroids will be traced and it will serve as a deterrent to cheating athletes. In the monthly meeting of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, anti-doping experts were invited to share their insights and suggestions on how to prevent athletes from using performance enhancing drugs to gain competitive advantage. According to MMAJunkie, some of the prominent people invited in the meeting were Travis Tygart, the chief of USADA and Robert Voy, the former chief medical officer for the United States Olympic Committee.

Both panelists suggested that tougher policies and new methods of testing should be adopted to be more effective in cleaning the sports of performance enhancers. “If you want to have an effective program, you at least have to have the right to do both (referring to urine and blood testing),” Tygart said. “Everybody with a heartbeat now knows [human growth hormone] is only detected in blood. It will be a free-for-all, if it’s not already, for human growth hormone use if you don’t have the right to at least collect blood,” he added. The chief of USADA believes that tougher programs will serve as a deterrent but failure to implement this will send a laud message to athletes to cheat since they know that they will not be caught.

Robert Voy told NSAC officials to be proactive in dealing with performance enhancing drugs. “This business of testing for performance-enhancing drugs is going to be in the future a never-ending situation. There are people that insist upon – either through science or in some way – finding an advantage in a sport, particularly in a professional sport where the awards are financial. We’ll always have to have an open-ended list of performance-enhancing drugs and always be looking for the new substances,” Voy said.

The anti-doping experts also expressed their concerns on designer steroids which are sometimes undetected by existing testing methods. Athletes will be tempted to use drugs such as HGH and Erythropoietin (EPO) or other methods such as gene doping and blood transfusions. “You can’t specifically list every drug that would fall in the category of anabolic steroids. That’s the designer steroid issue. Secondly, the commission doesn’t prohibit methods that aren’t drugs,” said Tygart.

Voy also said that using an anabolic steroid or a performance-enhancing drug that increases unfairly the individual’s opportunity to gain endurance, muscular strength, etc., is a risk to the health of the participants in the sport. He also likened the use of anabolic steroids to a criminal act.

Tygart on the other hand, urges the NSAC to adopt a similar policy with USADA. Aside from adopting both urine and blood testing, 24-hour notice to athletes should be remove and instead implement a random anytime testing. Funding should not be a problem for the commission because they can re-allocate resources and generate funds from big events such as pay-per-view and other fund generating projects.

The last quarter of 2009 was the most challenging time for the supplements industry. It was not due to the declining sales but to the reports that many manufacturers sell products which are tainted with steroids. This is what the FDA is trying to stop and warned people about taking dietary supplements. Several distribution companies also cooperated with the agency by recalling their products which were found out containing traces of steroids or with undeclared steroid ingredients.

Congressional hearings were also conducted to know the extent of the problem in the supplements industry. Representatives from the FDA, DEA and the US Anti-Doping Agency were some of the resource person during the hearing. The supplements industry is also supportive of the effort of the lawmakers since it will help clean their industry with unscrupulous manufacturers.

After a long debate on the terms and the proposed scope of the legislation, Senator Orrin Hatch finally presented the new bill to make the supplements industry free from harmful steroids. It was co-sponsored by Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa. “This legislation puts common-sense steps in place to ensure that FDA notifies the DEA if it finds that the new dietary ingredient being evaluated contains an anabolic steroid,” Senator Hatch said.

The new bill was considered by USADA Chief Travis Tygart as a good initiative from the lawmakers. It will fill the gaps in the law and help protect the consumers said Tygart. The Hatch-Harkin bill is a consolidation of the suggestions and proposals from the different stakeholders in the supplements industry. The initiative of Senator John McCain for stricter laws in the industry was also considered.

The Hatch-Harkin Bill, which was presented to the Senate Special Committee on Aging last week, will strengthen the cooperation between the FDA and the DEA. It will require the FDA to inform the DEA of companies found to have products tainted with steroids. It was revealed in the senate hearing that the 2 agencies failed to provide each other with necessary information related to the tainted supplements issue. The bill will also urge the Food and Drug Administration to create and implement rules on determining or identifying new dietary ingredients. They are also mandated to conduct tests and determine the safety of these ingredients.

The lawmakers also proposed that dietary supplement companies should register their products with the FDA. Once this bill becomes a law, the FDA is expected to have more authority in recalling products which are found to contain anabolic steroids or steroid like substances.

Player’s association of major sports organizations like the MLB and NFL also support this bill. There are already many cases of professional athletes who failed a steroid test because of tainted dietary supplements. Most often, the supplements contain substances which are banned by professional leagues but these are not disclosed in the label.