What do enhancing drugs do

The primary medical use of these compounds is to treat conditions such as hypertension, kidney disease and congestive heart failure. Taken without medical supervision, diuretics can result in potassium depletion and possibly even death. The primary medical use of these compounds is to treat conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD , asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity.

This means that it has a high potential for abuse, no accepted medical use in the United States, and lacks accepted safety data for use under medical supervision. Side effects of cannabinoid use include:. Blood doping is the practice of misusing certain techniques and substances to increase the red blood cell mass in the body. Since the red blood cells carry oxygen to the muscles, this allows the body to transport more oxygen to working muscles and therefore can increase their aerobic capacity and endurance.

The primary use of blood transfusions and synthetic oxygen carriers are for patients who have suffered massive blood loss, either during a major surgical procedure or caused by major trauma.

Erythropoietin is used in the treatment of anemia related to kidney disease. However, misuse of these substances and techniques could lead to:. In small doses narcotics have medical uses that include relieving severe pain and inducing sleep. However, narcotic overdose is a medical emergency and can lead to respiratory depression and even death. While a sensation of euphoria and psychological stimulation are effects common to the use of narcotics, the misuse of narcotics can pose ethical questions about the handling of the substance as well as great health risks.

Those include:. The primary medical use of beta-blockers is to control hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, angina pectoris severe chest pain , migraine, and nervous or anxiety-related conditions.

The primary medical use of these compounds is to treat allergies, asthma, inflammatory conditions, and skin disorders among other ailments. Concerningly, hormone and metabolic modulators, like GW, are often masqueraded as, or used in combination, with SARMs. GW never made it through pre-clinical trials because it consistently caused cancer. Although the long-term effects of SARMs are still unknown, side effects may start with hair loss and acne.

More serious health consequences have also been documented, including liver toxicity, as liver enzymes rise, and drops in good cholesterol, which can affect heart health. If this stress continues, SARMs have the potential to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. One of the most commonly abused performance-enhancing drugs, testosterone, comes with a wide range of immediate and long-term side effects.

Continued use can cause the body to stop producing hormones naturally and lead to organ enlargement, stunted growth, liver damage, and fertility issues. Moreover, natural testosterone levels may never recover, making the consequences of doping irreversible. Side effects may also be psychological, with testosterone often being connected to increased aggressiveness because it impacts the brains subcortical structures in the amygdala and the hypothalamus.

As with any anabolic steroid use, withdrawal from testosterone use may lead to depression, and even suicide. Prohibited stimulants, like methylhexanamine, that are often found in contaminated pre-workout supplements, as well as permitted stimulants, like caffeine, can both result in negative health effects if abused. At low doses, stimulants can lead to increased perspiration, shaking, inability to focus, and sleep loss, as well as low appetite and dehydration. In higher doses, stimulants can also lead to more severe health effects, such as rapid heart rate and high blood pressure.

Abuse of some stimulants has been shown to age the cardiovascular system more aggressively than smoking. And continued stress on the heart can eventually lead to cardiac arrhythmia, stroke, and heart attack. Blood doping, which often involves the use of prohibited erythropoietin, or EPO, increases the number of red blood cells in the body. This increase thickens the blood, making it difficult for the heart to pump.

The result is a higher risk of life-threatening diseases including stroke, heart disease, and cerebral or pulmonary embolisms. There have been multiple deaths attributed to blood doping. I raced 13 or 14 years as a professional cyclist. I was racing in Europe full-time, we had European riders on the team, we had European staff.

I had finished a stage race in Southern Spain, like a week-long stage race, and I was just like a starfish on my bed, collapsed.

He was wearing this fly fishing vest and he reached into one of the pockets and he pulled out this little red, egg-shaped capsule. And that was the moment, he handed me this capsule, that was the moment. And it showed that they had faith in me and that they thought I had a future in the sport.

Commonly used in conjunction with other PEDs, testosterone is particularly easy to abuse because it is applied to skin rather than injected.

Who Uses Performance-Enhancing Drugs? Signs to Watch For Physical changes. PEDs may cause changes that are sudden and pronounced. Look for drastic changes in appearance, such as big gains in muscle in boys or breast enlargement; increased acne in boys and girls; and quick weight loss, excess body hair growth, and a deepening voice in girls. Excessive concern about athletic performance. When taken to extremes, this may be a warning sign. Has the teen or young adult expressed feelings of extreme pressure to win?

Has he or she made sudden gains in athletic performance that training alone can't quite explain? Excessive concern about appearance. Has the teen or young adult expressed feelings of being too weak or overweight, accompanied by sudden physical changes?

Drastic emotional changes. Anabolic steroids can cause emotional changes, including angry outbursts referred to as "'roid rage. Unaccounted-for expenditures. While news reports suggest PEDs can be easy to obtain and relatively cheap, you may still notice that your teen is spending money that isn't fully accounted for. None of the above. Teens and young adults who are taking PEDs may not obviously exhibit any of the signs mentioned above, making use of the drugs diffi cult to identify.

When you discuss drug and alcohol use with a teen or young adult, consider also mentioning the risks involved in using PEDs. Performance enhancing drug abuse and cardiovascular risk in athletes: implications for the clinician. Br J Sports Med ; ii Androgen abuse and increased cardiac risk. South Med J. Jones G, Jacobson G. The secret edge: steroids in high school. Dallas Morning News. Accessed January 21, Martin C. Steroid use among high school girls on rise.

Stamford Advocate. J Steroid Biochem , 36 , Catlin, D. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom , 18 12 , Alquraini, H. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology , , Lund, R. Drug Testing and Analysis , 13 5 , Thevis, M. CAS is a leader in scientific information solutions, partnering with innovators around the world to accelerate scientific breakthroughs. CAS employs over 1, experts who curate, connect, and analyze scientific knowledge to reveal unseen connections.

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Perform Search Perform Search. No results for your query. Written By. July What Are Performance-Enhancing Drugs? Future Developments in Monitoring for Performance Enhancing Drugs In vitro bioassays are another promising nontargeted approach for detecting androgens. Summary Looking toward the Olympic games and beyond, there will no doubt be scandals involving doping by individuals, sometimes at the behest of their organizations.

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