Impaired Physical Performance and Clinical Responses after a Recreational Bodybuilder's Self-Administration of Steroids: A Case Report

Abstract

We reported clinical and physical responses to 7 weeks of anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) self-administration in a male recreational bodybuilder. He was self-administrating a total of 3,250 mg of testosterone when his previous and current clinical and physical trials records were revisited. Body shape, performance, and biochemistry results were clustered into three phases labeled PRE (before the self-use), POST I (immediately at the cessation of the 7-week administration), and POST II (12 weeks after the cessation). Elevated testosterone and estradiol levels were observed in the POST I phase, while hepatic and renal functions remained altered in the POST II phase. Body mass and body fat percentages increased throughout the three phases. When adjusted according to body mass, drops in aerobic and anaerobic power and capacity (2.1% to 12.9%) were observed across the phases. This case report shows that overall performance decreased when a bodybuilding practitioner self-administered AAS.

Annual banned‐substance review: analytical approaches in human sports drug testing

“…The misuse of pseudo‐endogenous and synthetic anabolic‐androgenic steroids (AAS) is still the anti‐doping rule violation most frequently detected by sports drug testing laboratories. Besides representing a major issue in elite sport, studies concerning motivation and lack of comprehension of related health issues continue to suggest an alarming situation also among recreational AAS users.…”