Anabolic steroids

Anabolic steroids are drugs that are all similar to the naturally occurring sex hormone testosterone.

Name 

Commercial names vary from country to country, but may include: Stromba, Deca-Durabolin, Primobolan, Anavar, Winstrol, Anadrol, Dianabol, and Sustanon 250. Drug dealers sometimes sell veterinary anabolic steroids (commonly a brand called Equipoise), which are actually created for horses.

From

In 1935, scientists in Amsterdam succeeded in isolating a chemical from bull testicles that they identified as testosterone. That same year, two researchers discovered that giving testosterone to dogs caused an increase in the muscle mass of these animals, under certain conditions. Towards the end of the 1930s, testosterone was being used to treat hypogonadism; a medical condition where the testicles do not naturally produce enough testosterone for normal growth, or for the changes that happen at puberty.

By the late 1940s it is thought that a few Russian weightlifters had discovered testosterone, and began using it because they believed it increased strength and muscle growth. Doctors treating patients with testosterone had noticed the androgenic (masculinising) side effects of the drug, which they wished to avoid, so by the 1950s several new 'less androgenic' anabolic steroids had been developed.

Some of the wrestlers at the Olympics in the 1950s were probably abusing anabolic steroids, and in 1956 the steroid Methandrostenolone (Dianabol) was first marketed in the United States. This paved the way for more widespread use among some of the world class high-strength athletes in the 1960s, and in 1975 the International Olympic Committee finally banned the drugs after accurate tests became available.

Chemistry

Natural steroid hormones are all synthesised from cholesterol, and have a similar structure; a ring of four carbon atoms. What makes each type of hormone unique is what's attached to one of these specific carbon atoms (sometimes called the number 17 carbon atom).

Anabolic steroids have properties that doctors can use to treat certain medical conditions. In the UK, their main use is in the treatment of severe anaemia, a condition where there are not enough red cells in the blood, or not enough of the oxygen-carrying compound called haemoglobin. They may also be prescribed to reverse the effects of muscle wasting, which can be seen in people who are immobile for a long period after having major surgery, or who are suffering from malnutrition, or have Aids-related weight loss.

Their androgenic (sex hormone-like, or masculinising) properties can be useful for treating men with hypogonadism, who cannot naturally produce enough testosterone. It can be helpful in speeding up delayed puberty and improving sexual function in these patients.

Production

Anabolic steroids are synthesised in pharmaceutical laboratories, and those that end up available on the black market are usually stolen from pharmacies or vet suppliers. Some of the chemicals sold as 'steroids' are counterfeit and could contain absolutely anything. Factories making these fake drugs have been found in Mexico, Eastern Europe, and India.