Steroids Blog

According to a new research in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, college athletes making use of performance enhancers such as steroids are at an increased risk of abusing alcohol and indulging in substance abuse.

It was found in a study involving 234 male athletes that athletes making use of performance enhancers such as steroids and weight-loss supplements are more likely to go for drugs like marijuana and cocaine than their counterparts not keen to experiment with performance enhancers in the first place.

From Sciencedaily.com:

In their study, the researchers, led by Dr. Jennifer F. Buckman, assistant research professor at the Center of Alcohol Studies, found that nearly one third of the athletes acknowledged using a performance-enhancing substance in the past year. The list included banned substances like steroids, creatine, “Andro,” stimulants and weight-loss aids.

As a group, athletes who used performance-enhancing substances reported higher rates of drug and alcohol use. Seventy percent said they had used marijuana and one third admitted to cocaine use, versus 22 percent and 3 percent of athletes who did not use performance enhancers. They also had higher rates of smoking, binge drinking and prescription-drug misuse.

The results also hint at some reasons for the elevated rates of drug and alcohol use. Athletes who used performance enhancers were more likely than nonusers to be natural sensation seekers — a desire to have new and varied experiences — but they were also more likely to say they used drugs or alcohol specifically to cope with stress and anxiety.

This, Pandina says, suggest that these athletes often see a “utilitarian value” to using recreational drugs. “They are using them to cope with the problems of day-to-day living.”

It was remarked by study co-author Dr. Robert J. Pandina, director of the Center of Alcohol Studies at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey, that the concern is that many athletes are not only using recreational drugs but are also suffering from harmful effects of such drugs.

Crohn’s patients can now expect relief from Naltrexone, an FDA-approved drug, which is presently used to ease withdrawal symptoms from substance abuse.

This drug is currently prescribed and used for easing symptoms of drug and alcohol addiction and considered to bring relief to Crohn’s patients, according to a Penn State College of Medicine pilot study.

From News-Medical.Net:

Typical treatment for Crohn’s involves using steroids or corticosteroids, which suppress the immune system and can have other toxic side effects. Treatment is often time-intensive and expensive, as well.

“This is a novel approach to treating a common disease, and it’s simple, it’s safe, and it costs far less than current standards of treatment,” Smith said. “We don’t yet know the exact mechanisms involved in how it works, but we’re working on that as well.”

Smith initiated the study using a Dean’s Feasibility Grant — a program designed to encourage investigators to design trials in their area of expertise and seek outside funding. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently awarded the College of Medicine $500,000 for the team to continue the study.

These findings were presented by Jill P. Smith, a gastroenterology specialist and researcher at the College of Medicine and Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Los Angeles at the National Association of Gastroenterologists annual Digestive Diseases Week conference.