Gymgoers 'are abusing tamoxifen’, By: David Batty

 
June 15, 2006

UK gym users are increasingly abusing prescription medicines including breast cancer drugs in order to build up muscle definition, researchers said today.

A survey of male and female gym attendees found not only growing rates of steroid abuse but also greater misuse of prescription drugs.

Prescription drugs used included the breast cancer treatment tamoxifen and the diabetes medication insulin, the study - published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine - said.

The survey of 200 gymgoers in south Wales found 95% were taking a combination of prescription drugs as well as steroids.

Researchers from the University of Glamorgan found a 14% rise in the number of gymgoers using insulin - taken to increase body mass - between 2000 and 2005.

Some of those using the medication suffered abnormally low blood sugar levels, and one fell into a coma.

The study also found a 22% rise in the numbers using tamoxifen, and the chief researcher, Professor Bruce Davis, discovered that male bodybuilders were using the breast cancer drug to counteract the adverse side effects of steroids.

"When men take testosterone in large doses, it changes into oestrogen and they can develop a condition known as gynaecomastia, which causes them to grow breasts. Some even produce milk," he said.

"Taking tamoxifen prevent this by repressing the body's production of oestrogen."

Meanwhile, female gymgoers were risking developing more masculine features by taking steroids, with 7% of those surveyed found to be taking them.

The survey also found a 24% increase in gym users taking growth hormone, with some body builders taking 40-50 times the recommended dosage.

There was a 10% rise in the numbers using diuretics, taken to counteract the water retention caused by using steroids and growth hormone.

The survey also revealed significant rises in the numbers taking stimulants to increase heart rate and blood pressure, with a 44% increase in those using ephedrine and a 21% rise in those taking clenbuterol.

Both drugs can cause heart palpitations and, with prolonged misuse, heart attacks and strokes.

The researchers did not identify where gymgoers were obtaining prescription medication from, although some respondents were using the internet to research how to combine the drugs to enhance muscle growth and performance.

The majority (89%) obtained steroids illegally, with more than 50% admitting they got the drugs from backstreet laboratories.

Prof Davies added that many steroid abusers were not injecting the drugs safely, with some sharing or reusing needles despite the risks of contracting hepatitis and HIV.

A south Wales hospital had alerted the researchers to several cases of bodybuilders with abcesses on their muscles caused by injecting steroids.

Prof Davies blamed the increased drug use on rising rates of "bigorexia" - a form of body dsymorphia which makes sufferers believe they are too puny.

"Our results corroborate research undertaken in the United States, [showing] that ... an increasing number of non-athletes are resorting to a combination of drugs with the sole intention of improving their physical appearance.

"Sufferers of negative or heightened body image issues will go to extremes to meet their desired goals and doctors need to be more aware of the efforts 'bigorexics' will go to achieve their goals."