Steroids, which mimic the effects of testosterone on the body, are known to have a range of serious side effects, including fertility problems and impotence, high blood pressure and cholesterol, and heart and liver abnormalities. The US Food and Drug Administration warns that steroids can also shrink testicles and cause breast tissue to develop in boys, and can change the sex characteristics of girls into masculine features such as facial hair or enlarged penis.
The ease with which steroid products are available in Thailand and their low cost lure thousands of amateur bodybuilders to the country every year. The drugs are sold in pharmacies across the country and can even be obtained without a prescription, although in many cases pharmacists follow a system of’stacking’, wherein they prescribe several different types of steroids at once, to maximise muscle-building effects.
Many pharmacies in Pattaya boldly advertise the steroids they sell on shop-front windows, including one opposite a pub on Beach Road Soi 7 that boasted of ‘Andriol’ tablets and ‘Testoviron’ injections. Both are anabolic steroids _ synthetic variants of the naturally occurring male sex hormone testosterone _ which, when combined with other drugs such as weight-loss medicines or growth-hormone stimulants in a practice known as’stacking’, can produce huge gains in muscle mass.
The steroid trade in Thailand reflects the complex interplay between the country’s burgeoning pharmaceutical industry, regulatory challenges, and the dynamics of international criminal networks. It also highlights the importance of international collaboration to mitigate the negative impacts of illicit steroid distribution on global public health. The unchecked flow of steroids from Thailand into the global market also raises concerns over adulteration, inconsistent quality control, and the absence of stringent regulations. Steroids Thailand
