What All Are Side Effects Of Anabolic Steroids?

Anabolic steroids are commonly recommended by members of the healthcare community to individuals experiencing wellness issues. However, the use of steroid drugs is not limited to healthcare use alone and professional athletes and others use steroids for unlawful requirements and without healthcare advice. Self-prescribing of steroid ointment drugs is one of the biggest reasons behind misuse of steroid drugs and steroid side effects.

It is beneficial to note that anabolic steroids are lawfully recommended by doctors to treat sufferers experiencing wellness issues such as severe burns, breast cancer, knee or shoulder injury (joint repair), thrombosis, osteoporosis, anemia, asthma, muscle-wasting disorders, chronic nutritional deficiencies, endometriosis and hereditary angioedaema, AIDS wasting syndrome, sexual dysfunction, etc. The abuse of anabolic steroids can lead to many side effects, some of which may be irreversible in nature.

The use of anabolic steroid drugs, especially androgens, can significantly increase the competitive behavior of an individual. Though aggression is beneficial for athletes to some extent, over-aggression can make things difficult in dealing with people because of uncontrollable feelings besides disturbing sleep patterns and irritability.

Users of anabolic steroid drugs may find themselves in depressive conditions as steroid ointment drugs have an impact on the levels of testosterone in the body. Depression and other drawback symptoms often encourage users to take on steroids again when they go off them. Use of steroids may lead to dependency as users want to see themselves in top and muscular shape after prolonged use.

Bolt’s chances doubted by Lewis

Olympic legend Carl Lewis recently expressed his doubts about the ability of Usain Bolt to win another medal in the 100-meter dash. A Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist, Bolt, holds the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, and the 4×100 meters relay (along with his teammates).

It is hard to stay at that level for a long period of time and people will try to beat the champion, Lewis said.

From CA.sport.yahoo.com:

Lewis is the only man in Olympic history to repeat as gold medalist in the 100, but even that achievement is somewhat skewed. Lewis won the 100 as part of his epic four-gold performance in 1984 and then finished as runner-up in 1988, but he was retroactively awarded the gold medal when champion Ben Johnson tested positive for an anabolic steroid. No man has ever repeated as Olympic champion in the 200.

It would be a difficult road ahead of Bolt during the London Olympics, Lewis added.

In the Jamaican Olympic Trials, Bolt has been beaten in the 100 and 200 by Yohan Blake, a friend and fellow countryman.

The 100-meter field is very open, with worthy contenders such as Blake and Justin Gatlin poised to challenge Bolt, Lewis added.

Sheen used steroids for sports movie

Actor Charlie Sheen has admitted that he did used anabolic steroids shooting for sports movie "Major League" for getting the grip of the game.

Sheen played Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn, a flamethrower with an edge in the worst-to-first baseball film, "Major League." The actor is also friend with admitted steroid user, Lenny Dykstra.

The former "Two and a half men" star kept his bad boy image mostly on film and his admission in this week's Sports Illustrated comes at least semi-unexpectedly.

From Huffingtonpost.com:

Of course, drug use is barely news with Sheen; after all, his contraband-fueled outbursts made national headlines last fall, and led to, eventually, his dismissal from "Two and a Half Men." Sheen kept his badboy image mostly on film back in his 80s heyday, though, so his admission in this week's Sports Illustrated comes at least semi-unexpectedly.

"Let's just say that I was enhancing my performance a little bit. It was the only time I ever did steroids," Sheen tells the magazine (via NY Daily News). "I did them for like six or eight weeks. You can print this, I don't give a f*ck. My fastball went from 79 [miles-per-hour] to like 85."

Sheen added he used anabolic steroids for three months during filming, but soon realized the downside of performance enhancing drugs.

The Anger Management star continued that he had a smart trainer, a defensive lineman in the National Football League, and knew enough sportsmen using steroids.

US Judge dismisses Lance Armstrong's lawsuit

A federal judge has dismissed the lawsuit of Lance Armstrong aimed at preventing the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) from moving ahead with charges that the cyclist made use of performance enhancing drugs during his career.

The 80-page complaint was dismissed by US district court judge Sam Sparks who said that it seemed more intended to whip up public opinion in favor of the cyclist than focus on the legal argument.

The suit claimed that rules of USADA violate the constitutional rights of Armstrong to a fair trial and the agency does not have jurisdiction in Armstrong's case.

From Guardian.co.uk:

"This court is not inclined to indulge Armstrong's desire for publicity, self-aggrandisement or vilification of defendants, by sifting through 80 mostly unnecessary pages in search of the few kernels of factual material relevant to his claims," Sparks wrote.

CNN reported that in a footnote the judge added: "Contrary to Armstrong's apparent belief, pleadings filed in the United States District Courts are not press releases, internet blogs or pieces of investigative journalism. All parties, and their lawyers, are expected to comply with the rules of this court, and face potential sanctions if they do not."

The suit also accused USADA chief executive, Travis Tygart, of waging a personal vendetta against the cyclist who won the Tour de France every year from 1999 to 2005.

Sparks, however, did not rule on the merits of claims made by Armstrong and would allow him to re-file his lawsuit, which is expected to be filed as early as Tuesday.

Banned athletes get a brief reprieve for London Olympics

The one-year bans on four athletes from India have been pushed back by the anti-doping appeals panel and the order clearly states that the dates of commencement of the sentences have been pushed back only to allow the athletes 'to train and compete at the London Olympics'.

The last qualifying event for relays ends on July 1 at Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Asian Games double gold medalist Ashwini Akkunji, Sini Jose, Tiana Mary Thomas, and Priyanka Panwar are among the athletes who challenged the suspensions imposed by the anti-doping disciplinary panel. The athletes had put the blame squarely on Yuri Ogorodnik, the sacked Ukrainian coach.

From Dailymail.co.uk:

The IAAF will club the cases of these four athletes with those of Mandeep Kaur and Jauna Murmu, who too had flunked dope tests and were suspended for a year each.

All these will be put before the CAS. In fact, the order, which came out on Tuesday, says very clearly that the dates of commencement of the sentences have been pushed back only to allow the athletes 'to train and compete at the London Olympics'.

Bans generally don't start from the date of sample collection and either begin from the date of provisional suspension or from when the order is pronounced.

The athletes had challenged the one-year suspensions imposed by the antidoping disciplinary panel to which the World Anti-Doping Agency had filed a counter appeal before the appeals panel seeking a two year ban.

A three-member appeals panel, headed by CK Mahajan pointed out that the athletes have proved how the prohibited substance entered their bodies and the panel was convinced with their arguments.

The latest verdict gives the athletes another chance to qualify for the London Olympics.

Steroid package leads to arrest of Williamsburg man

A Williamsburg man was arrested after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security alerted local police that a package of anabolic steroids from Thailand was being sent to him, according to Williamsburg Police Chief Wayne Bird.

Mehradad Aghamiri, also known as Mike Aggie, was arrested soon after the package with steroids was delivered to his Jellico Creek Road home.

From Thetimestribune.com:

Mehradad Aghamiri, also known as Mike Aggie, 22, was arrested after the package was delivered to his Jellico Creek Road home. He was charged with second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

Bird said the pills have an estimated street value of $10,000. The package had been intercepted in Anchorage, Alaska, by Homeland Security agents.

Aghamiri was jailed in the Whitley County Detention Center.

Two Homeland Security agents and Williamsburg Police Detective Bobby Freeman and K-9 Officer Brandon Prewitt delivered the package and made the arrest.

Both Homeland Security and Williamsburg Police are continuing the investigation.

Roger Clemens found not guilty of perjury about steroid use

Former Major League Baseball pitching great Roger Clemens has been acquitted by a jury of all six criminal charges against him in a trial that was deciding whether he lied to Congress about using performance enhancing drugs.

Clemens was charged with one count of obstruction of Congress, three counts of making a false statement and two counts of perjury.

From Calgaryherald.com:

The current trial has featured 46 witnesses over 26 days of testimony, including Brian McNamee, Clemens' former trainer, who said he injected Clemens with anabolic steroids and human growth hormone between 1998 and 2001.

McNamee worked with Clemens when the pitcher played for the Toronto Blue Jays and later the New York Yankees.

McNamee testified that he kept needles, cotton balls, a broken steroid ampoule and other medical waste from injections for Clemens. Prosecutors have said some of the items contained Clemens' DNA and traces of steroids.

Clemens is a seven-time winner of the Cy Young Award for best pitcher.

Fresh hope for Callum Priestley

The reliability of doping violations for clenbuterol in the last few months have been raised with an outbreak of positive tests for the anabolic steroid clenbuterol at this summer’s under-17 football World Cup in Mexico.

One hundred and one positive tests were recorded for clenbuterol out of 208 urine samples taken during the tournament, according to a revelation by FIFA.

From Telegraph.co.uk:

The statistics are so extraordinary that both FIFA and the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) have confirmed they will not be prosecuting any cases, blaming the failed tests on contaminated meat.

Mexican authorities admit the country has a major problem with farmers feeding clenbuterol to livestock to produce leaner, more valuable meat.

Based on what it describes as FIFA’s “compelling evidence”, Wada has also dropped its appeal against the decision of the Mexican football federation not to sanction five senior Mexican players who tested positive for clenbuterol at the Concacaf Gold Cup in June.

The news is expected to help Alberto Contador and Callum Priestley who have been accused of making use of clenbuterol but have blamed contaminated meat for the positive tests. The ban of Priestley is due to end in February, though he remains banned from the Olympics for life under the rules of British Olympic Association.

Healthy choices' session conducted by coaches and athletes

In today's competitive sports world, only a few coaches would deny that more than half a million high school athletes use performance enhancing drugs or supplements are not using to get an edge on the competition.

“It’s a problem across the board…if not steroids, it’s the supplements (you can buy at health food stores) or the energy drinks,” said LHS varsity football coach Ron Lewis. “Players might want to get hyped up before the game so they take a 5-hour energy drink.”

From Lakewoodobserver.com:

A health promotion and substance abuse prevention program called ATLAS (Athletes Training & Learning to Avoid Steroids) & ATHENA (Athletes Targeting Healthy Exercise & Nutrition Alternatives) partnered with the NFL to help young athletes across the country get on board with healthy choices to help their bodies perform to the best of their natural ability. On Thursday, September 22, six coaches and 38 athletes from Lakewood High School attended an ATLAS & ATHENA training session hosted by the Cleveland Browns at Browns Stadium.

The Lakewood contingent was part of 200 coaches and student-athletes from seven area schools invited to Browns Stadium to listen to experts talk to them about sports nutrition, strength training and the effects of steroids, alcohol, supplements and illicit drugs on performance. It was also a chance for the athletes to talk about the pressures they face and what might be some good ways to cope with that pressure.

“I feel it prepared us well to come back to our teams and be a leader,” Abby Boland, a senior on the girls’ soccer team said.

Verdone thrilled to sign Lions contract

Taken in the fifth round by the Lions in the 2012 CFL draft, Linebacker/long snapper Jordan Verdone is excited to sign Lions contract.

“If it doesn’t work out, I’ll be very upset,” Verdone said. “I’m definitely motivated to play for the B.C. Lions this year. My mindset is I’ll be there in 2012.”

From Vancouversun.com:

Though he has two years of CIS eligibility remaining, Verdone has no intention of returning to Calgary, even though the Dinos offered a lifeline to his college football career.

Two years ago, he was caught up in the football steroids scandal at the University of Waterloo, a school he attended because his older brother, Jamie, went there and won a Yates Cup (Ontario university championship) in 1999.

A regional police raid at two residences at the university in March 2010, turned up a quantity of anabolic steroids and HGH (human growth hormone) which implicated members of the football team.

The director of Waterloo athletics ordered the entire squad to be tested for performance-enhancing drugs. Nine tested positive, in the biggest doping scandal in Canadian university sports history.

“It’s a football factory, man. Awesome, really cool,” he explained. “The whole program at Waterloo was thrown into the garbage can. It was a terrible decision. I was bitter for so long. But when I got to Calgary, I never thought about it again. The players, the coaching, the alumni, the organization, the support ... it’s all first class. It makes you forget how badly you’ve been treated.”