What are steroids? What are steroids?

What do steroids look like? What do steroids look like?

How are steroids abused? How are steroids abused?

Who abuses steroids? Who abuses steroids?

What are the risks? What are the risks?

What are steroids?What do steroids look like?How are steroids abused?

Steroids, the popular name for

synthetic (man-made) substancesrelated to the male sex hormones,promote muscle growth and thedevelopment of male sexual characteristics. Steroids are legally availableonly with a prescription. They areprescribed to treat conditions suchas delayed puberty, some types ofimpotence, and body-wasting inpatients suffering from AIDS (acquiredimmunodeficiency syndrome).Steroids are abused, often by athletes,to enhance athletic performance andto improve physical appearance.

Steroids are available in tablet,

liquid, gel, and cream form. Theappearance of these products variesdepending upon the type and themanufacturer.

Users typically ingest steroids

orally, inject them intramuscularly, orrub them on their skin. Individualswho abuse steroids may take dosesthat are 10 to 100 times higher thanthose used for medical conditions.

Steroid abusers often take two or

more different forms of the drug andmix oral steroids with injectablesteroids, a process known as stacking. Abusers also frequently administer their doses in cycles of 6 to 12weeks, a process called pyramiding.

Steroid abusers believe that stackingand pyramiding enhance the benefitsof the drug while lessening the toll thatdrug use takes on their bodies; however, there is no scientific evidence tosupport these theories.

Individuals of various ages abuse

steroids; however, it is difficult to quantify the extent of steroid abuse in theUnited States because many datasources that measure drug use excludesteroids. The National Institute on DrugAbuse reports that estimates of thenumber of individuals 18 and older whoabuse steroids is in the hundreds ofthousands. In general, steroid abuse ishigher among men than women; however, steroid abuse is growing mostrapidly among young women.

Steroid abuse among high school

students is a particular problem. Fourpercent of high school seniors in theUnited States abused steroids at leastonce in their lifetime, and 1.4 percentabused steroids in the past month,according to the University of Michigan’sMonitoring the Future Survey.

Steroid abuse is associated with a

range of physical and emotional problems. Physical consequences includeliver tumors and cancer, jaundice, highblood pressure and increases in cholesterol levels, kidney tumors, fluid retention, and severe acne. Men may experience shrinking of the testicles, reduced

Who abuses steroids?What are the risks?

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NDIC Product No. 2003-L0559-017

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Is abusing steroids illegal? Is abusing steroids illegal?

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Marijuana







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MethadoneMethamphetamineOxyContinPCPPowdered cocainePrescription drugsPsilocybinRitalinRohypnolSalvia divinorumTeens and drugsTriple CYaba

Is abusing steroids illegal?

Yes, it is illegal to use steroids

without a valid prescription or todistribute them. Steroids are ScheduleIII substances under the ControlledSubstances Act. Schedule III drugs,which have a legitimate medicalfunction, may lead to moderate to lowphysical dependence or high psychological dependence.

DEA

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For more information on illicit drugs

check out our web site at:

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Huffing—The Abuse of Inhalants

Prescription Drug Abuse and Youth

Drugs,Youth, and the Internet

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