Athletes take human growth hormone, also called somatotropin, to build more muscle and do better at their sports. But studies don’t clearly prove that human growth hormone boosts strength or helps people exercise longer. These drugs might lower the damage that happens https://accountingcoaching.online/alcoholism-anger-management-mental-health/ to muscles during a hard workout. Some people also may like how their muscles look when they take these drugs. But doping for sports isn’t one of the uses the drugs are approved for. Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) are drugs taken to improve physical performance.
- The serotonergic 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT)1B or 5HT2 receptors may play a role in the mediation of emotional states and behavioral changes that we see among human AAS users (237).
- We selected randomized controlled clinical trials investigating the effects of NSAIDs on performance indices in sport.
- As noted in the analysis, virtually all of these AAS-dependent individuals are likely to be male, because only 2 of the 363 cases of AAS dependence found in the 10 pooled studies described above were female.
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Other recreational drugs
Athletes such as Lance Armstrong and Justin Gatlin both damaged the reputation and credibility of their respective sports. Athletes may choose to use illegal PEDs for different reasons and with varying risks. In addition, some scientists claim that using drugs may be necessary for certain athletes to compete at a high level. For example, studies have shown that caffeine improves reaction time and vigilance for elite cyclists and runners who experience periods of intense activity followed by rest days when they cannot consume any caffeine.
However, these drugs can cause breast growth, prostate gland enlargement, smaller testicles, and infertility in men. Women may become more masculine, with a deeper voice, more body hair, baldness, and infrequent menstruation. Drug dependence, aggressive behavior, and psychiatric disorders are also possibilities, among many more.
