Medical Questions & Answers

Question: What is the difference between the drugs people are arrested for and those prescribed by a doctor?
The word ‘drugs’ makes most people thinks of the illegal drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and heroin. But drugs are also the legal medications that are prescribed by your doctor or purchased over the counter from chemists. Everything from aspirin to antibiotics, and fluid tablets to vitamin C (ascorbic acid) are drugs. Any substance that has an effect on the function of the body is a drug.
It is always important to take drugs in the correct way in order to maximize their effect. Some interact with food to reduce their effectiveness; alcohol may exacerbate the side effects of others; different drugs may interact to give more potent or less effective results. Even over-the-counter preparations may interact with each other and with prescribed drugs. Check with your pharmacist or doctor.

Question: What are the anabolic steroids that athletes take? Are they really dangerous?
Anabolic steroids are drugs that build up body tissue. Oxymetholone and nandrolone (Deca-Durabolin) are examples. They are used clinically to treat severe blood diseases (eg. aplastic anaemia), some types of cancer, osteoporosis and kidney failure.
They are used illegally by athletes and body-builders in both tablet and injection form to increase muscle mass. There are many serious side effects and problems associated with their long-term use, including liver disease and damage, the development of male characteristics and cessation of periods in women, stunting of growth and early onset of puberty in children, swelling of tissue, water retention, infertility, personality disorders and voice changes. Their use must be actively discouraged, because the short-term benefits gained by athletes are often followed by long-term medical problems.

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