CHAPTER 14
The Under-Recognized Problem of Steroid Misuse
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, students should be able to:
•
14.2: Understand the scope of the problem of anabolic steroid misuse
•
14.3: Comprehend the pharmacology and methods of use of anabolic
steroids
•
14.4: Describe the hazards of anabolic steroid misuse
•
14.5: Understand how anabolic steroid– related disorders are addressed in the
DSM
CHAPTER OUTLINE
An Introduction to the Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids
Medical Uses of Anabolic Steroids
Why Steroids Are Misused
The Legal Status of Anabolic Steroids
Scope of the Problem of Steroid Misuse
Pharmacology of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids
Sources and Methods of Steroid Misuse
The Unknown Hazards of Steroid Misuse
Known Adverse Effects of Anabolic Steroids When Misused
On the Reproductive System
Effects of Anabolic Steroid Misuse on the Liver, Kidneys, and Digestive System
Anabolic Steroid Misuse and the Cardiovascular System
Steroid Misuse and the Central Nervous System
Other Steroid-Related Disorders
Drug Interactions Between Anabolic Steroids and Pharmaceuticals
Are Anabolic Steroids Addictive?
Formatted: Font: 11 pt, Italic
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
The purpose of this chapter is to help the student gain an awareness of an often hidden aspect
of the problem of substance use disorders: Tthe use and misuse of performance– enhancing
compounds, most commonly derivatives of the testosterone molecule. The incentives and
rewards for the misuse of such compounds are discussed, as are the possible consequences for
their misuse and the ongoing “cold war” between those who wish to use these compounds to
enhance athletic performance and the supervisory agencies who wish to maintain a drug-free
sports environment.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Break-Out Discussion #1:
As noted in your text, many of those who use anabolic steroids do so because they believe that
it is necessary for them to do so since the competition is assumed to be using these compounds.
This attitude has resulted in high school football coaches occasionally being charged with the
crime of either advocating, or, in some cases, even providing, anabolic steroids to the
adolescents under their supervision, to gain an advantage over the competition.
Questions
1. Should an athlete who was discovered to have used steroids in order to win a competition be
stripped of his or her title, even if the discovery was made years after the fact?
2. In the case of adolescent football players taking steroids, who should be held responsible?
Should the adolescents receive the same punishment, as would a professional athlete?
3. What are the main arguments for and against using steroids? Which side do you agree with,
and why?
Break-Out Discussion #2:
Why misuse steroids? The anabolic steroids are not like other, more traditional, drugs of misuse.
weeks, or even months, away from when they initiate steroid use. To achieve this goal, these
individuals are willing to take the risks inherent in the misuse of these compounds. Like the
individual who uses cocaine (who does not seek a cocaine-induced heart attack when he or she
gets out of bed in the morning), the individual misusing anabolic steroids faces certain risks to
his or her health. Years later, the benefits of steroid misuse are often not as clear for the former
athlete facing the long-term consequences of anabolic steroid misuse.
Questions
1. Are athletes who misused steroids during their sports careers worthy of the admiration of
their fans? Why or why not?
2. Do you think that the individual who misuses steroids considers the risks of such behavior at
the time that she or /he is using steroids? How do you think that the individual justifies his or
/her actions?
KEY CONCEPTS AND TERMS
Placebo effect: A phenomenon that illustrates how much power expectations have over the
actual effects of a chemical(s). We expect that a drug or medication will have a certain effect on
LO/STANDARDS CORRELATION CHART
A-head
LO
Standard 1– —CACREP
An Introduction to the
Anabolic-Androgenic
Steroids
Medical Uses of Anabolic
Steroids
14.1:
Understand
the medical
uses of
anabolic
steroids
3d: theories and etiology of addictions
and addictive behaviors
3e: biological, neurological, and
physiological factors that affect human
development, functioning, and behavior
Why Steroids Are Misused
The Legal Status of
Anabolic Steroids
Scope of the Problem of
Steroid Misuse
14.2:
Understand
the scope of
the problem
of anabolic
steroid
misuse
3d: theories and etiology of addictions
and addictive behaviors
3e: biological, neurological, and
physiological factors that affect human
development, functioning, and behavior
Pharmacology of Anabolic-
Androgenic Steroids
Are Misused Steroids
14.3: Comprehend
the pharmacology
and methods of use
of anabolic steroids
3d: theories and etiology of addictions
and addictive behaviors
3e: biological, neurological, and
physiological factors that affect human
Effective?
development, functioning, and behavior
Sources and Methods of
Steroid Misuse
The Unknown Hazards of
Steroid Misuse
Known Adverse Effects of
Anabolic Steroids When
Misused
14.4:
Describe the
hazards of
anabolic
steroid
misuse
3d: theories and etiology of addictions
and addictive behaviors
3e: biological, neurological, and
physiological factors that affect human
development, functioning, and behavior
Are Anabolic Steroids
Addictive?
Anabolic Steroid Use
Disorder and the
Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental
14.5:
Understand
how anabolic
steroid–
related
disorders are
addressed in
3d: theories and etiology of addictions
and addictive behaviors
3e: biological, neurological, and
physiological factors that affect human
development, functioning, and behavior