Anabolic Steroids: Drug Abuse and Pathology

Informed consent is a keystone concept in clinical medicine as it is practiced in the United States. When a patient acknowledges giving informed consent, it means that he/ she understands the purpose of the proposed treatment e.g., surgery or medicine) as well as the potential risks that are known to be associated with the treatment.

Prior to the passage of informed consent regulations, some patients were subjected to treatments that may have been unnecessary, overly risky or performed on a person who was unable to comprehend what was being done due to age, language barriers, mental handicap, etc. Ethicists even note examples of procedures being performed or withheld (e.g., sterilization or abortion) against people's wishes or contrary to their welfare due to the moral beliefs or attitudes of guardians, physicians and hospital staff.

What Are the Risks?

Unfortunately, the burden of educating a layperson (one without training in an art such as medicine) can be nearly insurmountable as the lists of potential risks grow. This is particularly true with drug treatment as the understanding of drugs and therapy expands. Further, it is nearly impossible to predict the actual risk of drugs, as pharmaceutical companies are constantly introducing new drugs. Add to that, the complexity of individual genetic variation in the enzymes and receptors involved in the metabolism and pharmacology of the drugs, as well as unanticipated interactions with other drugs, supplements or dietary habits and it is easy to see why the true risk involved in any clinical decision can never be guaranteed. Directto-consumer marketing of drugs designed to treat high cholesterol, osteoporosis and erectile dysfunction, etc. always end with a Hollywood handsome” actor in a white lab coat reeling off a list of possible side effects in a calm, sonorous voice. He may not be a doctor, but he does play one on TV.