‘It’s much cheaper here and less risky than US’

A confessed user of performance-enhancing drugs has spoken of his experiences – and the wide availability and low cost of such chemicals – despite the UAE’s zero-tolerance laws.

“It’s much cheaper over here and much less of a risk than the US,” said the American, who preferred to remain anonymous. “There is an anti-oestrogen called Nolvadex that you can buy at any pharmacy here with no prescription, but if you brought it to the States you would be arrested. The price here is about 25 per cent cheaper than the States.”

Human-growth hormone, increasingly used in the bodybuilding community, was until recently also available over the counter in pharmacies but now requires a prescription.

“They had a crackdown on it,” the user said. “It costs about Dh6,000 a month to take four international units a day, which is a pretty standard dose for men.

“Women can take one a day and get results over a few months’ time.

“Women would likely do Anavar [injectable steroids] and Clenbuterol [injectable fat burner]. Anavar is the ‘safest’ steroid for women with almost no side affects.

“Winstrol is one some women tend to go for after Anavar. It’s kind of an upgrade in results.

“The problem becomes the masculine traits that reveal themselves when taken for too long – squaring of the jaw, genital deformity, deepening of the voice – all of which are irreversible.

“Some women who have chosen to go the extreme path of Winstrol even add low doses of testosterone Enanthate at a dose of 50 milligrams a week, while also adding Primobolan at a dose of 50mg a week.

“These women gain extreme lean mass quickly and the muscles become harder as well as more pronounced, like a balloon.

“They become more veiny, aggressive and all around more manly when testosterone is increased.

“Most women never take that step to injections, but common dysmorphia can cause a woman to see something completely different than the general public, which causes them to adjust the cycle to go further, and then things become obvious and irreversible.

“It’s a lot different for men. Women are very sensitive to the stuff, much more than males.

“I think the women involved in doing figure modelling are most susceptible to giving in to the pressure to look lean and hard.

“They have all kinds of pressure from all angles and are being scrutinised by everyone.

“So they level the playing field, normally with some Clenbuterol or T3 [fat burner] and Anavar if they are hard gainers [of muscle mass or carry a lot of fat].”

mswan@thenational.ae