Samuel Merigala By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: This will help me work out better and bring out the cuts in my abs,” says 20-year-old Rahul (name changed), as his friend injects steroid into his buttocks.

Rahul flinches, takes the syringe from his friend, looks for passersby, reloads, and returns the favour after wiping the needle with a cloth. The duo then hobble up a flight of stairs to their fitness centre on Velachery Main Road and begin their fitness routine after taking a long look at their bodies in the mirror. Anabolic-androgenic steroids, which were once limited to the realm of bodybuilders dreaming of joining the leagues of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronnie Coleman, have found their way into the bodies of the mainstream.

Twenty-year-olds like Rahul and his friend, who are part of the country’s middle class majority, swearing by the potential of steroids in helping build muscle and showing “results”, flags a rising epidemic of steroid usage in the city.

Almost every fitness enthusiast Express spoke to claimed they at least know one group in their fitness centre that constantly yaps about steroid usage and combinations. “The local supplement shop owner began giving injections in the men’s bathroom and when even women began using them, the centre cancelled the supplement shop owner’s membership,” said Mani (name changed), a fitness enthusiast.

While taking his post workout steroid in the same dimly lit section of the parking lot, Rahul reveals that this is third ‘cycle’ of Nandralone and he has lost six kg over the last two months. He shrugs off the disastrous side effects as he checks his Instagram story.

“All that is hyped up. My trainer knows how to avoid them,” he says, refusing to reveal if he has faced any initial side effects such as loss in libido, irritability and paranoia. People like Rahul, who compulsively worry about the appearance of their bodies are the easiest targets. “The trainers become friendly and you start looking up to them. That is when they suggest steroids and promise results,” says Gladwin (name changed), one of the lucky ones who stopped taking steroids after a few ‘cycles’.

However, in the case of 23-year-old Aditya (name changed), the trainers he trusted so much turned out to be his biggest foes. “My trainers used to give me steroid combinations to shed weight and when they saw that I was not depending on them anymore they gave me a combination which made me gain 13 kg in a week,” he said, claiming he has never set foot in the gym since then.

While Rahul says he has become good friends with his trainer, cases such as Aditya are living proof that the trainer-enthusiast friendships can sour and have disastrous effects that can rob a person of a normal life.

What are steroids?

Drugs manufactured to replicate effect of male hormone testosterone and are misused to enhance performance, increase muscle mass and decrease fat.

Effects and side-effects

While steroids increase protein synthesis in muscle tissue and androgens, thereby increasing muscle mass, they hamper natural secretion of hormones. “The reduction of natural secretion of testosterone in men causes appearance of female characteristics. In women, steroid usage increases testosterone levels and results in a hoarse voice and hair growth,” said T Kamaraj, a renowned sexologist in the city. Sexual problems are only the tip of the iceberg. Prolonged usage has been known to cause heart attacks, strokes, high cholesterol, kidney and liver failures.

Rise in infertility

Sexual problems including low sperm count are the most common side effects of steroid usage and sexologists say there has been a spike in these steroid-induced cases in recent years. “I receive around two infertility cases every week with a history of steroid usage,” said a sexologist from Triplicane, explaining that the ones who are still using steroids have to slowly reduce the dosages to prevent a bigger relapse.

However, users not only battle their own psychological addictions but also constant belittling from trainers and peers. “This is what made me continue for a few cycles even when I wanted to stop,” said Gladwin (name changed). Kamaraj said the ones affected with sexual problems because of steroid usage in their youth wait till they get married to seek help. “These youth should seek help immediately after they start facing problems and avoid usage because acute usage will have irreversible effects.”

The steroid business model

While there are multiple online resources that highlight the ill effects of steroids and increasing awareness, experts in the fitness industry believe that the use of steroids will continue to boom in the coming days because of a variety of reasons. The first is that trainers are looking to make a quick buck. Being the source of these steroids, trainers make a quick buck pushing steroids to fitness centre members. “The gym owner asks me to sell as many steroids as I can,” alleged one trainer, hinting that his job depends on how many customers he can get hooked to steroids.

With the base price of most steroids beginning at Rs 300, there is definitely a lot of money to be made pushing them to members.

Prem Kumar, owner and head trainer of a fitness centre at Selaiyur that promotes fitness in a natural way, reveals that many fitness centres across the city and state are depending more and more on supplements and steroid revenue to sustain themselves.

Instagram a problem

While its the trainers, friends and the fitness centres which are introducing fitness enthusiasts to steroids, social media especially Instagram is sustaining the psychological addictions. “Newcomers set unrealistic goals for themselves and they want a shortcut so they resort to using steroids,” said a trainer in the city, explaining how he has to keep snatching phones during workouts. He says that newcomers feel indebted to their social media followers to show results. “This added pressure is unhealthy and results in many enthusiasts using steroids and never getting out of it,” he said.

Are steroids illegal

Anabolic androgenic steroids are prescription drugs which are primarily used in the treatment of cancer, hemorrhages and hernias but are easily available over the counter. Supplement shops also sell steroids allowing users to procure them without any hassles. The city police are yet to crackdown on steroid abuse and say no cases have been registered. “We have not received any complaint but have observed use of steroids, especially in north Chennai,” said a senior police officer explaining steroids are also being imported from other countries.

Since Chennai is yet to witness multiple steroid induced deaths and registration of FIRs like Hyderabad did two years ago, fitness industry is making a quick buck with steroids.

Even supplements not safe

Even protein and carbohydrate supplements are adulterated. “There are reports that around 80 per cent of supplements in the United States are adulterated and the situation is likely to be much worse in the country,” said PSM Chandran, an independent observer for the National Anti Doping Agency. According to the former SAI head of sports medicine feels there needs to be a regulation to stop the scourge.