Is stanozolol so outdated that only Indians could be using the drug in attempting to enhance sports performance while the advanced countries and their athletes could be employing more modern drugs and methods?
The media is full of such speculation these days ever since news broke of some of the leading woman athletes testing positive. Two of them, Mandeep Kaur and Tiana Mary Thomas, have been reported for positive tests for stanozolol and methandienone, both steroids.
If you exclude designer steroids, which in any case cannot be detected, stanozolol continues to be one of the favourite drugs for athletes around the world, no matter that it was made infamous by Canadian Ben Johnson at the Seoul Olympics 23 years ago.
This conclusion comes from the testing statistics issued by the World Anti-Doping Agency for 2009. Of the 5610 ‘positives' including 2519 atypical findings, from 2,77,928 samples tested in 35 accredited laboratories, steroids topped the list with 3297.
Most abused drug
Of the steroids, the most abused was of course testosterone, the primary male hormone, with 2319 cases being reported. Stanozolol came second with 208 and nandrolone was third at 155. Though not so famous as the others, methandienone, the substance at the centre of the latest scandal, accounted for 110 at fourth.
Of the 127 positive cases handled by the National Anti-Doping Disciplinary panel since January, 2009, there were 67 sportspersons who were reported for stanozolol abuse. Currently among the suspended athletes on the list of International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), there are 31 stanozolol cases.
Stanozolol is available in tablet and injection forms. It is more anabolic (muscle producing) than androgenic (stimulating male characteristics) and is preferred by female athletes. It helps produce lean body mass, has less water retention than other steroids since it does not convert into estrogen (female hormone) and is often used by bodybuilders.
Stanozolol in injection form (Winstrol Depot), developed in the 1960s, may get cleared from the system in about 50 to 60 days. In oral form (Winstrol, Menabol), it may get cleared in about two weeks to 23 days.
Methandienone (Dianabol, Danabol, Averbol, to quote some of its commercial names), also developed in the 1960s, is known to help produce muscle strength in a short span of time. It is another favourite with the bodybuilders, though currently there are 13 cases among suspended athletes at the international level, caught with this drug, often used in tandem with another steroid.
Methandienone is capable of lasting in the system for about 40 days in oral form and about five months in injection form.
