Unless on their guard, the lure of that perfectly chiselled six-pack abs may land young fitness freaks in sickbed.

The arrest of a gym instructor on the charge of unauthorised sale of steroids in the city is yet another reminder of the danger lurking around gym-frequenting youngsters.

According to sources familiar with the inner workings of the fitness industry, the use of steroids to fast-track the development of body and muscles is an open secret.

“Body builders cannot have that kind of physique without steroid supplements. But that happens abroad under the strict monitoring of qualified physicians who take into account the suitability and potential side effects of steroids. Besides, quality steroids are used there,” sources said.

Also Read Medical experts warn against random use of steroids  

However, youngsters back here dying to develop muscles are often taken for a ride by a section of gym instructors who lure them into the dangerous world of indiscriminate use of steroid supplements, mostly in the form of injections, so that the results, which usually take three to four years of hard work, come in a matter of months. This despite the fact that only licensed dealers are permitted to deal in steroids. Disciples of such instructors follow the same path on turning instructors, thus keeping a dangerous trend alive.

Worse still, these instructors source duplicate steroids of original brands from places like Tamil Nadu, Delhi, and Maharashtra. In some cases, even steroids meant for use in animals are passed off as ones to beef up muscles.

Also Read Online sale of steroids keeps officials guessing  

“Instructors also stitch up network with medical shops, willing to play along, that supply steroids which should be sold only on prescription, at double or triple the original price,” sources said.

Testoviron, Aquaviron, Neurabol, Stanozolol tab, Sustanon, Proviron, and Deca-Durabolin are some of the easily available and abused steroids through the murky nexus between instructors and conniving medical shop operators.

For such unscrupulous instructors who are often paid moderately in the range of ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 a month, steroids open up a lucrative avenue for supplementing that income quite heftily. They procure relatively cheap duplicates of original steroid brands and sell them at exorbitant rates, thus earning quick bucks, though at the cost of users’ health.

Meanwhile, A.N. Mohan, president, All Kerala Chemists and Druggists Association, said a circular would be issued on Monday warning of action against members dealing in steroids without prescription.

“We have our checks and balances against such unhealthy practices. For instance, two years ago, when we faced allegations of misuse of syringes in the Mattancherry area, we asked wholesale dealers to check for such misuse before issuing fresh supplies,” he said.

Mr. Mohan, however, asked doctors, including those at government hospitals, to strictly comply with the prescription norms rather than scribbling medicines on random pieces of paper so that pharmacies could verify their veracity.

If that is not enough, there is an entire virtual supermarket of steroids to tap into. There are dedicated websites, which promise import quality steroids, though there remains no mechanism to test their quality, at the click of a mouse or a tap on the smartphone.

The more adventurous even get steroids imported by a clever replacement of stickers on them by those of products permitted to be imported.

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Printable version | Aug 29, 2022 10:11:57 pm | https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/quick-muscle-building-may-land-fitness-freaks-in-sickbed/article62026904.ece