Anabolic steroids – a problem in popular sports

The sportsmen self-administering androgenic-anabolic agents to improve their performance and their body shape continue to be a problem. After the opening of the East European borders a large number of compounds are offered on the black market and in fitness centres. As a consequence students and children practicing no sport use these agents. Most athletes have only a crude pharmacological knowledge regarding these drugs. Their information are derived from their own experience or experiences of other sportsmen. Therefore warnings concerning the efficacy and potential dangers of steroid misuse are neglected. Studies suggest that anabolic steroids are now the third most commonly offered drugs behind cannabis and amphetamines. The anabolic black market is a lucrative commercial business and its volume amounts to 70 Mill. €/year approximately. This paper will focus the attention on the common anabolic steroid misconceptions and review the adverse effects and the problems connected with the use of the illicit drugs.