Drug operated society: Humans or guineapigs!

‘Performance-enhancing drugs have become the key to bulging biceps and on-screen six-packs, as the pressure for stars to shape up fast leads actors (but not “Man of Steel’s” Henry Cavill, who bulked up naturally) to opt for a “shortcut.”’

Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hollywood-steroid-use-a-list-609091

Decades ago, when people faced some psychological problems, performance issues or other minor health concerns, they sorted them out through non-pharmacological methods. By practicing self-control, discipline in food, drinks and physical activities, refraining from indulgence in bad habits, a lot of socio-psychological, obesity and performance issues were cured or controlled! What about this age? People are educated and hence there is a lot of awareness of medical conditions and treatments. That’s supposed to be good but are we trending in the right direction!

CNS Stimulants (ADD/ ADHD drugs’ abuse)

This is a big problem! Students are seeking CNS stimulants like Amphetamines to stay awake to help them study for longer hours during exams and help them concentrate. Some students even take caffeine tablets which are sold over the counter in pharmacies for that purpose. These drugs are supposed to cure serious Attention deficit problems in patients affected by this condition. So why do these students abuse them? Do the prescribers educate them about the potential side effects before prescribing them? Do doctors counsel them about practicing good habits needed for studying or concentrating? If these students can manage their time well, then do they need to stay awake during nights?

I don’t want to sound too “old school” but I guess, parents are too modern to find time for their kids these days! I remember, back in those days, I used to wake up early in the mornings to study for exams. My mother used to wake me up, make me breakfast and tea while I was brushing my teeth, saw me getting breakfast and then made sure I started studying. This was the care and attention in those days about a few decades ago! I didn’t know what ADD or ADHD meant!

Anorexiants’ abuse

This is the world where everyone wants to show off their outer beauty, isn’t it! Most women and men want to cut down their waists and get that perfect shape….lol! Sorry for the lol but again, I mean, why would they not have control on what they eat, how they eat and do physical activity and rather choose short cuts of taking pills! These anorexiant pills are also CNS stimulants like Amphetamines. These pills can make you starve and malnourished. But I guess, the competition for outer beauty has overtaken wisdom or constitutional approach!

Anabolic steroids’ abuse (Machomania!)

Yes! I call it machomania! These men wanna be like Rambo or Terminator…..hilarious! They pursue this dream to an extent that they even start taking something that completely shocked me when I first saw it…..Anastrazole! Anastrazole is an anti-estrogen drug used to be treat breast cancer in women. It was mind- boggling when I first saw a cocktail or testosterone and Anastrazole. I first thought that it’s a serious mistake, so I called doctor’s office to clarify it. I was told that he is prescribed the two to enhance his testosterone and gave me a diagnosis of hypogonadism.

I couldn’t understand the logic here and I kept wondering why this person is trying to boost testosterone production with Anastrazole when the person looks perfectly normal. I could see that his muscles were tearing off his clothes so how is he hypogonadic! Then I saw more prescriptions coming and this trend continued from a few doctors’s offices. It doesn’t take too much for such trends to gain popularity but thanks to our pharmacists who create that check point and try to control this macho-mania! This treatment can literally kill men in a few years. Performance enhancement short cuts can cut short your life.

To summarize, pills are not necessarily the solution for everything. Taking pills without considering long-term harmful effects can be detrimental. Ask your grandparents for some “old school” methods to overcome some of the psychological issues which we think are psychiatric. After all: “man made drugs so use them humanely”.