Metabolism
The positive effects of the drug include muscle growth, appetite stimulation and increased red blood cell production and bone density. Clinical studies have shown it to be effective in treating anaemia, osteoporosis and some forms of neoplasia including breast cancer, and also acts as a progestin-basedcontraceptive. For these reasons,[citation needed] in the United States nandrolone received FDA approval in 1983.
Because nandrolone is not broken down into DHT, the deleterious effects common to most anabolic steroids on the scalp, skin, and prostate are lessened to a degree; but is rather broken down to the much weaker androgen dihydronandrolone. The lack of alkylation on the 17α-carbon drastically reduces the drug's liver toxicity. Estrogenic effects resulting from reaction with aromatase are also mitigated as a result of the drug being a progestin, but effects such asgynaecomastia and reduced libido still occur in larger doses. Other side-effects can include erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular damage, as well as several ailments resulting from the drug's effect of lowering levels of luteinizing hormone through negative feedback. Erectile dysfunction is attributed to the weaker action of dihydronandrolone in the penis since dihydrotestosterone is a known sexual modulator.
Detection methods
Nandrolone use is indirectly detectable in urine tests by testing for the presence of 19-norandrosterone, a metabolite of this molecule. The International Olympic Committee has set a limit of 2.0 ng per ml of urine as the upper limit, beyond which an athlete is suspected of doping, and in the largest Nandrolone study performed on 621 athletes at the 1998 Nagano Olympic games no athlete tested over 0.4 ng per ml.
Heavy consumption of the essential amino acid lysine (as indicated in the treatment of cold sores) has allegedly shown false positives in some and was cited by American Shotputter C.J. Hunter as the reason for his positive test, though in 2004 he admitted to a federal grand jury that he had injected Nandrolone.[1] A final possible cause of incorrect urine test results is the presence of metabolites from other anabolic steroids, though modern urinalysis can determine the exact steroid used by analyzing the ratio of the two remaining Nandrolone metabolites. As a result of the numerous overturned verdicts, the testing procedure was reviewed by UK Sport. On October 5 2007, five-time gold medalist for track and field Marion Jones was caught, when she admitted to taking it, and was sentenced to six months jail for lying to big sporting companies in 2000.[2][3]
Publicized abuse cases
- Greg Rudsedski was tested positive for Nandrolone, however was cleared of all charges at a later date. This sparked a huge controversy.
- Roger Clemens was reported to have been injected with Nandrolone (Deca-Durabolin) by major league strength coach Brian McNamee during the 2000 baseball season.[4]
- Barry Bonds is reported to have begun a regime of banned steroids and human growth hormones following his disappointment with insufficient acclaim for his past natural baseball achievements. In the 1999 spring training camp his trainer readily admitted to a Bonds' teammate that Bonds was doping the steroid Deca-Durabolin.[5]
- UFC hall of famer Royce Gracie tested positive for Nandrolone after defeating his long time rival Kazushi Sakuraba, he was fined $2,500 and suspended for the remainder of his license.[6]
- Former WWE and current TNA wrestler Kurt Angle failed a WWE drug test under the company's Wellness Policy after his prescription for Nandrolone had expired.
- Former MMA PRIDE fighter and olympic judoka Paweł Nastula, and former UFC champion Vitor Belfort tested positive for nandrolone in 2006.
- UFC fighter Sean "Muscle Shark" Sherk tested positive for Nandrolone Decanoate (Deca Durabolin) after successfully defending his Lightweight title against Hermes Franca on July 7, 2007. He was eventually stripped of the title and suspended for six months.
- Shawne Merriman violated the NFL Steroid Policy in October 2006, and his Attorney stated that he believed the substance he used was Nandrolone. Merriman claims it must have been in a tainted nutritional supplement he took regularly.
- Petr Korda became the first high-profile tennis player discovered ingesting a banned substance. Following a match at Wimbledon, Korda tested positive for nandrolone. Subsequently, he was banned from the sport for one year. Korda did not return to the professional tour; the ban effectively marked the end of his career.
- Shoaib Akhtar, a Pakistani cricketer, was given a two year ban in 2006 for testing positive for Nandrolone. Shoaib was sent back to Pakistan and missed the Champions Trophy. The verdict, however, was overturned by a three-man tribunal a month later.[7]
- Edgar Davids, a Dutch football player, was suspended by FIFA in 2001 when he tested positive for the banned nandrolone.
- Basque footballer, Carlos Gurpegi was involved in a long running appeal, after he tested positive for 19- norandroterone. Both Carlos and his club, Athletic Bilbao claimed his innocence but he was eventually handed a two year ban until 31 July 2008.
- Mohammad Asif, a Pakistani cricketer, has twice tested positive for Nandrolone. He first tested positive in a dope test, that PCB conducted on its own behalf just before the Champions Trophy in 2006 and was sent back home from India and for the second time has been confirmed tested positive for a banned substance during Indian Premier League (IPL), on July 14, 2008.
- Linford Christie, a British Olympic athlete, tested positive for Nandrolone.[8]
- Mike Cloud, a NFL player, tested positive for nandrolone in the late 2002 season. But he later sued MuscleTech claiming that one of their over the counter products caused the positive test.
- Famed stickball player Steve Tomasik has also been linked with the usage of nandrolone.
