Steroids Thailand

Despite a ban on steroids and growth hormones, it is possible to obtain these drugs in Bangkok. The illegal trade in performance-enhancing substances is facilitated by the city’s burgeoning pharmaceutical industry and regulatory challenges, as well as the dynamics of international criminal networks.

The seedy beachside resort of Pattaya draws scores of amateur bodybuilders seeking a shortcut to the ideal physique. The Australian bodybuilder Michael Shavershian, whose death last year while in Thailand was linked to steroid use, is just one of many to admit to taking a ‘steroid holiday’ to bulk up.

While laws in Thailand prohibit the purchase of steroids without a prescription, pharmacies in Pattaya openly sell them and even provide advice on their use. A pharmacy on 2nd Road in South Pattaya – which was raided by police in 2010 – offers a visual catalogue of the drug, and pharmacists will talk customers through ‘cycles’, where they take combinations of different forms of the drugs over a period of two months to speed up muscle strength and growth.

The drugs are also used for other conditions, including otitis media with effusion (‘glue ear’), in which fluid accumulates in the middle ear and can cause hearing loss. While this is an effective treatment for the condition, it should only be used under a doctor’s care and for a short period of time. Oral steroids, which are often used for this purpose, can also damage bones and increase the risk of osteoporosis. Steroids Thailand