I wish that were an April Fools joke.

It is, sadly, the rational for using steroids that is taking over. I've heard the same basic justification from two men whom I would never have thought would use the stuff. No matter.

It seems testosterone is now becoming a life-style choice for men around my age, and I have no business judging people who make these choices. These men will also be lining up in races and making athletics part of their lifestyle, and I have no business judging what they've accomplished with their lifestyle choices.

We are now awash in dope.

I get the whole anti-doping thing in sports, and I support that.

But if older men feel better physically using this stuff, why is that so bad?

Should cosmetic surgery be banned too? What about hair replacement?

And sorry, but I don't buy the whole safety issue. Lack of research, right? Think they've been saying that for 50 years now.

If they aren't breaking sporting rules, and aren't breaking the law, then give them a break.

Did you intend the "no business judging" to be sarcastic? Because you're clearly judging these people. (Which I have no problem with.)

Not just the lack of research, but the research. That study was terminated before it finished because dudes were having catastrophic cardiovascular events (heart attack, stroke) at about 5x the rate of the control group. Granted, this was a group of already-sick men. But it is an indication that supplemental hormones can stress an aging cardiovascular system.

I'm not disagreeing entirely with your larger point. Just saying that I wouldn't hand-wave away safety.

I am not a medical professional, but I believe testosterone use is associated with an increase in the probability of certain cancers, so it is not without consequence.

---

Dimond Bikes Superfan

Pretty sure there is zero actual evidence of that. Have you noticed any outbreak of cancer in pro athletes over the past 50 years? Exactly.

Testosterone is taken away as part of treatment for prostate cancer, but it doesn't cause it.

Yes, I'm judging. Without reservation. I should avoid the sarcasm.

The demand is being created by the t-clinics, and there is no concern for the health or ethics when these things crash. The t-clinics will shut down and the users will line up for dialysis after their kidneys shut down and claim they were victims.

Yeah, my morning sports talk radio program is sponsored by one of those clinics. They aggressively promote T as a wonder drug for all men over 40. They also, a little more quietly, promote human growth hormone. They tell you to diagnose yourself, "Do you often feel tired?" It's sort of out of a dystopian sci-fi movie, only it's real.

Dialysis...so making stuff up again.

Again, in no way do I support cheating in sports. But anti aging stuff....i dunno, I think you'd be better off lecturing people about the use of cholesterol drugs, alcohol, etc. Stuff that is known to actually cause issues.

I suspect you are right. I recall a documentary "Bigger Stronger Faster" that looked into the efficacy and safety of steroids and basically concluded they work and if used as "prescribed" fairly safe.

If one does use for vanity, I don't see a problem with it. Maybe they should be available like Botox? If someone is going to use they will use.

Just don't line up at a race. Unfortunately they odds of getting popped for most are nearly 0.

It is available like Botox.

I'm guessing you've seen studies on large samples of professional athletes who have kept careful track of their steroid use for the past 50 years. But, then again, maybe you haven't since such studies cannot be conducted.

I'm guessing you can explain why injecting a hormone that shuts down part of the endocrine system is perfectly harmless, especially when users quit and expect their own systems to come right back to normal function. I'm guessing the depression that is often reported is just a coincidence and nothing of concern.

And I like to know your thoughts on hypogonadism. Or your thoughts on the problems with cardiac lesions. Or your thoughts on transmission of HIV and hep C, which seem to be consistent with heroin users.

And then talk me through your understanding of how this shit is processed by the liver after seven years of consistent use by a man of 56 years.

With all due respect, you are again making stuff up, making assumptions that have no factual basis.

To your first point, you say yourself there are no studies, so no proof. So, OK, lets forget about studies....there have been thousands of pro athletes over the past decades....can you name even one or two that have had cancer? And of course keep in mind that pro athletes are human too, some of them are bound to get cancer anyway just like the general population.
Take it a step further....how many bodybuilders, possibly the worst of the abusers of anabolics and growth hormones....how many have gotten cancer? Statistically more than the general population? Can you name any?

As to your point of Testosterone shutting down your own production, yes, that is true. But if you are someone going on TRT, that is part of the deal, you are possibly on it for life, or possibly use other drugs to reboot your own production (HCG, etc). This isn't a danger, it is just part of the deal for those people.

Transmission of HEP C and HIV? WTF are you talking about? So now you think these old guys are getting their injections from the local addicts in the alleyway????

Liver - again, is there any actual evidence of harm? I have a feeling you are about to say "Well, they haven't done a study.....".

Seriously, no offence meant, but you are making some pretty wild assumptions.

I'm in my early 40's and am still participating in sports. When I am older, if I am done competing, and there is medication that can make me feel younger again, I won't feel bad about taking it. .02

Lance Armstrong...how many more would you like diagnosed with cancer?

Yup, testicular cancer. No proven link between that and his drug use. What about the other almost 9000 men in the US that are diagnosed with it every year? So theirs was natural, but Lance was because of drugs?

Now, Lance being a cheater, that's a different story! :)

Of course not proven, but it could never be proven that these drugs cause cancer. You can't do those studies with people. So, you've set an unachievable level of proof...you win???

Thats cool, but it works both ways, no? Is it fair to make blanket statements about how dangerous they are?

Yes.

I'm a wee bit stunned by your basic lack of any understanding of the issue. But I guess I shouldn't be.

First of all, there are studies on testosterone use. If you knew how to conduct a basic review of the scientific literature, you would see that there are plenty of studies on smaller controlled groups and on larger less controlled groups. These studies provide a window into what is going on. It's not all bad, but it's not all good. And some of it is horrendous. Learn how to do basic research.

There are not the types of studies of professional athletes that you seem to think there should be. Steroids are a controlled substance, my friend, so it's not quite as easy to study as you might think. Their use cannot be studied in the way cigarette use and other controlled substances can be studied, since admitting to use will trigger a whole bunch of issues for professional athletes. I'm not sure why you don't understand this. Please stop asking for these types of studies. You come across as naive.

And then you are asking for me to provide examples of athletes who have developed cancer from steroids. This is goofy. First of all I do not have the medical records of professional athletes with their documented steroid use. I'm guessing no one does, since this stuff is not going to be documented.

Examples are not proof, but you seem to think I need to use examples to prove my point. I'm guessing I could just name professional athletes, such as these:

1. Eric Shanteau (testicular cancer), 2. Billy Mayfair (testicular cancer), 3. Lance Armstrong (testicular cancer), 4. Mark Conover (Hodgkins lymphoma), 5. Mike Lowell (testicular cancer), 6. Jon Lester (non-Hodgkins lymphoma), 7. Mario Lemieux (Hodgkins lymphoma), 8. John Kruk (testicular cancer),.....

I could go on and on, but none of these cases proves anything about an association between steroids and cancer. None. It's called reasoning by analogy. It can be done within the constraints of mathematics and formal logic, but falls apart quickly in most empirical situations. So I will state very clearly that I do not know of any use of steroids by any of these athletes. In fact, I know one of them and know him to be an incredibly honest athlete. Citing these examples proves nothing, but you seem to think it could. It doesn't. It can't.

And please do not confuse the different users of testosterone. There are some men who are using it as part of their treatments for serious health issues. Everyone gets that. No one with a brain has an issue with that. There are also teenagers getting the stuff and shooting it up at gyms. That's how HIV and hep C are getting transmitted. And I'm thinking most people see that as drug abuse and a serious heath issue.

And then there is the mass of people in between. That's who is driving this market. And we'll be seeing the fall out in the years to come. Do we know exactly what will happen? No. Is it a good idea to fuk with the endocrine system for the sake of vanity? Also, no.

So go ahead and shoot up when you turn 52. I'm sure you'll look hot.

Sorry, but you really haven't stated anything new that shows any association. OK, I get that it is hard to conduct a study, yes. But I don't understand the jump to conclusions / assumptions.
Also, the article was about the somewhat older population using these meds , not teenagers.
Anyway, never mind I guess.

Anabolic steriods? T I know I'd and hear lots about.

I suppose I am naive about this and if I shopped for a Doc to get me AS I'd find one.

Yes, testosterone - the real thing. . Here is a link to the clinic I mentioned above that markets the stuff. I didn't want to post earlier because I don't want to give their site traffic, but since you asked....

source? i come from the hockey world, and never heard this

Google can be your friend.
Seriously though, it happened in 1993 so might be before your time-- huge news back then.