ANTI-AGING SUPPLEMENTS MAY SOON BE ILLEGAL!

Life Extension Foundation ^ | march 2003 | patrick arnold

[Skip Ripley]

The problem with supplements like andro is that they are regulated like food products and marketed like drugs.

I don't think these products should be illegal per se, but as it stands there is next to no burden on the manufacturers to show they are safe, let alone effective as advertised.

Andro is a bad product. From my personal experience you get almost none of the desired effect and most of the side effects of anabolic steroids. I'm 41 years old. I used these products extensively for about 3 years. My blood profile is eerily similar to a hardcore steroid user. My HDL and testosterone production are low, my estradiol levels are high. While on Andro I developed gynocomastia. I was growing TITS! I noticed no appreciabe increase in strength or lean body mass, even though the ads tout HUGE gains in both. I now find myself on testosterone replacement therapy and low doses of Arimidex to block the estrogen.

If manufacturers of these products were held to tighter standards and the sale limited to folks above age 21, you'd probably see them fall out of the market.

They probably would not be on the market at all if we had a sane policy towards steroids. My doctor and I should be able to work together if I want to do a cycle or two a year to build a little muscle. Why is it that my neighbor could get the brains sucked out of her fetus' head right up until birth and have that be considered a constitutionally protected freedom, but I'm a criminal if I want to score some Dianabol to build a little muscle.

[PISANO]

Making LAWS seems to be the PASSION of every congress critter alive.......meddling in all of our lives, telling us what we can ingest and what we can't. What we can say and what we can't, ad infinitum. That I despise.

On the other hand the EXECUTIVE branch giving INFORMATION to protect your family, however silly YOU might THINK it to be is NOT A LAW, it is ADVICE, a RECOMMENDATION. That I appreciate.

[hobbes1]

My HDL and testosterone production are low, my estradiol levels are high.

IF that is indeed true you should be able to find an open minded Doctor, that will take you to a High Normal Level of Testosterone, via Injection.

[Wolfie]

IMHO, steroids should be legal by prescription. Most of the trouble folks get into could be avoided if they were abel to be monitored by a physisician.

Also, I have to agree that Andros, and the newer versions of the prohormones just plain don't work as advertised. The sad part is, in 3 or 4 more years, everybody will know they don't work, the supplement companies will be onto the next scam, and we'll still be stuck with this legislation.

Anybody who's been around long enough to remember things like Cybergenics, Smilaz, Orhcic Extract, etc. knows how the cycle goes.

[Skip Ripley]

I stated as much in my post. I'm on Test replacement and a low dose of Arimidex. My Doctor is pretty progressive when it comes to anti-aging therapy. I think that physicians should have the freedom to prescribe steroids to their patients if they so desire, even if their natural hormone levels fall within the normal ranges

[hobbes1]

Oh, Excellent. I am Glad for you....(And did I mention, a little bit envious... ; )

[hobbes1]

Also, I have to agree that Andros, and the newer versions of the prohormones just plain don't work as advertised.

They Do. Buy BIOTEST. (I was heartbroken when they stopped selling Androsol.....No more Finasol)

If BIOTEST sells it, It works.

[Maelstrom]

The problem with supplements like andro is that they are regulated like food products and marketed like drugs.

Sugar is more dangerous.

And when you come for my hamburgers, I'm shooting back.

[PaxMacian]

They already came for my french fries and nobody did anything.
A little lard was such a scandal.

[webstersII]

Andro is a bad product. From my personal experience you get almost none of the desired effect and most of the side effects of anabolic steroids.

Too bad there's not a test you can take which will read your level of personal responsibility. It's YOUR responsibility to find out about these things instead of just assuming that they are safe. If you take something into your body then it's up to you to determine the effects, not someone else. If you can't verify its safety/effectiveness, then don't take it.

How about this one: if you go to the doctor and take prescriptions meds on a regular basis, how many times has the doc warned you about side effects? My doctor never bothers to tell me unless I ask something specific about stomach upset, etc. I bet I'm one of the few who even ask him. And when I get the medication, I read the package insert for contraindications, whether it's OTC or prescription. Do you do that? How many people do you know who do?

Docs don't usually fully inform their patients, either, so the responsibility is still on the person taking the meds. I can accept this, because it's ultimately me who will have to live with the consequences of taking the meds or not taking them.

[Skip Ripley]

Please point out to me where I suggested that I or anyone else isn't responsible for their own actions?

I don't think a product that is market soley based on its drug-like effects should be regulated like a food supplement. Clearly, andro and the newer generation pro-steroids are presented by the manufacturers as a legal alternative to anabolic steroids. Some claim they are even more effective than steroids. Because they are allowed to be sold as food supplements and not drugs, no one has tested these products for efficacy, no one has tested them for long term safety. Make the peoiple who produce these products go through the same testing protocols as drug makers and they can make all the proveable claims they want.

As a matter of public safety, I do not think they should allow these products to be sold to anyone under the age of 21. There is simply to great a possibilty for long term, if not permanent damage to their hormonal systems.

FWIW, Pat Arnold, the author of the above article, is credited with bring andro to the public market. His career is riding on this...

[Skip Ripley]

Take it easy, burger boy, I'm not coming for anything.
They can sell all the andro they want to adults for all I care. I think they should have to follow the same protocols as the rest of the drug industry though

[Skip Ripley]

Well, if you ever find yourself in Michigan, drop me a Freepermail. I'll hook you up with the name of my Dr.

[hobbes1]

Might be worth Relocating


Thanx!

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

(Why the hell do I always know all this weird stuff?)

So do I. We both should go on "Jeopardy" or something ;-).

[galt-jw]

REALLY? go buy some dhea, then get back to me. I routinely have canadians stop in my store to purchase dhea for back home.

nice try.

[galt-jw]

if you haven't tried the new andro ether products, or the 1 test products, you ain't seen nothing. putting on twenty pounds on your bench is not an uncommon occurence.

[mystery-ak]

Thought you might be interested....you will soon have to find other alternatives....LOL

[MindBender26]

What about all the poor bastards who will die of pancreatic cancer because they were not watching ESPN that night?

One of the major problems is that these fly by night companies know about the cancer causations and other problems ling before the unsuspecting users do, but of course, the manufacturers won't report the problems because it might hurt sales.

There are a number of very effective new site specific cancer screenings now comming out of testing. With your genetics and use of this stuff, you might want to ask your physician about first priority specific testing on an ongoing basis.

Good luck.

[Maelstrom]

I think I have the right to determine these things for myself and screw the pharmaceutical companies as they have used government to screw the US citizen in the past.

It's not about "safety", it's about limiting competing products.