Steering young people away from using steroids is especially difficult not just because their sports idols may use them, but also because anabolic steroids are very easy for adolescents to get, Brower says. Facts about anabolic steroids: Steroids can lead to depression and can be addictive.  Anabolic steroids were developed in the late 1930s primarily to treat hypogonadism, in which the testes do not produce enough testosterone, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Anabolic steroids are synthetic drugs similar to the male hormone testosterone. They sometimes are prescribed by doctors to treat men who can’t make enough testosterone naturally or to increase weight in people with some problems or disorders, such as AIDS.  Side effects of steroids can include: tears of muscles and tendons; acne; liver damage; mood swings and aggressive behavior; shrinkage in the size of testicles; loss of the ability to get erections; a decreased sperm count; an increase in men’s breast size; high blood pressure; abnormal cholesterol levels; jaundice; male-pattern baldness in men and women; and the growth of facial hair in women.

The average layperson might think age 10 a bit of a stretch. But according to several drug-use experts at The University of Montana, ergogenics aren't just for college and professional athletes. Their use starts as early as middle school and is common among high school athletes.

Wadler, who is attending the ACSM Annual Meeting in St. Louis this week, said that the subject of steroid use in baseball peaked in 1998, when Mark McGwire admitted to the use of the testosterone precursor, androstenedione.

Many physicians feel that some dietary supplements' should be considered drugs' because they contain known active ingredients, whereas dietary supplements' have little or no physiologic effects.

Recent studies suggest that steroid abuse among teenagers is on the rise. The study indicates that students at the 8th grade level (and even younger) are beginning to experiment with steroids with little understanding of their potential deadly side effects.

Proposed a warning label for all ephedra-containing dietary supplements. The proposed label warns about the risks of serious adverse events, including seizure, heart attack, stroke, and even death.

An athletic boost in the short term may mean health problems in the long term for teens who use performance-enhancing drugs, warns a youth sports medicine specialist from the University of Michigan Health System

Leading research scientists are saying  that the detection of EPO and HGH abuse is quite difficult because they appear only in very very small quantities in body fluids. EPO increases oxygen uptake to the working muscles, and HGH improves muscle growth.

National Institute on Drug Abuse research report about anabolic steroid abuse

The toxicology report on Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Steve Bechler released today implicates the use of the herbal supplement ephedra in his death, and underscores once more the dangers of ephedra use, particularly when combined with other risk factors.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has made an announcement that a series of actions aimed at protecting US citizens from the potential grave risks associated with dietary supplements that contain ephedra.

Parents don't have to sit helplessly by when they suspect -- or know -- their child is using a performance-enhancing drug. They should find out why their child is interested in using drugs and where the pressure is coming from. Is he or she getting wrong information from peers or from somebody at the gym?

USA Football has joined with a group of the nation's leading public health, medical and sports organizations to support legislation that relates to the regulation of dietary supplements that contain steroid precursors like ephedra.

"The benefits of higher testosterone levels have a down side, however," Booth notes. "Some, but not all, men with elevated levels of testosterone are more likely to engage in behavior that negates the beneficial effects of testosterone."

The controversy over drug use in athletics has also led to Senator John McCain offering help from a Legislative level. Major League Baseball and the International Olympic Committee are continuing investigations and seeking out possible reform to existing policies relating to the use of steroids and other drugs.

Scientists are increasingly concerned that sophisticated techniques for evading drug tests will make it difficult for testers to catch athletes using steroids and other drugs, especially at future athletic competitions when genetic-based enhancements are expected to be prevalent.

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 DEA And Illegal drugs  Drug Prevention Program  Steroid Precursors-Legislation  Testosterone and Alzheimer's Disease  Testosterone Gel  Steroid Use Increasing In Competition  Young People And Steroids

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"We are not sure why women's testosterone elevation prior to competition is so much greater than it is in men. It is probably due to the fact that every day levels of testosterone are four times higher in men than they are in women.