Anabolic Steroids that Baseball Players Use

[Millard Baker]

2004 MLB Positive Steroid Tests*
(1,133 tests, 12 were positive = rate of just over 1%)


1 nandrolone
11 stanozolol


2003 MLB Positive Steroid Tests*
(1,438 tests, 96 positive = rate of 6.7%)

26 stanozolol
73 nandrolone
5 boldenone,
3 methandrostenolone,
1 clenbuterol
8 elevated levels of testosterone

*Some players have positive tests for more than one substance.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/15/sp...-baseball.html

March 15, 2005

Baseball Tests Show Drop in Use of Popular Steroid

By DUFF WILSON

A list of the specific steroids found in tests of major league baseball players in the first two years of steroid testing shows a huge drop-off in one of the most powerful and popular such drugs.

There were 73 positive tests for the steroid nandrolone among baseball players in 2003, but only one for nandrolone in 2004, according to a five-page cover letter attached to about 400 pages of documents that Major League Baseball gave the House Government Reform Committee this week.

The New York Times obtained a copy of the cover letter today from Stanley Brand, attorney for Major League Baseball. The documents themselves have not been made public. The cover letter did not provide an analysis of the results, but it did reflect a striking change in the first two years of steroids testing.

Dr. Gary I. Wadler, a steroids expert at New York University who has been called to testify to the committee on Thursday, said the dramatic drop in nandrolone could have two explanations, but he said it did not assure him that baseball has solved its steroids problem.

It could have been that many more players in 2003 than 2004 were injecting Deca-durabolin, one of the most powerful and long-lasting anabolic steroids, which contains nandrolone, Dr. Wadler said. Or, he said, a more likely explanation could be that players started avoiding dietary supplements that contained a related chemical, 19-norandrostenedione.

Dr. Wadler said steroids users would know to avoid the injectable form of nandrolone because it is long-lasting in the body.

Congress acted last year to add 19-norandrostenedione to the list of banned substances, effective this year.

"They could have legitimately bought it at that time - can't do it any more - or they could have taken a protein powder that was contaminated and they never had any intent of ingesting it," Dr. Wadler said. He said it was not possible to know from the information in the cover letter whether the steroid was ingested or injected.

Dr. Wadler is author of the 1989 book, "Drugs and the Athlete," a member of the prohibited list committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency, an internist and sports medicine physician, and associate professor of clinical medicine at New York University.

In other details of the test results, stanozolol - a powerful injectable steroid also known as Winstrol or Winstrol V for veterinary use - was found in 26 tests in 2003 and in 11 tests from 2004.

No other steroids were detected in the 2004 testing.

The other chemicals found in 2003 were five incidents of boldenone, three of methandrostenolone, one of clenbuterol and eight of elevated levels of testosterone.

Dr. Wadler said boldenone, also known as Equipose, is a powerful steroid that is commonly injected; methandrostenolone is "a famous hardcore anabolic steroid from years ago, called Dianabol, or D-bol"; clenbuterol is not a steroid but a chemical used to make horses and cattle bigger; and the presence of elevated testosterone resulted from illegal testosterone injections.

In some cases, more than one steroid was found in the same player, according to the cover letter to the committee.

The letter from Robert D. Manfred Jr., baseball vice president for labor relations, was hand-delivered today to the Committee on Government Reform. It is addressed to Tom Davis, Republican of Virginia, chairman of the committee, and Henry A. Waxman, Democrat of California, the ranking minority member.

Overall results showed 1,438 tests of major league baseball players in 2003, with 96 positive, a rate of 6.7 percent.

Thirteen of those positive findings were disputed, Mr. Manfred wrote in the letter. He said the disputes were not resolved because even without those 13 the percentage of positive results would have been 5.7 - above the 5 percent threshold that was set in baseball's labor agreement to trigger further testing.

In 2004, the second year of testing, 1,133 tests were conducted and 12 were positive, a rate of just over 1 percent. Mr. Manfred emphasized in his letter that the 2004 tests were unannounced.

Mr. Manfred and Bud Selig, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, plan to tell the committee on Thursday that baseball has made great strides to eliminate steroids.

But Dr. Wadler said the drop to 1 nandrolone finding, from 73, did not show baseball had solved its steroids problem.

"No, I don't think it means the program is working great," he said. "I'm very concerned about 11 stanozolol, frankly. To me it can mean the efforts to get 19-norandrostenedione off the shelves is probably a significant factor, as well as the educational efforts we've made worldwide to tell athletes to not take that in dietary supplements.

"Over the past several years we were emphasizing to elite athletes to not take dietary supplements because they could be contaminated with 19-norandrostenedione. Word may have gotten out, don't take that stuff."

Dr. Wadler said athletes had been warned not to take 19-norandrostenedione directly and not to take any other dietary supplement that may be contaminated with it.

[Millard Baker]

Gary Wadler's explanation of why nandrolone tests dropped is lame. He really believes that the prohormone 19-norandrostenedione was likely responsible for most of the positives. It's possible but everyone knows that athletes always avoid nandrolone due to its extended detection time when they are subject to real drug testing. In untested sports/events, nandrolone is very popular.

So, I don't believe this gives up support to the effectiveness of testing. Only stupid athletes subject to testing will use nandrolone (Deca) products. Smart steroids users will adjust their AAS to accomodate testing.

[Bob Smith]

What I come away with from reading this article....if only 1% of baseball players are using, that means that there is no huge problem, its all media hype and that Congress should end the witchhunt they are on. Now, we all know that the percentage of AAS users in MLB is probably closer to 50% or more, but if the media is reporting 1%, then let them. It will only show that the extent of AAS use is much lower than previously thought and baseball is a "clean" sport. IMO, the lower the % of players caught, hopefully the sooner all of this blows over.

[injuryexpert]

50% seems AWFUL high to me, Bob. I'd guess - and this is just a guess - is that maybe 50% of baseball players have tried AAS once or twice, but many I talk to really balk at injections and few know that there are oral steroids. (Yes, really.) I think 20% used "hardcore" and that the numbers in the MLB letter are about half of the "true" numbers.

[Nate Dawg]

Clenbuterol is used to make horses and cattle bigger huh? Never heard that one.

[J DUB]

Originally Posted by Nate Dawg

Clenbuterol is used to make horses and cattle bigger huh? Never heard that one.

It has been shown to have anabolic properties in animals but not in humans. As far as 50%, no way...that is way too high. I would say 15% max at any time. But we're all just speculating so who really cares.

[thick]

well since we all get a guess I would say 30-40% are somewhat regular users. 15-20% year round users. Are we factoring GH into this?

Originally Posted by J DUB

It has been shown to have anabolic properties in animals but not in humans. As far as 50%, no way...that is way too high. I would say 15% max at any time. But we're all just speculating so who really cares.

[Deacon]

more bad information from the media

[cinnabar8521]

Originally Posted by thick

well since we all get a guess I would say 30-40% are somewhat regular users. 15-20% year round users. Are we factoring GH into this?

Just for kicks, does anyone know what % of player test positive for rec drugs such as coke or pot?

[Millard Baker]

Originally Posted by cinnabar8521

Just for kicks, does anyone know what % of player test positive for rec drugs such as coke or pot?

I haven't seen any mention of it. Everyone is only concerned about the really dangerous drugs - AAS!

[Bob Smith]

Originally Posted by administrator

I haven't seen any mention of it. Everyone is only concerned about the really dangerous drugs - AAS!

Yeah, now that Doc Gooden is out of the league, they no longer have a cocaine problem.