Athletes and Drugs˜The High Price of Success
By Dr. Richard Frances and Nancy Helle

The widespread use by athletes of “performance enhancing drugs” many of which are sold over the counter, was discussed at the recent seminar on Addiction Psychiatry at Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, CT.

Steroids and other “dietary supplements” sold in health food stores are commonly used, not only among professional athletes, but among college, high school and ever junior high school students, according to Dr. Robert B. Millman, a medical director of the major baseball leagues and Professor of Psychiatry and Public Health at Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

“Athletes take drugs for the same reasons as everyone else—performance enhancement, self medication, and recreational use. Performance enhancing drugs tempted Olympic contenders for over 2000 years.“To be the best, the swiftest and strongest,” from the beginning people took everything they could to help them compete. A l950s American Olympic coach noticed that foreign athletes were bigger and stronger, discovered they were taking steroids and introduced the concept to American athletes,” said Dr. Millman.

“The current problem is athletes trying to beat the tests. Do we want sumo wrestlers or gladiators? Since the l950s, records document that athletes take drugs˜steroids, testosterone and its derivatives—drugs with muscle building and sexual effects, increasing lean body mass, speed and aggressiveness and making females more virile with deeper voices,” he stated.

When college students in a recent survey on performance enhancing drugs were asked, “If you knew you'd win or make the team by taking steroids, but in five years you'd get sick, would you still do it?,” nearly all said yes. When the question was changed to “if you knew you would die within five years,” 65 percent still said yes.

In most high schools today, 15 percent of the kids are taking steroids, testosterone, or other performance enhancing drugs purchased over the counter, said Dr. Millman. “When you combine weight training with steroids, there is no question that you get results.”

“However, if a young person hasn't completed growing, these drugs stop bone growth. This is a major issue˜the side effects are hypertrophied muscles and sexual organs, as well as acne, oily skin, and baldness in male and females. And the problem of withdrawal symptoms is like reverse anorexia; athletes feel like they can't stop taking the drug. One negative symptom is hyper-alertness, a form of paranoia,” Dr. Millman said.

People wrongly assume that what they buy over the counter is not harmful. “The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, states that Œif you don't claim your product cures an illness, there are no regulations on its sale.' The ingredients don't even have to be listed,” said Dr. Millman.

“These pills are in everyone's locker in professional sport. Olympic athletes have been busted for taking drugs which contains steroids, even if bought over the counter. It's very difficult to get baseball players not to take steroids. They say, 'I'm being offered a four million a year contract and if I don't take the stuff, I won't make the team',” he said.

You have to have a degree of narcissism to become a famous athlete or celebrity. If they don't get admiration, they suffer from plummeting self-esteem. Most of us are not being graded every day as athletes are. They put themselves at risk due to 'acquired narcissism.' They think they can get away with taking drugs.”

In asking, “Should we ban all performance enhancing pills?,” Dr. Millman concluded, “I feel that more of these supplements should be available only by prescription.”#

Richard Frances, M.D. is the President and Medical Director of Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut.

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