ABSTRACT
This chapter will provide an overview of a very broad topic that spans decades of drug development on androgens, of research studies on the mechanism of action of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), and of the purposeful, uncontrolled use by athletes seeking performance enhancement. There are several useful reviews of this topic that provide complementary information.1-5 This review will discuss in more detail the physiological effects of AAS, especially relative to muscle effects, the medically appropriate and beneficial uses of testosterone and AAS, the abuse of AAS for gain in athletic performance, and the side effects of AAS.
