Ancient Greek athletes took in lots of protein to build muscle. Norse warriors known as Beserkers looked to hallucinogenic mushrooms for inspiration in preparation for battle. The synthesis of testosterone in the 1930s sparked the introduction of anabolic steroids into competitive sports. In the 1952 Olympics, synthetic testosterone enhanced the Russian weightlifting team s ability to pump metal, and heave off with a heap of medals. In 1958 the first anabolic steroids were developed by a U.S. pharmaceutical company.
Most users are males, but the number of female users is increasing.
Getting truthful information about who uses anabolic steroid for non-medical purposes is just one obstacle to studying the drug s effects. Megadosing is another factor that confounds useful studies. Doses used by athletes are inconsistent and far exceed therapeutic doses. 100 to 1,000 times those prescribed for medical purposes. The normal therapeutic daily dose is 1 to 5 milligrams.