Steroid article from a Dallas newspaper

[Rastus]

I figured some of you would get a kick out of reading some of this stuff. Again, bashing steroids without the knowledge. I'm sorry for the parents of the kid, but do they really think STEROIDS alone cause this?????

Steroid issue hits home
After death of his son, parent campaigns for awareness, drug testing


11:23 PM CST on Tuesday, November 11, 2003

By TIM MacMAHON / The Dallas Morning News

PLANO – Taylor Hooton's smiling face filled the projector screen when his father, Don, took the stage in the Plano West Senior High School auditorium.

Taylor, his father told an audience of approximately 600 parents, coaches and students on that weeknight in September, was a handsome, pleasant boy with a steady girlfriend, a high SAT score and a spot on the Plano West varsity baseball roster.

Taylor Hooton committed suicide July 15 at the age of 17, just weeks before he would have started his senior year.

"Why would such a nice young man with his whole life in front of him take such an irrational step?" Hooton asked. "I am convinced that the answer to this question can be found in one word – steroids."

Don Hooton is determined to make sure his son did not die in vain. Hooton, with Dr. Larry Gibbons of the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, were at Plano West to present a 90-minute steroids seminar. A similar session is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Plano Senior High School gymnasium.

As are many adolescents, Taylor was obsessed with improving his appearance and athletic ability.

Don Hooton said he and his wife became suspicious about steroid use because Taylor experienced rapid weight gain and extreme mood swings and developed acne on his back.

Don said Taylor denied using steroids when first confronted in late winter but confessed a couple of weeks later after a lecture from the family physician and persistent questioning from his parents. Don said that Taylor had started a cycle of anabolic steroids approximately six to eight months before his death.

Taylor was suffering from depression, a common side effect during withdrawal from steroids, when he killed himself. Taylor told his parents and several friends that he stopped using steroids in May. Don Hooton said Taylor was being treated for depression by a psychologist and psychiatrist, although neither linked his condition to steroids.

"Parents, I want you to imagine for a moment how horrifying it was to go through his room after the funeral and find his stash of needles and syringes," Hooton said. "For some of you in this audience, this horrifying activity is going on in your homes right now."

A problem with society

Gibbons and Hooton detailed the negative effects of steroid use – particularly in adolescents. They explained the availability of the illegal substances at gyms, from local drug dealers and via the Internet.

Detective Chris Jones of the Plano Police Department said an investigation is pending to determine the source of Taylor's steroids.

Plano West athletic director and football coach Mike Hughes, who strongly suggested that his players attend the seminar, said steroid abuse is not only an athletics issue.

"This is a problem with society," Hughes said. "Athletics is a direct reflection of society."

According to Gibbons, the median age of initiation to steroids is 15. He cited a study that determined that 2 to 3 percent of high school students used steroids in the 1990s. He added that the percentage of steroid users among athletes is probably significantly higher.

Greene Shepherd, a doctor who works in the poison control center at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said he has seen a survey that indicated that 3 to 5 percent of high school males have used steroids.

Those numbers came as a surprise to Kurt Petersen, a former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman whose son, Kyle, just completed his senior football season at Plano West. "There can be such devastating mental effects on somebody whether they're using steroids or in withdrawal. That's frightening. Kids at that age are emotional, anyway."

Parents and coaches at the seminar were informed of the signs of steroid use, such as rapid muscle gain, severe acne and sudden, extreme mood swings. They were urged not to overlook such indicators.

"Through some of what was said, I can think of some kids you might want to take a second look at," Plano West baseball coach Blake Boydston said. "You might dig a little deeper or ask a few questions now. ... You've got to dig a little deeper."

Hooton encouraged parents to push public officials for steroid testing, treatment and education in schools. Because of the availability of drug-masking products, Hooton said random testing of high school athletes is the only effective solution.

Several parents asked about the issue after the seminar said they supported testing for steroids. None of the parents asked opposed steroid testing.

Hunter McElhaney, a Plano West senior football and baseball player who was a close friend of Taylor Hooton, said the reasons for random steroid testing go beyond athletes' safety. He also sees it as a fairness issue.

"I'm totally for it [testing]," McElhaney said. "As a player, I don't want somebody coming up and taking my spot because they're juicing, and I'm not."

Prospects of drug testing

Hooton has heard a multitude of reasons for not adopting such a policy in Plano schools. There is concern about the legal ramifications of violating athletes' privacy with the tests. Others, including Plano ISD athletic director Cliff Odenwald, say the cost – approximately $200 per steroid test – is too high.

"Any way you can get kids to say no [to drugs], it's a positive," Odenwald said. "Sometimes the possibility of getting tested is enough, although that isn't always the case. But the money's just not there. We're already paying the fee [$125 per high school athlete] to keep things going."

A June 2002 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court gave schools the authority to drug-test students participating in extracurricular activities. The University Interscholastic League, which organizes sporting and academic contests statewide, surveyed its members for the first time in September 2002 about their drug-testing policies. Of the 1,014 districts responding (out of 1,040 districts in the state), 196 reported conducting some type of drug testing.

Hughes said he did not oppose drug testing, but he did not think athletes should be singled out.

Hooton has a hard time accepting cost as an obstacle to steroid testing.

"If cost is really an objection, then let's put this on the list of funding priorities and compare it against the next practice facility or athletic field improvement that is on the list of budget requests," Hooton said. "I think our students' lives and their health are a much more important priority. Don't you?"

E-mail [email protected]


ANABOLIC STEROID SIDE EFFECTS



PHYSICAL (GENERAL)


• Premature cessation of bone growth in adolescents

• Severe acne

• Hair loss

• Cysts, tumors and cancer in liver

• Jaundice (yellowing of skin, tissues and body fluids)

• High blood pressure, increasing risk of heart attack or stroke

• Decreased HDL (good cholesterol) while increasing LDL (bad cholesterol)

• Glucose intolerance and insulin resistance

PHYSICAL (MALES)


• Breast enlargement

• Testicular atrophy

• Reduced sperm count and/or sterility

• Enlarged prostate, potentially increasing risk of prostate cancer

PHYSICAL (FEMALES)


• Changes or cessation of menstrual cycle

• Deepening of voice

• Growth of facial/body hair

• Breast shrinkage

PSYCHOLOGICAL


• Increase in aggressive behavior, possibly leading to violence

• Distractibility and irritability

• Extreme or manic mood swings

• Paranoid jealousy

• Impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility

• Depression, restlessness and feelings of inadequacy during withdrawal

Sources: www.drug-rehabs.com, www.physsportsmed.com, Dr. Larry Gibbons

[hybrid]

First, I agree that high school kids should not use steroids. They are too young and immature to make such an important decision.
Second, the kid probably killed himself because his parents made his life a living hell when they found out he was taking steroids. It sounds like he had a past problem with depression also. More personal responsibility on the part of the parents in situations like this would be warranted, even if it is arguable in this particular situation.

[Rastus]

I totally agree. This is more proof young teens should not take steroids. I think most are not ready to handle the responsibility of taking steroids. And, like you said, I think the kid had many other issues and problems than the steroids, which may have been why he tried them at such an early age anyway.

Alos, many of you don't know, but Plano is where there was a HUGE problem with Heroin in the high schools a few years back. It was like an epidemic there. Kids were OD'ing daily for a while. The area is upper middle class and I think many of the parnets there are too involved in their own lives to keep eyes on the kids, or they don't care til it's too late.

Sorry - my rant....

[someday]

I'm gonna have to agree with rastus on this one...i used to live near plano and all the people there were self absorbed bitches with no common sense and too much money. What i find interesting is that the kid was 15 and "obsessed with improving his appearence." When i was 15 i didn't give a shit what i looked like...i was still tryin to find girls to make out with and tryin to get to that promised land of second base....sounds like his parents may have placed some pressure on the kid.

[50%Natural]

I don't think any person here has gotten suicidal when getting off roids. I sure there was something else they aren't saying or the parents are hiding to blaim it on the negativity of steroids some how.

[sonhouse]

Plano has two things. Alot of very rich boys and also about the highest drug use for HS students in the country.

[clockworks]

i agree with both of yall. parents tend to blame everything except the >real< problem. my sister had a hardcore heroin addiction for a long time. my mom blamed everything except the real issue...her (my sister). she would say things like, "oh, if only she would stopped hanging out with those bad friends." the friends left, the problem remained. "oh, she bored, once she's in college, she'll be too busy to continue on like this." college came, problem remained.

in this situations, it sounds like the parents are just using steroids as a scapegoat for what seems like deeper, more serious problems (i.e. the kid's mental health).

-- clocky

[DADDYDBOL]

Kid had problems to start with and the parents are blaming steroids. No one here should be surprised by it as the media will find anything to put a bad label on them.

[hercules88]

this is just a classic case of parents and people with no knowledge on a subject and need to find something as their scapegoat or justification for their kids death. it makes them feel better knowing that gear was the reason and not something else, like the parents. the psychological symptoms are complete bull. i would think if the parents were concered they would have goten him help when they found out and not waited. alot of parents are ingnorant to their kids true lives. if the parents would have educated themselves on steroids when they found out, im sure we wouldnt be reading this article.

[Testify]

I don't think there is anything untrue stated in the article. Well, maybe the paranoid jealousy thing (???) . . . But partial truth can be just as inflammatory. Its a shame that this kid killed himself, and I feel for his parents. They do need something to blame, if not themselves or circumstance. But this is just another example of why parents need to closely monitor their children for warning signs of any kind. It is also a great illustration for the importance of being cautious and informed when doing anything that impacts your health.

[blowout247]

I don't know of anyone, i repeat ANYONE who used steroids at such a young age. That claim is completely ludicrous to those who know better. I've had to deal with depression on and off throughout my life, cycle or not, and NEVER considered pulling the trigger. There are definitely some other things going on in his head

[Ntpadude]

I don't think any person here has gotten suicidal when getting off roids. I sure there was something else they aren't saying or the parents are hiding to blaim it on the negativity of steroids some how.

Damn I hope not... I am on my first cycle and after reading that article, makes me wonder if I am going to be all depressed and ready to blow my head off with shot gun when I end my cycle... its like damn, nobody told me about that part, hehehehe.

You know what's strange, I am on week #7 and I'd swear my HPTA has not been shut down. I am still producing more sperm fluid, richer thicker stuff then before I started the cycle. I have a doctor's appointment Thurs to get mid cycle blood workup and look over, getting the LH counts, estrogens, testosterone stats, you name it. I called the confessed to the doctor who wanted to put me on HRT that I am on a do it myself BB cycle so he is very interested to see how I am doing, he might continue me on it and take over PCT without a total stoppage of testosterone but I found out in few days... he did say on the phone in some cases people that have had really low tests for a long time with no prior high dose steroid cycles dont always "shut down" when on supplimental testosterone so they want to see if I am one of them.