steroids Flashcards
what are steroids?
- can be performance enhancements
what effects can steroids have, especially in women?
- androgenic side effects (male sex hormone)
what hormones chemical structure = similar to anabolic steroids?
- testosterone
give ways that steroids can be used
- oral
- injection (intramuscularly = injected into muscle)
- creams/gels
- patches
identify the factors depending on what the user is trying to achieve with steroids
- steroid of choice
- route of administration
- dosage regime
what dose of steroids do endurance athletes and sprinters use?
low doses
what dose of steroids do bodybuilders and strength athletes use?
up to 100x the therapeutic dose
what potential risk is there from orally taking steroids?
- potentially metabolise too fast in the liver
what does the term ‘stacking’ make reference to?
- refers to the use of more than one steroid at a time
- aka dosing regimes
- thought to enhance overall effectiveness of steroid use
what does the term ‘cycled’ make reference to?
- idea that steroids are taken for 6-12 weeks
- then user abstains
- reduced occurrence of side effects
- maximises performance
- avoids detection
- minimises tolerance
what does the term ‘pyramiding’ make reference to?
- refers to when user gradually increases dose to midpoint of usage (3-6 week mark)
- then gradually decreases (6-12 week mark)
- this reduces withdrawal
identify physical effects of steroids (anabolic)
- increase muscle size/muscle mass
- increase strength
identify physical effects of steroids (androgenic)
- masculinising properties
identify physical effects of steroids (therapeutic)
- anti-inflammatory
- boost red blood cells in cases of anaemia
- anabolic effects useful in building muscle mass in the bed-ridden
outline Bhasin et al. (2001) study into the role of testosterone-like effects of steroids
- studied group of healthy mean
- ages 18-35 years old
- men had prior weightlifting experience
- had not taken steroids previously
- group was given monthly treatments of testosterone
- also given another drug to suppress endogenous testosterone (internally produced testosterone)
FINDINGS
- when given 25-50mg doses -> testosterone levels = below baseline
- when given 125g doses -> testosterone = at baseline
- when given 300 and 600mg doses -> testosterone = 2-4 times more than baseline
explain the ‘steroids act at androgen receptors’ hypothesis that attempts to explain the mechanisms of steroids
- androgen receptors = present in cytoplasm of skeletal muscle
- androgens bind to and activate receptor
- this moves to cell nucleus and regulates DNA transcription of specific genes
- androgen receptor activation = increases protein synthesis and muscle growth
what is a problem for the hypothesis ‘steroids act at androgen receptors’?
- normally androgen receptors = usually already saturated/fully occupied
- if this is case, steroid can not work on receptors
identify 2 alternative hypothesis for steroids mechanisms of action
1/ idea that steroid treatment induces receptor expression in muscle
2/ idea that androgens are antagonists for glucocorticoid hormones (these are catabolic), decrease protein synthesis and increase protein breakdown
what can testosterone be converted into in some tissue?
- dihydrotestosterone
- by 5alpha-reductase
- estradiol (major oestrogen)
- by aromatase
what effect does converting testosterone in dihydrotestosterone have?
androgenic effects
where does the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone NOT take place?
skeletal muscle
what effect does converting testosterone in estradiol have?
- mediates testosterone effects on CNS
- this has feminising effects
identify some side effects of steroid use
- high blood pressure
- jaundice
- severe acne
- male pattern baldness
- facial hair in women
- increased libido
- testicular shrinkage
- reduced sperm count
- menstrual abnormalities
- enlargement of clitoris
- breast growth in men
identify some side effects of steroid use
- high blood pressure
- jaundice
- severe acne
- male pattern baldness
- facial hair in women
- increased libido
- testicular shrinkage
- reduced sperm count
- menstrual abnormalities
- enlargement of clitoris
- breast growth in men
what evidence is there for addiction to steroids?
- taking more than intended
- unable to cut down despite wanting to
- too much time spent obtaining and using
- replacing other activities with substance use
what withdrawal symptoms are seen in steroid users?
- fatigue
- depression
- insomnia
- restlessness
- anorexia
- decreased libido
- no large-scale studies to confirm
outline evidence for the reinforcing properties of steroids
- comes from animal studies
- using conditioned place preference task
- used 2 distinct chambers
- one chamber = paired with drug administration
- lab studies shown that both systemic testosterone and testosterone injected into nucleus accumbens = produced conditioned place preference in mice
- nucleus accumbens = dopaminergic neural substrate of reward
what is the conditioned place preference blocked by?
- D1/D2 antagonist
- alpha-flupenthixol
what evidence is there to suggest that steroids are not reinforcing?
- no reports of self-administration in animal studies
- steroid usage does not produce euphoria
- steroid usage does not elicit cravings during withdrawal
identify social issues with steroids
- boys as young as 12 using anabolic steroids
- 20,000 people in the UK have tried anabolic steroids
identify legal issues with steroids
- class C drugs
- sold only by pharmacists with prescription from Dr
- it is legal to possess/import steroids
- to use post, courier, freight to import/export steroids = illegal
- possession/importing with intent to supply = illegal
