By Firin Oyelude
Enhancement drugs help to improve either physical activities or cognitive performance (nootropic). They are drugs meant for medicinal purposes and are only to be prescribed by a Physician. Enhancement drugs in general are used to do extraordinary things which are above human capacity and thus they tend to be abused by people especially youths.
SEXUAL PERFORMANCE DRUGS These are drugs that are used to increase sexual prowess so as to last longer during sexual activities. Examples include Kayanmata, Agbojedi, Sildenafil (Viagra) etc. Sildenafil increases blood supply to penile area thus there is longer erection. However Erectile dysfunction has to be properly diagnosed by a certified Medical Doctor. Normal sex lasts for 3 to 13 minutes. Using sex enhancement drugs for 30 minutes or more sexual encounter is trash. The sad thing is that these drug abusers do not even use the required prescribed dose. They use higher doses of these drugs. I have heard of a case where a 12 year old girl approached a Pharmacist to purchase Sidenafil for her 13 year old boyfriend!!! What drives all these vices is majorly peer pressure, social media as well as pornography.
PLS DO NOT BRAZENLY GO TO A PHARMACY OR CHEMIST TO DEMAND FOR SEXUAL ENHANCEMENT DRUGS…. SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE FIRST.
BLOOD BOOSTERS For example, Erythropoietin (EPO) is a synthectic form of a naturally occurring hormone produced in the kidney that is essential to produce red blood cells thus it is a blood doping agent.
Anabolic androgenic steroids: These increase the muscle mass and strength, they reduce muscle damage that occurs during a hard workout, help athletes to recover quickly and enable them work out harder and more frequently.
— Designer Synthetic steroids: an example is Androsteredione. It is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands ovaries and testes. It is also a controlled substance available legally only by prescription. Youths inject it to their bloodstream to develop six packs to impress girls.
— Human Growth Hormone is used to improve muscle mass and performance available only in prescription and administered by injection.
–Supplements such as Creatine produce small gains in short term bursts of power and energy and facilitate recycling of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
— Painkillers: used for vocational purposes and sports. Popularly used among wheelbarrow pushers, truck drivers, labourers, factory workers, bricklayers etc. Use ranges from lower pain killers like diclofenac and ibuprofen to the use of opiod analgesics like tramadol.
— Sedatives: eg Diazepam, Bromazepam. Popular among politicians who find it difficult to sleep.
–Diuretics: used as a masking agent to increase excretion of urine and to flush out traces of various substances otherwise detectable in doping tests for the aim of a false negative test result.
–Gene doping: modification of muscle structure through genetic means.
In the recently concluded Olympics Games in Tokyo, some Nigerian athletes were not allowed to compete because they did not do the minimum required three out of competition doping tests. This is to show that these doping tests are of upmost importance in modern day sporting competitions.
COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE DRUGS Stimulants improve endurance, reduce fatigue, suppress appetite, increase alertness and aggressiveness e.g amphetamine, cocaine, modafinil ( a sleep disorder medication with stimulant properties) Caffeine is used to improve alertness especially among students. It has the ability to block adenosine receptor in the body which is released during stress to cause drowsiness. It is one of the world’s most widely consumed psychoactive drugs and it is not regulated legally. It is common and readily available found in energy drinks, coffee sweets even in soda as coke. These should be taken once in a while and in moderation.
Young ladies use Dexamethasone a steroid to gain weight for aesthetic purposes (to improve physical appearance and structure) Actors and artistes use these drugs to aid their creative performances. Some motivational speakers use these drugs to boost confidence and prevent stage freight. Propanolol lowers heart rate and it is sometimes abused by young men who want to approach ladies to ask them out!!
SIDE EFFECTS ON THE INDIVIDUALS
Steroids cause shrinkage of testicles in men, low sperm count, impotency, gynecosmatia (enlargement of breasts). In females it shrinks breasts, cause deepening of voice, absence of menstruation (amenorrhea). Steroids can also cause heart problems, high blood pressure, ulcers on the skin, accumulation of water in the body as well as reduce the body immunity, thus making it susceptible to infection and diseases.
Blood boosters cause stroke, blood clotting effects.
Painkillers like Tramadol cause psychological and physiological dependence which leads to drug addiction.
Caffeine has effects on the heart and liver.
Diuretics cause dehydration and kidney problems
Human growth hormone cause weight gain and water retention in the body.
EFFECTS ON THE SOCIETY
Mental health problems, quality of life is affected, societal values are reduced as youths copy what their role models do.
WHAT NEXT?
There is need for decentralization of regulatory bodies in the rural and developing areas, for example in a village if an adverse drug reaction wants to be reported, there is nobody to attend to that. It is essential that Village health workers are integrated in to the monitoring team as whistle-blowers to assist in drug misuse and abuse.
The NDLEA, NAFDAC and PCN need to devise new methods to counteract drug abuse and misuse. The State Governments, duly represented by the Houses of Assembly have to enact the Pharmacy Act as soon as possible, as people have easy access to prescription drugs due to the many lacunas in the laws. Policy elites are needed to make policies that guide the use of medications. Above all we need more pharmacists in power.
PLEASE DO NOT USE MEDICATIONS INDISCRIMINATELY…TALK TO A PHARMACIST FOR YOUR MEDICATION NEEDS.
Firin Oyelude, a pharmacist, writes from Ibadan
