The Dark Side of
Bodybuilding
The Growth of the Black Market
By Phil Kaplan
 I've
been helping people change their bodies in positive ways for
over 20 years. I remember being 19 years old, competing in
regional bodybuilding contests, and weighing out the decision
of whether or not to use anabolic steroids. At the time there
weren't many options. Some of the guys in the gym were going
to doctors to get testosterone injections and others were
buying D-bol (dianabol) on the black market. I knew once I
turned 20 I could no longer compete as a teenager and the
competition would be using chemical enhancement so the temptation
was very real.
During the period
of time I allotted for my decision making process, a 24-year-old
powerlifter I knew died from liver disease. He was an admitted
steroid user and used what at the time were considered excessively
high dosages.
 A
few days later I went to a bodybuilding show and Perry, a
bodybuilder who trained at the same gym as I, arrived at the
prejudging yellow. I mean he looked the color of a well oiled
banana. I met him backstage, thinking he had made some mistakes
with his skin dye. He was obviously sick and spaced out. He
said it was from the diet. What struck me was, the whites
of his eyes were also yellow. I never saw him again. He didn't
show up for the evening contest. That was enough to help me
make my decision. I opted not to cross the line and decided
I would not become a steroid user.
 Thankfully
that forced me to focus on education, on learning to optimize
results through eating and training. Over the 20 some odd
years that followed, I watched those who made different decisions
than I pack on muscle rapidly, and then dwindle down to mere
shadows of their engorged bodies within a matter of weeks
or months. I've met athletes who were as dependent, from a
psychological standpoint, on drugs as a heroin addict might
be from a chemical standpoint. I've watched bodybuilders dehydrate
themselves to the point of stroke and in one case death using
diuretic drugs. I've seen women completely distort their bodies
by following the drug prescriptions of locker room steroid
gurus. I've waited anxiously to hear the outcome of a local
bodybuilder who borrowed a hypodermic needle in the gym locker
room to inject his testosterone and wound up with a potentially
lethal staff infection. I've interviewed pro bodybuilders
on my radio show who had found the progression from using
pain killers (for more productive workouts) to cocaine addiction
a short journey. I've even had a bodybuilder visit my show
to share the risks of drug use with listeners one day after
being released from the hospital. The drug GHB caused his
heart to stop. Thankfully he survived to tell the tale.
While I still believe
there is nothing more valuable to the human body and spirit
than taking control of what you do, think, and eat, and while
I believe bodybuilding, in its purest form is an overwhelmingly
positive pursuit, I am careful to separate the concept of
healthful bodybuilding from that "sport" that relies as much
on drugs as it does on food. It hasn't always been that way,
but as the bodybuilding public sought superhuman heroes, and
as the prize money in professional contests became significant,
drugs found their place in the bodybuilding arena.
 While
I absolutely discourage the use of any drugs among those for
whom the drugs are not serving a therapeutic purpose, this
is not a criticism of athletes who, after becoming educated
on the subject, choose to use anabolics to further their livelihoods.
Pro athletes often have to make ethical decisions based on
inevitable competition with those who are willing to seek
chemical enhancement. With pro athletes aside, this is intended
to stand as a warning to those who believe that drugs are
a shortcut or that they come without risks.
 The
lure of steroids and other growth enhancing drugs have drawn
in many who haven't any aspirations of ever earning their
livelihoods through their physical achievements. On almost
a daily basis I receive questions from 20 year olds, 19 years
olds, even 15 year olds, related to the use of drugs that
can severely alter the hormonal cascade. Many of these teens
and young adults have an invincibility attitude, and believe
that the negative ramifications might manifest when they're
older, but for now they want to be "big," and "older" seems
too far away to be a concern. I know many former steroid users
who are anything but old who, given the choice of time travel,
would opt to make some very different decisions the second
time around. Some have prostate issues at 35 years old. Some
are on blood pressure meds at 33. Others are very thankful
viagra hit the marketplace by their 30th birthday.
The
Growth of the Black Market
 The
distribution or possession of anabolic steroids for non-medical
reasons became a federal offense in 1988 when Congress passed
the Anti-Drug Abuse Act. Two years later the laws grew more
restrictive when legislation classified anabolic steroids
as controlled substances. The penalties grew harsh both for
individuals who were trafficking the drugs and for the pharmaceutical
companies who failed to maintain adequate controls. That's
when the black market started to grow massively.
Doctors were no longer
prescribing anabolic steroids for athletes, yet the intrigue
among young athletes grew and the willing dealers were right
there to meet the demand. With time counterfeit labs emerged
and the dangers grew even more ominous. Without any control
at all, imitations of anabolic drugs produced in clandestine
laboratories were found to contain everything from salad oil
to heroin. Overseas pharmacies that were not impacted by US
laws became sources for steroid smugglers and the black market
growth continued.
Here's where the scary
part lies. Teens and young adults are prime victims of the
perceived allure of these mysterious products, and now, the
black market drugs have escalated way beyond anabolic steroids
to some "new" compounds that may lead to abuse, psychological
addiction, circulatory disorders, tissue wasting, toxicity,
and deformed appearances. I think a clear resource for truth
is needed to at least serve as an information balance for
those who have been tempted by the supposed benefits of these
potentially hazardous drugs. I'll attempt to shine some light
on those black market products I'm most asked about.
 Serostim
- I was in a health food store in Venice Beach California
just a few weeks ago and a young man who visibly had some
weight training experience asked the rag-top clad bodybuilder
behind the counter if he could buy some Serostim. The clerk
said they didn't carry it and that was the end of the discussion.
Has it gone so far that those in search of muscle now believe
they can walk into a store and buy drugs as simply as they'd
buy protein powder? I had to find out. I asked the drug wanting
customer if he had ever used Serostim. He told me he hadn't,
but his buddy in New York just won a bodybuilding show and
said he packed on 20 pounds of muscle using Serostim. Did
he even know what this compound was? I had to ask. His response
was, "well, it's legal because of the laws for AIDS patients
and it's more powerful than steroids." That illustrated for
me the plight of half educated consumers combing the borders
of the black market to buy drugs they don't really understand.
Serostim is synthetic
GH. Growth Hormone. Growth Hormone is produced by the pituitary
gland and is actively involved in the endocrine chain in order
to facilitate the natural process of tissue growth. At first,
for therapeutic purposes, specifically to help repair the
flawed endocrine systems in those who were diagnosed with
dwarfism, Human Growth Hormone (HGH) was extracted from the
pituitary glands of cadavers. With time, the drug companies
Eli Lilly, Genetech, and Serono pharmaceuticals, developed
synthetic GH compounds that act as the therapeutic equivalent
of HGH. All drugs are developed with therapeutic intents,
but when abuse, overuse, and risk rival the potential benefits
of the drug being distributed, stringent controls are necessary.
Clinics began to emerge where GH testing of adults was used
as the justification for very expensive dispensing of pharmaceutical
GH products under the premise of hormonal replacement, but
it was only when Serostim was approved for AIDs patients that
the black market went GH crazy.
Serostim has become
widely used, illegally, by bodybuilders who believe it is
yet the newest secret to building muscle. Is it? Not really.
While it has proven potentially valuable in preventing muscle
wasting in AIDs patients, the long term ramifications of synthetically
altering GH levels in healthy individuals remain unclear.
AIDs patients using the drug often report side effects including
muscle pain, joint pain stiffness, and swelling, but the long
term risks may be far more severe. If you have a life threatening
disease, perhaps survival and comfort are worth the risk,
but for healthy individuals seeking a growth spark, messing
around randomly with the endocrine system can lead to gradual
changes that are not identified in the short term. Recent
research is already revealing that GH usage may raise triglyceride
levels which might contribute to heart disease risk. (Christmas,
C. et al, Effects of growth hormone and/or sex steroid administration
on serum lipid profiles in healthy elderly women and men,
Presented at 1999 Endrocrine Society conference, San Diego,
California) In further study, Serostim usage appears to lead
to elevated glucose levels, elevated pancreatic hormone levels,
and increased incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome and did
not appear to lead to muscle increase (Mooney, Michael, HIV
Study Shows No Muscle Growth From Serostim Growth Hormone,
Medibolics, July, 1999). The bottom line is, this is a serious
drug that alters the hormonal make-up of the body in ways
that may be irreversible. This is not a supplement or a simple
secret for adding a few pounds of muscle.
 Kynoselen
(Kyno) - this is another compound that has hit the black
market, or perhaps the gray market since it hasn't been categorized
as a controlled substance, and is being sold as a great "get
ripped" compound, or as a workout energizer. It is an injectable
liquid that was not developed with human beings in mind. The
fact that it's injectable and the idea of it being an underground
product have put it, from a perception standpoint, in the
same category as steroids. This is not a steroid. It is a
veterinary vitamin mineral supplement used to treat horses
and dogs with muscle wasting diseases. It does not act as
steroids, it has not been demonstrated to increase muscle
size in weight training humans, and I don't believe it's necessary
to inject anything into your body. Your mouth does a very
nice job of taking in vitamins and minerals and your digestive
tract knows precisely where to send them. If you're looking
for a muscle boost, consider oral creatine monohydrate. It's
safe, it's legal, and you mix it in a glass and drink it.
Most of all, it's been proven in research and there aren't
any serious risks attached to it. Kynoselen is sold more because
of its intrigue than its actual payoff, and anytime you stick
a needle into your body there is some unnecessary risk.
Mifepristone
- A very expensive drug called Mifepristone has found its
way onto the bodybuilding black market. It's being pushed
as an estrogen blocker suggesting that by lessening the activity
of the predominant female hormone in men, the end result will
be enhanced masculinity and muscle. It is NOT an estrogen
blocker, but rather a progesterone antagonist. Chances are,
if you've been reading newspapers for a few years you've heard
of this drug, but you know it under a different name. RU-486,
otherwise known as the French abortion pill that led to a
massive ethical controversy in the U.S. It may be promoted
by black market dealers as a great fat burner or a great muscle
builder, but in reality it's altering the sex hormone balance
which has the potential of leading to everything from decreased
sperm count to impotence. Research seems to suggest that use
of mifepristone can also increase cortisol production. Cortisol
is described as the stress hormone, and in bodybuilding circles
as a "muscle-eating" hormone. It also seems to alter the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
axis which can lead to alteration in brain neurotransmission
and onset of severe depression. It's a drug, it's a serious
drug, and it is not something a healthy individual should
have any interest messing around with.
 Synthol
- this may be the most bizarre of all of the black market
offerings. It doesn't actually build muscle but it does add
what in some cases looks like a dinosaur sized mosquito bite
to whatever bodypart it's injected into. It can turn arms
into huge monstrosities hardly resembling anything human.
Synthol is primarily oil that sits inside the muscle fascia,
creating a swelling effect that in excess can only be described
as "freaky." It is composed 85% of MCT oil, 7.5% lidocaine,
which is a painkiller, and benzyl alcohol. Building muscle
by eating and training can be very aesthetically pleasing,
but injecting oil and swelling up bodyparts is not only unnatural,
it's dangerous. If a fatty acid compound is accidentally injected
into a blood vessel, it can travel to the lungs and a pulmonary
embolism can occur. Even if it is injected into muscle there
are risks including abscesses, infections, and even muscle
paralysis. Unfortunately synthol sellers are selling it as
a quick easy pumping agent. You now know better.
PGF2alpha -
for some reason people are responsive to confusing names.
They believe there's something inherently scientific in combinations
of letters and numbers. I believe before considering putting
anything into your body, via a teaspoon, a glass, or a syringe,
it's a pretty good idea to understand what the letters represent.
PGF2alpha can also be referred to as prostaglandins. Of course
that makes it sound a little less scientific, but perhaps
it makes it easier to understand what we're dealing with.
Unlike intramuscular steroids, prostaglandins, hormonal agents
that act to help the uterus contract and can be used to induce
labor, have a very short half life and have to be injected
frequently if they are to remain active. Bodybuilders use
them to stimulate contraction and growth of local muscle tissue
at the injection site. They also can cause undesired contractions
of muscles along the intestinal tract so they are injected
locally into the shoulders, extremities, and calves. Some
bodybuilders using prostaglandins are sticking up to 16 needles
per day into their bodies! If your goal is to become a human
pin cushion who might lose bowel control at any given moment,
you might consider these compounds, but if healthful muscle
gain is what you seek, I'd suggest the basics. Eat right,
train hard.
I could keep going,
but I think you get the point. Drugs are not magic bullets,
nor are they fitness solutions. Fitness and risk of addiction,
injury, and death do not go hand in hand.
There is an irony
to the black market issue. The bodybuilders who entertain
the use of little known, untested, risky drugs believing they
may have found a shortcut, often weigh and measure all of
their meals. They only drink bottled water. They avoid cigarette
smoke and attempt to avoid sugars, food additives, and refined
foods. Then, they consider injecting "who knows what," found
in a bottle that was discreetly hidden in the trunk of a suppliers
car, into their bodies?!?!?!? Because "who knows what" might
have been made in a dirty laboratory somewhere near the Mexican
border, might contain impurities or addictive drugs, and is
more likely to bring about discomfort, pain, and the risk
of side effects than it is any positive outcome, perhaps the
goal should be re-examined before a rash decision is made.
My advice? Pass on the odd, underground, and the questionable
compounds and stick to good old proteins, carbs, essential
fats, and exercise. I can assure you your results will be
far more gratifying!
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