Thailand is a manufacturing hub for pharmaceuticals, including anabolic steroids. The nation’s lax drug-control laws allow illegal manufacturers to export steroids worldwide. Those drugs then make their way into the hands of bodybuilders and athletes looking to boost their strength and appearance.
The ease with which anabolic-androgenic steroids can be purchased in Thailand is alarming, according to Ms Prapassorn of the FDA. Spectrum visited a pharmacy on Sukhumvit Road between Sois 2 and 4 in Pattaya, where the steroid Andriol was available for just 840 baht at 6pm on Tuesday. The store was crowded with customers, but Spectrum still managed to buy a ten-day supply of the drug in a matter of minutes. The drugs were in plain sight behind the counter.
Some pharmacies in Pattaya boldly advertise the drugs on shop-front windows. One, opposite a pub on Beach Road Soi 7, lists the brand names Andriol and Testoviron on its window. But Ms Prapassorn warned that just because something is advertised on a shop window does not mean it is genuine.
Steroids are not only illegal to possess and distribute in Thailand, but they also carry a number of dangerous side effects for men and women. Testosterone can cause prostate gland growth and shrinkage, erectile problems and high blood pressure and cholesterol. It can also affect a woman’s reproductive organs, cause breast tissue to grow and masculine features such as facial hair to develop.
Despite the dangers, amateur bodybuilders from Australia and further afield continue to flock to Thailand on so-called steroid vacations. A Brisbane man who told the ABC that he had grown from 70kg to 90kg during a steroid holiday in Pattaya died last year of heart failure, with doctors saying his body had absorbed too much anabolic testosterone. Steroids Thailand