Changing trends in anabolic-androgenic steroid use within Scottish prisons: Detection, prevalence, and quantitation

Caitlyn Norman (Lead / Corresponding author), Richard l. Harries, Robert Reid, Lorna A. Nisbet (Lead / Corresponding author), Niamh Nic Daeid

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Abstract

Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AASs) are a subclassification of image performance enhancing drugs (IPEDs). While AAS use is most prevalent among people in athletics, there is also high lifetime prevalence of AAS use among prisoners. This study reports the qualitative detection of AASs in seized samples from the Scottish prisons from 2019-2023. Additionally, methods were developed for the quantitative analysis of AASs using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and applied to 61 samples of tablets or powders seized from Scottish prisons between July 2022 and July 2023. Since 2022 there has been an increase in AAS detections in the Scottish prisons. Oxymetholone was the most prevalent AAS, followed by metandienone (methandrostenolone, methandienone), methyltestosterone, oxandrolone, mestanolone (methylandrostanolone), stanozolol, and androstenedione. Multiple AASs were found in 23 samples and 10 samples contained other drugs, including amitriptyline, sertraline, zopiclone, mirtazapine, sildenafil, etizolam, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, and the synthetic cannabinoid MDMB-INACA. Most AAS samples were tablets (77.0%), although they were also detected in powders, herbal material, e-cigarettes, and a fragmented soap bar-type sample. There was a large variation in the concentration of AASs in the tablets and powders seized from the Scottish prisons, demonstrating AASs are another highly variable component of the polydrug use situation in prisons, the effects of which need to be examined further.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages10
JournalDrug Testing and Analysis
Early online date20 Aug 2024
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 20 Aug 2024

Keywords

  • anabolic-androgenic steroids
  • prisons
  • polydrug use
  • image performance enhancing drugs
  • tablet markings

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Pharmaceutical Science
  • Spectroscopy

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