Seizures of dangerous anabolic steroids surge as young Irish men ‘seek Love Island six-pack’

Young men who are seeking the ‘Love Island’ look and a perfect six-pack are behind a surge in dangerous illegally imported anabolic steroids imported here last year.

Seizures also show a haul of fake Ozempic and Saxenda, the weight-loss jabs as well as a self-tanning aid called Melanotan 2 and botox.

Some 250,000 units of anabolic steroids were among the haul of medicines seized by customs last year, the new report from the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) revealed.

Grainne Power, Director of Compliance with the HPRA said: “While we welcome a slight decrease in overall detentions this year -874,945 units in 2023 compared to 939,388 units in 2022- the data shows a concerning increase in a number of categories.

“Of particular note, there was a more than 20pc increase in the volume of illegal anabolic steroids detained. This is continuing an upward trend observed over several years.

“We believe young men in particular may be sourcing anabolic steroids for body enhancement while being unaware of the serious health complications posed by these products.

” Anabolic steroids can cause serious physical and psychological health issues. The potential physical side effects alone include heart failure, liver issues, kidney damage, and infertility.”

The HPRA warned of the serious health dangers posed by sourcing prescription medicines online and from unauthorised sources.

The supply of these products into and within Ireland is illegal and stresses that consumers can have no guarantees about the safety or quality of prescription medicines they are seeking to buy outside of the regulated pharmacy setting.

Last year the most significant categories of illegal products detained included sedatives (34pc), anabolic steroids (29pc), erectile dysfunction medicines (10pc), analgesics (5pc), and stimulants (3pc.).

The HPRA said also continues to monitor online activity promoting prescription medicines and other substances, and routinely intervenes to disrupt this promotion.

Enforcement actions involved two prosecution cases which related to the importation or distribution of anabolic steroids.

Some 2,348 websites, e-commerce listings or social media pages amended or shutdown.

Ms Power said :“If you are sourcing prescription medicines outside of a registered pharmacy and without medical supervision, you are putting your health at risk.

“Prescription medicines purchased through online or unauthorised channels are unregulated and are circulating outside of the legal supply chain. As a result, we have no idea what they contain. It is possible that they are fake or counterfeit and falsely labelled, if indeed they are labelled at all.

“These products could cause serious side effects and they present a very real danger to health.”

She added :”Whether for privacy, ease of access, cost, or simply aware that their doctor may not deem it appropriate medical use, many choose to seek out these products online and from other unregulated sources. In addition to anabolic steroids, we are also seeing a concerning upward trend in detentions of Melanotan 2, an unregulated substance promoted as a self-tanning aid, as well as botulinum toxin and online semaglutide and liraglutide products.

While overall numbers remain low, as with all illegally supplied products, once consumers step outside of the regulated supply chain, they have absolutely no guarantees as to safety, quality or effectiveness. Some of these substances are not authorised for use by any regulator anywhere in the world while other products that are presented as legitimate medicines, could well be falsified or fake.

“It is simply never worth taking a risk when it comes to your health. We urge anyone who has purchased prescription medicines from unregulated sources to stop using them immediately, and to contact their healthcare professional if they have any concerns about their health,” she concluded.

The HPRA will initiate prosecution cases where it considers that there is a significant risk to public health or where there are persistent non-compliances. The HPRA also supports prosecutions brought by the Director of Public Prosecutions in relation to the illegal supply of medicines, it added.

Before initiating a prosecution, the HPRA will typically engage with an offender, detain product and may formally caution the individual to ensure any illegal activity is ended. In 2023, 14 voluntary formal cautions were issued.

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