Anabolic Steroid Abuse

Where Can I Get Further Scientific Information About Steroid Abuse?

NIDA Web Sites www.drugabuse.gov www.steroidabuse.org NCADI Web Site: www.health.org Phone: 1-800-729-6686

Fact sheets on anabolic steroids, other illicit drugs, and related topics can be ordered free, in English and Spanish, by calling NIDA Infofax at 1-888-NIH-NIDA (1-888-644-6432) or, for those with hearing impairment, 1-888-TTY-NIDA (1-888-889-6432).

Information on steroid abuse also can be accessed through the NIDA Steroid Abuse Web Site (www.steroidabuse.org/). Information on illicit drugs in general can be accessed through NIDA's home page (www.drugabuse.gov/) or by contacting the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI) Web Site (www.health.org/).

Glossary

Addiction

: A chronic, relapsing disease, characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and use and by neurochemical and molecular changes in the brain.

Anabolic effects: Drug-induced growth or thickening of the body's nonreproductive tract tissues -- including skeletal muscle, bones, the larynx, and vocal cords -- and decrease in body fat.

Analgesics: A group of medications that reduce pain.

Androgenic effects: A drug's effects upon the growth of the male reproductive tract and the development of male secondary sexual characteristics.

Antidepressants: A group of drugs used in treating depressive disorders.

Cardiovascular system: The heart and blood vessels.

Hormone: A chemical substance formed in glands in the body and carried in the blood to organs and tissues, where it influences function, structure, and behavior.

Musculoskeletal system: The muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments.

Placebo: An inactive substance, used in experiments to distinguish between actual drug effects and effects that are expected by the volunteers in the experiments.

Sex hormones: Hormones that are found in higher quantities in one sex than in the other. Male sex hormones are the androgens, which include testosterone; and the female sex hormones are the estrogens and progesterone.

Withdrawal: Symptoms that occur after chronic use of a drug is reduced or stopped.

References

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