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Dr. Kieran Harkin, a general practitioner who works with the non-profit harm reduction drug service provider Merchants Quay Ireland, recently told the Irish Examiner newspaper that steroid-using bodybuilders were quite a bit different from the traditional illicit drug users who take advantage of needle exchange services.
The bodybuilders represent an entirely different demographic than the poor and homeless drug users that have contacted Merchants Quay in the past according to Merchant Quay Head of Day Services Mark Kennedy. The steroid users are typically aged 18-40, educated and gainfully-employed with “jobs, an education, homes”.
The topic of anabolic steroids became a hot topic in Ireland earlier this month after the Irish Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), Irish Revenue’s Customs Service and An Garda Síochána announced the seizure of €350,000 worth of drugs as part of Interpol’s international Operation Pangea IX from May 30, 2016 to June 7, 2016.
Anabolic steroids represented over half of the drugs seized in Ireland during Operation Pangea IX. The seizure included 33,000 dosage units of anabolic steroids, 9,000 erectile dysfunction pills and 6,500 sedatives as well as miscellaneous painkillers, stimulants, weight loss drugs, injectable tanning products (melanotan-II) and abortion pills.
Several Irish medical experts greeted the news with warnings concerning the dangerous side effects of anabolic steroids.
Pharmacist Ann Marie Horan, with the Forfield Pharmacy in Dublin, claimed that anabolic steroids could cause paranoia and impaired judgment along with kidney damage, enlarged hearts and shriveled testicles.
Doctor John Sheehan, with Blackpool Bridge Surgery in Cork, encouraged government agencies to devote more resources towards educating young people about the dangers of steroids. He also reported that he personally witnessed steroid users experience roid rage. He promised to raise the issue at the Health Service Excecutive (HSE) South regional health forum.
“I will be asking what the HSE is going to do in terms of educating young people about the risks associated with the use of anabolic steroids,” Dr. Sheehan said. “I have seen people using them become very aggressive. We need a public health awareness campaign and efforts must be made to engage gym owners in the conversation.”
However, given that most steroid users are otherwise law-abiding, gainfully-employed and educated individuals, it seems likely that this demographic would be less susceptible to any efforts that merely appear to demonize anabolic steroids. Any steroid education initiative must be evidence-based to have a meaningful impact on the unique demographic that comprises steroid users.
The bodybuilders represent an entirely different demographic than the poor and homeless drug users that have contacted Merchants Quay in the past according to Merchant Quay Head of Day Services Mark Kennedy. The steroid users are typically aged 18-40, educated and gainfully-employed with “jobs, an education, homes”.
The topic of anabolic steroids became a hot topic in Ireland earlier this month after the Irish Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), Irish Revenue’s Customs Service and An Garda Síochána announced the seizure of €350,000 worth of drugs as part of Interpol’s international Operation Pangea IX from May 30, 2016 to June 7, 2016.
Anabolic steroids represented over half of the drugs seized in Ireland during Operation Pangea IX. The seizure included 33,000 dosage units of anabolic steroids, 9,000 erectile dysfunction pills and 6,500 sedatives as well as miscellaneous painkillers, stimulants, weight loss drugs, injectable tanning products (melanotan-II) and abortion pills.
Several Irish medical experts greeted the news with warnings concerning the dangerous side effects of anabolic steroids.
Pharmacist Ann Marie Horan, with the Forfield Pharmacy in Dublin, claimed that anabolic steroids could cause paranoia and impaired judgment along with kidney damage, enlarged hearts and shriveled testicles.
Doctor John Sheehan, with Blackpool Bridge Surgery in Cork, encouraged government agencies to devote more resources towards educating young people about the dangers of steroids. He also reported that he personally witnessed steroid users experience roid rage. He promised to raise the issue at the Health Service Excecutive (HSE) South regional health forum.
“I will be asking what the HSE is going to do in terms of educating young people about the risks associated with the use of anabolic steroids,” Dr. Sheehan said. “I have seen people using them become very aggressive. We need a public health awareness campaign and efforts must be made to engage gym owners in the conversation.”
However, given that most steroid users are otherwise law-abiding, gainfully-employed and educated individuals, it seems likely that this demographic would be less susceptible to any efforts that merely appear to demonize anabolic steroids. Any steroid education initiative must be evidence-based to have a meaningful impact on the unique demographic that comprises steroid users.