All this talk of doping got me thinking.. (Page 2)

oops, question already answered

I take a small dose of prednisone everyday!!!   Totally different than PED's though.

I could care less if people take them.  I look at it as they are only hurting themselves, in some way or another, medically, financially and so on!!

My wife and I just read that article too.  But it wasn't steroids he was taking by the way, it was testosterone.  If I was his wife, I would be pretty ticked off.  

I have met 1 person who has admitted to taking anabolic steroids.  Non-triathlete weight-lifter guy.  

I can totally understand why professionals would take the risk.  Would I?  Hell no.,,but then again, I'm not a professional.  

I still feel guilty ingesting protein powder.  I feel like I'm cheating.    

I teach high school. At a previous assignment I had a student that did steroids, he was a foot ball player and thought it would improve his performance.

Long story short, Roid rage, fist through window in door, abused girlfriend, assault of another student, and arrested for possesion and distribution of marijuana, all within les than 2 weeks time. 

I've known lots of folks who have.  Almost invariably it is either the symptom of or cause of other underlying problems in their life.

In other words, they were either on a permanent or temporary burnout course when they started or they quickly got on one after they started, in terms of professional or personal behavior and relationships.

I'm trying to think of one that wasn't a train wreck and can't at the moment.

A lot of people in actual operations take all sorts of weird stuff to help performance. Fighter pilots take what are called "Go pills" that enhance their focus, reaction time and alertness to ridiculous levels (but they crash after 20 hours or something like that)

I think that if you volunteer to do spec ops and what not, and you consent and are knowledgeable of the effects of performance enhancers, there is no foul in war.

As far as athletics are concerned, let people decide for themselves and maybe have a separate league for admitted "dopers." It would sure make competitions and records interesting. Maybe more people would watch triathlon if the Ironman record time was 5-6 hours!

This kind of sounds like you don't think the top level of triathlon isn't plagued with doping... which is almost certainly incorrect.

That's right, I read it on a plane awhile ago and kind of skimmed it.  Here is a link:  http://outsideonline.com/adventure/travel-ta-201106-doping-cyclist-sidwcmdev_156148.html

this one is even better, it's one they did back in 2003??   where the writer did a combination of things, EPO, deca, under a doctors care,  This way he could also track his blood work.

http://outsideonline.com/outside/bodywork/200311/200311_drug_test_1.html

My word here is not authoratative. I'm not a doctor or a pharmacologist, so please don't assume my post here is correct...I could be way off. This is just what I remember.

Actually testosterone IS a steroid.  Most cycles will have an ester of testosterone as its base and be a combination of several different drugs. An ester of testosterone is basically testosterone with a specific half-life.  I don't remember what the numbers are, but you have say Test Cypionate (14 day half life?), test propionate (2 day half life?), etc (there's at least one more but I can't remember what it's called.  A drug like Sustanon, is a mix of several different testosterone esters and was very popular back when I knew a lot about this stuff...maybe still is.

Usually people taking PEDs will not take only one compound. Generally they will take two or more due to the differing half lives of the drugs. This is called stacking. The common form of test taken is injectable, but there are other methods out there like transdermal. Not very popular though because it's expensive and harder to get on black market.  Injectables do not cause any liver damage that I know of. They are not injected into blood vessels. They are intramuscular. In addition to synthetic forms of testosterone there are also synthetic druges that display certain other anabolic properties. Sometimes these are called designer anabolics. There are also oral steroids.  Oracle steroids are often used in the beginning of the cycle while waiting for the blood concentrations of other slower acting esters to reach critical mass. Generally, oral steroids have short half lives and do pose a threat to the liver because they are designed in such a way that the liver cannot dispose of it, but it will try.

People using steroids also have to consider post cycle recovery.  Our bodies have a certain amount of testosterone they normally maintain. When the body detects we have more, it can attempt to convert some of it into estrogen. This is why you see people pushing anti-aromatase products. There are, of course, real drugs that do that as well. Can't remember the names.  Often these drugs will be taken during a cycle as well as after. Anyway, men's testes will shrink because they stop producing natural testosterone. Without post cycle drugs it can take a very long time for them to begin working again. Meanwhile, extra test is being converted into estrogen. Men will get moody, cry during chick flicks, etc. Men can also get gynocomastia, aka " " (sorry for the language, that's just what the term is).  Basically, breast tissue develops...men can grow breasts. If you frequent bodybuilding bulletin boards where people discuss cycles, you will see people saying "do your research".  You have to know what you're doing of you really can mess yourself up.

Word of caution on OTC supplements that claim to boost test levels. If they actually do work (that's debatable), then they can cause all of the negative affects the real thing can cause. Just because something is legal, doesn't mean it is safe.  Messing with the endocrine system is not something that should be taken lightly.

Again, I'm not a doctor, etc. Also, everything I wrote here can easily be discovered in 30 minutes of using google and reading.  By the way, posession of an anabolic steroid is a class 4 felony last time I checked (that's like being caught with morphine or cocaine *I think*).

HGH (Human Growth Hormone) is not an anabolic steroid and I don't know anything worthwhile about it.  Perhaps someone else does.

The article above talking about vetrinarian drugs...it gets much more scary, but I will not post details here.  Let's just say those drugs don't sound nearly as scary as some other sources.

No, I do not believe the upper levels of triathlon is plagued with doping. Call it naive, but I like to trust the system of testing, and I enjoy having heroes in my life who do outstanding things.

Besides, even if they are, they are being "secretive" about it, and probably cannot dope as much as they would. So if they could be admitted dopers, results might be different, because they could dope more without worries of getting caught or whatever.

A few years back, I had a buddy that was pretty open about his steroid usage.  He is/was elite military (we've since lost touch), having done several tours in Iraq & Afghanistan. 

I've no problem with it, and tip my hat to his service.

Ummmm.....  Test Cyp and Test E are the steroids that are the base for anyone who knows what they are doing with PEDs.  Your natural production of test shuts down when synthetic is introduced and you end up with a test level well above the natural baseline for a human.  You then add Deca or Tren or Var etc etc etc.  When you come off you use Nolv which is a cancer drug or Clomid to get your baseline test levels back to normal.  If you know what you are doing you can cycle test very safely, but the addiction risk is the same as any other drug.  I know several people on hormone replacement therapy due to abusing test. 

BTW roid rage is a myth.  Is there a bit of raised aggression levels?  Yes.  To the extent the general public attributes it?  No.  If the aggressive trait is there it will be enhanced and to think a good percentage of top level athletes in any sport don't dope is very naive.  It's very easy to get your hands on and testing too spotty for some to resist.

Lots of talk of steroids here, but steroids are really not the issue in endurance sports.  Methods of elevating HemoCrit levels (number or red blood cells) is the issue in cycling/running.  EPO increases red blood cell production and does not have the side effects associated with steroid use.  It may cause complications in individuals with existing kidney problems, but otherwise lacks the nasty side effects associated with steroids.  

The OP asked if we use PEDs... maybe we don't use steroids, but most of use use some type of PED... the difference is most of us take ones that are legal to purchase.  We use caffiene in our gels.  I take a 12 hr pseudophed before a race to increase oxygen uptake.  Many take a fat burning supplement like oxycut or green tea to get down to race weight (ClenButerol is the fat burner that Contador was allegedly taking).  All of those are essentially PEDs.  If I could buy EPO over the counter I would be very likely to give it a try.

I have been pondering this topic as well and the above statement has me wondering what's the big deal? If people are taking it for these reasons, why not for performance enhancement? There are risks associated with everything in sports. As long as everyone knows the risk and everyone is allowed to take the risks if they so choose (an even playing field so to speak) then what is problem?

So shortened recovery time, increased retention of lean muscle mass at a caloric deficit, less joint inflamation, etc. don't help endurance athletes?  On race day maybe not but I know a sponsored TT rider that gained about 75 watts over an offseason by using oral roids.  They may not be a huge edge if we're talking what you put in your body on race day, but on steroids you can up the amount of training you do, up your intensity, and recover back to baseline quicker.  I'd call this a major advantage over the clean athlete. 

Because it imposes the requirement on other athletes if they want a successful career.