# Landis confirmed positive



## FondriestFan (May 19, 2005)

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2006/jul06/jul27news3


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## Red Sox Junkie (Sep 15, 2005)

Sh*t. I was afraid of this. The next few days will be interesting.


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## Brick Tamland (Mar 31, 2006)

That's just great. Interesting? It will be the standard river of bs.


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## philippec (Jun 16, 2002)

*Landis not "confirmed positive"... yet*

His "A" sample returned a adverse finding for testosterone. landis will not be confirmed "positive" for testosterone until his "B" sample returns the same result. If it does not, Landis will be off the hook.

However, does not look good right now!

Philippe


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

A positive A sample.


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

yeah, how many times has the "B" sample not confirmed?

Tyler Hamilton, and that was because they burned it in the fires of hel -- I mean, put it in the freezer?

I'm still shaking my head. What now? I just can't ... I mean, if LANDIS would dope, then the whole peloton, every last one of them, is doping. Unreal...


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## crisbay (Apr 9, 2006)

"Lemond hails 'best ever Tour', praises 'clean' Landis"
:mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2:


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## brianmcg (Oct 12, 2002)

crisbay said:


> "Lemond hails 'best ever Tour', praises 'clean' Landis"
> :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2:



Yeah, I wonder what Lemond is going to say now.


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## desmo13 (Jun 28, 2006)

Surely, in light of all the publicity at the opening of the ToF, and no testing positive in the other stages, he would not risk it for one stage. Is the pressure that much? He already had an "out" for nto winning because of his hip. He wouldnt have the pressure of making it xmany times in a row. He knew he would be tested. Could he be that dumb? In the interview with DZ, he did remark about the intelligence of some pro riders, happy to stare at a pillar all day.

I just have a gut feeling that this will be dragged out, with nothing conclusive from him for many months.


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## FondriestFan (May 19, 2005)

Sorry, I mistyped the thread title. I meant to say that Phonak confirmed that Landis is positive.

In any case, I am praying for a negative B sample. A positive result from the TdF champion may send cycling into the gutter. I am a Floyd fan, but I am a cycling fan first. I really hope this was a relatively clean tour.


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

*Question*

Honest question here: Landis has stated openly since he disclosed his hip problem that he gets cortisone shots for the hip. How is he allowed to do this under the rules? I figured he must have a waver for that because of his medical condition. How is cortisone different than testosterone? Does cortisone contain testosterone or is it a form of testosterone?


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## Karl Hungus (Dec 14, 2005)

I hope this isn't true. I can't say that I'm not suprised though.

His team has a history and doesn't he train in Spain for part of the year?


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## chbarr (Dec 30, 2002)

Argentius said:


> yeah, how many times has the "B" sample not confirmed?


I think that is a fair question (in a non-sarcastic sense): is the "field test" of the A sample fairly accurate? How often are A samples confirmed/not?


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

rocco said:


> Honest question here: Landis has stated openly since he disclosed his hip problem that he gets cortisone shots for the hip. How is he allowed to do this under the rules? I figured he must have a waver for that because of his medical condition. How is cortisone different than testosterone? Does cortisone contain testosterone or is it a form of testosterone?


If I have it correct. Both cortisone and and testosterone are steroids. A steroid is a hormone derived from cholesterol. Broadly speaking there are corticosteroids (like cortisone) and anabolic steroids (like testosterone).


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

Dwayne Barry said:


> If I have it correct. Both cortisone and and testosterone are steroids. A steroid is a hormone derived from cholesterol. Broadly speaking there are corticosteroids (like cortisone) and anabolic steroids (like testosterone).



My wife just said the same thing. Does anyone here know why he was allowed to take cortisone shots?


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## FondriestFan (May 19, 2005)

Testosterone is an anabolic steroid? I didn't know that. I guess I'm probably one of the few people here who have little clue what any of this stuff is supposed to do. Does it build endurance, assist recovery, or what?

The body naturally produces testosterone, so what does an extra amount add?


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## fracisco (Apr 25, 2002)

*WADA Standard*

http://www.wada-ama.org/rtecontent/document/end_steroids_aug_04.pdf


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

desmo13 said:


> Surely, in light of all the publicity at the opening of the ToF, and no testing positive in the other stages, he would not risk it for one stage. Is the pressure that much? He already had an "out" for nto winning because of his hip. He wouldnt have the pressure of making it xmany times in a row. He knew he would be tested. Could he be that dumb? In the interview with DZ, he did remark about the intelligence of some pro riders, happy to stare at a pillar all day.
> 
> I just have a gut feeling that this will be dragged out, with nothing conclusive from him for many months.


I would think a more likely scenario would be that he was taking a regular plan of some sort of hormonal regiment for recovery. And perhaps the excessive stress of stages 16,17 tipped his body's hormonal balance such that he tripped a postive test?

This is going to be just like most positives even if the B sample comes back positve. It's not cut and dry, but based on ratios, etc. so Landis will deny it, lots of people will say it's faulty test, blah, blah...


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

I don't think Cortizone will show up as test.

here is some info:

*Cortisone* is a steroid hormone. Chemically, it is a corticosteroid with formula C<sub>21</sub>H<sub>28</sub>O<sub>5</sub> and IUPAC name 17-hydroxy-11-dehydrocorticosterone. It is closely related to corticosterone. Cortisone and adrenaline are the main hormones released by the body as a reaction to stress. They elevate blood pressure and prepare the body for a fight or flight response.
Cortisone is the inactive precursor molecule of the active hormone cortisol. It is activated through hydroxylation of the 11-keto-group by an enzyme called 11-beta-steroid dehydrogenase. The active form cortisol is thus sometimes referred to as hydrocortisone.
Cortisone is sometimes used as a drug to treat a variety of ailments. It can be administered intravenously or cutaneously.
One of cortisone's effects on the body, and a potentially harmful side effect when administered clinically, is the suppression of the immune system. This is an explanation for the apparent correlation between high stress and sickness.
Cortisone is less important than a similar steroid cortisol. Cortisol is responsible for 95% of the effects of the gluccocorticosteroids while cortisone is about 4 or 5%. Corticosterone is even less important.
Cortisone was first discovered by the American chemist Edward Calvin Kendall. He won a Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine along with Philip S. Hench and Tadeus Reichstein for the discovery of the hormones of the adrenal cortex, their structure and function.






















*Testosterone* is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. Testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females although small amounts are secreted by the adrenal glands. It is the principal male sex hormone and an anabolic steroid. In both males and females, it plays key roles in health and well-being. Examples include enhanced libido, energy, immune function, and protection against osteoporosis. On average, the adult male body produces about twenty times the amount of testosterone an adult female's body does [Williams textbook of endocrinology. Jean D. Wilson pp 535, 887]. 
<table id="toc" class="toc" summary="Contents"> <tbody><tr> <td> *Contents*

[hide]
1 Sources of testosterone
2 Mechanism of effects
3 Effects of testosterone on humans
4 Therapeutic use of testosterone
5 The "testosterone deficiency" of aging and the andropause controversy
6 Synthesis
7 References
8 External links
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[ if (window.showTocToggle) { var tocShowText = "show"; var tocHideText = "hide"; showTocToggle(); } //]]> </script>
[edit]

*Sources of testosterone*

Like other steroid hormones, testosterone is derived from cholesterol. The largest amounts of testosterone are produced by the testes in men, but it is also synthesized in smaller quantities in women by the theca cells of the ovaries, by the placenta, as well as by the zona reticularis of the adrenal cortex in both sexes.
In the testes, testosterone is produced by the Leydig cells. The male generative glands also contain Sertoli cells which require testosterone for spermatogenesis. Like most hormones, testosterone is supplied to target tissues in the blood where much of it is transported bound to a specific plasma protein, *sex hormone binding globulin* (SHBG).
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*Mechanism of effects*

The effects of testosterone in humans and other vertebrates occur by way of two main mechanisms: by activation of the androgen receptor (directly or as DHT), and by conversion to estradiol and activation of certain estrogen receptors.
Free testosterone (T) is transported into the cytoplasm of target tissue cells, where it can bind to the androgen receptor, or can be reduced to 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by the cytoplasmic enzyme 5α-reductase. DHT binds to the same androgen receptor even more strongly than T, so that its androgenic potency is about 2.5 times that of T. The T-receptor or DHT-receptor complex undergoes a structural change that allows it to move into the cell nucleus and bind directly to specific nucleotide sequences of the chromosomal DNA. The areas of binding are called hormone response elements (HREs), and influence transcriptional activity of certain genes, producing the androgen effects.
Androgen receptors occur in many different vertebrate body system tissues, and both males and females respond similarly to similar levels. Greatly differing amounts of testosterone prenatally, at puberty, and throughout life account for a large share of biological differences between males and females.
The bones and the brain are two important tissues in humans where the primary effect of testosterone is by way of aromatization to estradiol. In the bones, estradiol accelerates maturation of cartilage into bone, leading to closure of the epiphyses and conclusion of growth. In the central nervous system, testosterone is aromatized to estradiol. Estradiol rather than testosterone serves as the most important feedback signal to the hypothalamus (especially affecting LH secretion). In many mammals, prenatal or perinatal "masculinization" of the sexually dimorphic areas of the brain by estradiol derived from testosterone programs later male sexual behavior.
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*Effects of testosterone on humans*

In general, androgens promote protein synthesis and growth of those tissues with androgen receptors. Testosterone effects can be classified as _virilizing_ and _anabolic_ effects, although the distinction is somewhat artificial, as many of the effects can be considered both. Anabolic effects include growth of muscle mass and strength, increased bone density and strength, and stimulation of linear growth and bone maturation. Virilizing effects include maturation of the sex organs, particularly the penis and the formation of the scrotum in fetuses, and after birth (usually at puberty) a deepening of the voice, growth of the beard and axillary hair. Many of these fall into the category of male secondary sex characteristics.
Testosterone effects can also be classified by the age of usual occurrence. For postnatal effects in both males and females, these are mostly dependent on the levels and duration of circulating free testosterone.
Most of the _prenatal androgen effects_ occur between 7 and 12 weeks of gestation.
Genital virilization (midline fusion, phallic urethra, scrotal thinning and rugation, phallic enlargement)
Development of prostate and seminal vesicles
_Early infancy androgen effects_ are the least understood. In the first weeks of life for male infants, testosterone levels rise. The levels remain in a pubertal range for a few months, but usually reach the barely detectable levels of childhood by 4-6 months of age. The function of this rise in humans is unknown. It has been speculated that "brain masculinization" is occurring since no significant changes have been identified in other parts of the body.
_Early postnatal effects_ are the first visible effects of rising androgen levels in childhood, and occur in both boys and girls in puberty.
Adult-type body odour
Increased oiliness of skin and hair, acne
Pubarche (appearance of pubic hair)
Axillary hair
Growth spurt, accelerated bone maturation
Fine upper lip and sideburn hair
_Advanced postnatal effects_ begin to occur when androgen has been higher than normal adult female levels for months or years. In males these are normal late pubertal effects, and only occur in women after prolonged periods of excessive levels of free testosterone in the blood.
Phallic enlargement (including clitoromegaly)
Increased libido and erection frequency
Pubic hair extends to thighs and up toward umbilicus
Facial hair (sideburns, beard, moustache)
Chest hair, periareolar hair, perianal hair
Increased tendency for violence or aggressive behavior directly correlated with testosterone amounts.
Subcutaneous fat in face decreases
Increased muscle strength and mass
Deepening of voice
Growth of the adam's apple
Growth of spermatogenic tissue in testes, male fertility
Growth of jaw, brow, chin, nose, and remodeling of facial bone contours
Shoulders widen and rib cage expands
Completion of bone maturation and termination of growth. This occurs indirectly via estradiol metabolites and hence more gradually in men than women.
_Adult testosterone effects_ are more clearly demonstrable in males than in females, but are likely important to both sexes. Some of these effects may decline as testosterone levels decline in the later decades of adult life.
Maintenance of muscle mass and strength
Maintenance of bone density and strength
Libido and erection frequency
Mental and physical energy
[edit]

*Therapeutic use of testosterone*

Testosterone was first isolated from a bull in 1935. There have been many pharmaceutical forms over the years. Forms of testosterone for human administration currently available in North America include injectable (such as testosterone cypionate or testosterone enanthate in oil), oral Andriol, buccal Striant, transdermal skin patches, and transdermal creams or gels Androgel and Testim. In the pipeline are a "roll on" delivery method and a nasal spray.
The original and primary use of testosterone is for the treatment of males who have too little or no natural endogenous testosterone production; males with hypogonadism. Appropriate use for this purpose is legitimate hormone replacement therapy, which maintains serum testosterone levels in the normal range.
However, over the years, as with every hormone, testosterone or other anabolic steroids has also been given for many other conditions and purposes besides replacement, with variable success but higher rates of side effects or problems. Examples include infertility, lack of libido or erectile dysfunction, osteoporosis, penile enlargement, height growth, bone marrow stimulation and reversal of anemia, and even appetite stimulation. By the late 1940s testosterone was being touted as an anti-aging wonder drug (e.g., see Paul de Kruif's _The Male Hormone_) in exactly the same way that growth hormone is being described today.
Anabolic steroids have also been taken to enhance muscle development, strength, or endurance. After a series of scandals and publicity in the 1980s (such as Ben Johnson's improved performance at the 1988 Summer Olympics), prohibitions of anabolic steroid use were renewed or strengthened by many sports organizations, and it was made a "controlled substance" by the United States Congress.
To take advantage of its virilizing effects, testosterone is often administered to transmen (female-to-male transsexual and transgender people) as part of the hormone replacement therapy, with a "target level" of the normal male testosterone level. And like-wise, transwomen are sometimes prescribed drugs [anti-androgens] to decrease the level of testosterone in the body and allow for the effects of estrogen to develop.
There is a myth that exogenous testosterone can more or less definitively be used for male birth control. However, the vast majority of physicians will agree that to prescribe exogenous testosterone for this purpose is inappropriate. But perhaps more importantly, many men of first hand found this myth to be untrue or at least, unreliable. This is especially true when exogenous testosterone is used in conjunction with hCG.
Exogenous testosterone supplementation comes with a number of health risks. Fluoxymesterone and methyltestosterone are synthetic derivatives of testosterone. In 2006 it was reported that women taking Estratest, a combination pill including estrogen and methyltestosterone, were at considerably heightened risk of breast cancer.
[edit]

*The "testosterone deficiency" of aging and the andropause controversy*

Testosterone levels decline gradually with age in men. The clinical significance of this decrease is debated (see andropause), and there is no general agreement if and when to treat aging men with testosterone replacement therapy. The position of the American Society of Andrology is that testosterone therapy "is indicated when both clinical symptoms and signs suggestive of androgen deficiency and decreased testosterone levels are present". Unfortunately, there is no general agreement on the threshold of testosterone value below which a man would be considered hypogonadal. In the United States, levels below 200 to 300 pmol/l from a morning sample are generally considered low. Similarly, the signs and symptoms are non-specific, and are generally associated with aging such as loss of muscle mass and bone density, decreased physical endurance, decreased memory ability and loss of libido.
Replacement therapy can take the form of injectable depots, transdermal patches and gels, subcutaneous pellets and oral therapy. Adverse effects of testosterone supplementation include minor side effects such as acne and oily skin, and more significant complications such as increased hematocrit, exacerbation of sleep apnea and acceleration of pre-existing prostate cancer growth. Testosterone also causes suppression of spermatogenesis and can lead to infertility. It is recommended that physicians screen for prostate cancer with a digital rectal exam and PSA (prostate specific antigen) level prior to initiating therapy, and monitor hematocrit and PSA levels closely during therapy.
Large scale trials to assess the efficiency and long-term safety of testosterone are still lacking. Many caution against embracing testosterone replacement therapy because of lessons from the female hormone replacement therapy trials, where initially promising results were later refuted by larger studies.
[edit]

*Synthesis*

Testosterone is synthesized from pregnenolone, which is the precursor of all steroid hormones and a derivative of cholesterol. two pathways are possible, In the delta-5 pathway, pregnenolone is converted to DHEA to androstenedione.

In the delta-4 pathway there is hydroxylation of C-17 of progesterone, to yield 17α-hydroxyprogesterone. The side chain is then cleaved to form androstenedione. Androstenedione is the immediate precursor to testosterone.

The keto group on C-17 is reduced to an alcohol to yield testosterone. Testosterone is a potential precursor of estradiol.
Zinc supplementation is known to result in increased levels of testosterone synthesis, especially in those who are zinc deficient. Zinc is critical to the proper function of steroid receptors (see zinc finger) and plays a vital role as a cofactor to many enzymes which is the likely mechanim for its effect on testosterone synthesis.


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## Tig (Feb 9, 2004)

*One word...*

*NOooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!*
:nono:

OK, another word...

*SH|T!!!*
:mad2:


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

Wow, I'm suddenly back in 10th grade chemistry class again. Getting over my head now.... 

Does anyone know why it wouldn't show up in the test? 



DIRT BOY said:


> I don't think Cortizone will show up as test.


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

DIRT BOY said:


> I don't think Cortizone will show up as test.
> 
> I'm not sure how they test for cortisone but they can detect it. The biggest name I remember being banned for it was Bortolami. Armstrong tested positive for it back in '99 (or maybe it was '00) at the Tour but back then you could get back-dated prescriptions from the team doctor. He did this and claimed that the excessive levels detected were from a topical cream used to treat saddle sores.
> 
> ...


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## carb850 (Oct 7, 2005)

One night watchign the prime time broadcast of the tour the pelaton was passing some massive field of flowers (cannot remember what type). They mentioned on the air that a few years ago a guy had to drop out because he got stung by a bee and had to take cortisone shots. And that those shots would have cause a positive drug test.


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

FondriestFan said:


> Testosterone is an anabolic steroid?
> The body naturally produces testosterone, so what does an extra amount add?


Well I believe the anabolic steroids you hear of body builders taking are synthetic derivatives of testosterone and therefore relatively easy to detect. Although even with them the water based ones clear the system within a few days. I would imagine the benefit of taking testosterone is that it is relatively hard to detect and in fact can't be detected directly. They rely on a elevated ratio of testosterone to other hormones to say there is evidence of doping.

I would guess the general idea is that it improves "recovery", whatever that means.


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

carb850 said:


> One night watchign the prime time broadcast of the tour the pelaton was passing some massive field of flowers (cannot remember what type). They mentioned on the air that a few years ago a guy had to drop out because he got stung by a bee and had to take cortisone shots. And that those shots would have cause a positive drug test.


It was Jonathan Vaughters.


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## boomersooner4900 (Nov 18, 2005)

I know next to nothing about steroids like this, but: 

Due to the extreme pain he must have been in with his hip combined with the fact that he is apparently already taking cortisone shots, which presumably would alter his blood chemistry, is it possible that his system was "out of whack" (medical term) and created an abnormal amount of testosterone? Perhaps just barely over the WADA limit? He was going at full bore all day, which must excite the adrenal cortex which, according to the above post, also produces testosterone. 

Is this a fundamentaly flawed hypothesis?


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## roadnewguy (Feb 11, 2006)

Dwayne Barry said:


> You create a sore (no kidding, he said use sand paper on the scrotum) and then get a prescription for the cortisone cream from the MD. You can then inject the cortisone on race morning and if they detect excessive levels you claim it's from the cream. Kenacort seems to be the drug you would read about guys injecting on race day.



:yikes:

If I were to use sand paper on my scrotum before a race I would then surely need to inject cortisone just to be brave enough to climb on the damn bike! hahahahahahaa ouch!...

too bad for the tour, for cycling and for floyd's mom... I bet her cakes are the best in town.


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## FondriestFan (May 19, 2005)

Dwayne Barry said:


> Well I believe the anabolic steroids you hear of body builders taking are synthetic derivatives of testosterone and therefore relatively easy to detect. Although even with them the water based ones clear the system within a few days. I would imagine the benefit of taking testosterone is that it is relatively hard to detect and in fact can't be detected directly. They rely on a elevated ratio of testosterone to other hormones to say there is evidence of doping.
> 
> I would guess the general idea is that it improves "recovery", whatever that means.


Thanks for the explanation, Dwayne.


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

Yes, they are many form of testerones. You have *Primobolan* *Depot and **Nandrolone *as some of the most popular as well as Testosterone Depot - Enanthate.

Most are oil based.


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## jbrumm (Aug 8, 2004)

desmo13 said:


> Surely, in light of all the publicity at the opening of the ToF, and no testing positive in the other stages, he would not risk it for one stage. Is the pressure that much? He already had an "out" for nto winning because of his hip. He wouldnt have the pressure of making it xmany times in a row. He knew he would be tested. Could he be that dumb? In the interview with DZ, he did remark about the intelligence of some pro riders, happy to stare at a pillar all day.
> 
> I just have a gut feeling that this will be dragged out, with nothing conclusive from him for many months.


Not if Flyod and his posse thought that they could beat the test. It's all about beating the tests


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

Testerone based steriods can help the body recover faster be reapring muscle damage due to exercise and help with the body ingestiing huge amounts of protien which aids in recovery as well.

yes your body produces test naturally. if you inject more than your body can handle, your body will counter by producing more estrogen and your testicales will slow down production which wil cuse them to shirk into rasins.

this can be off set with medication for a root found in Eastern Europe. This is why BB get "***** tit" sometimes.


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

boomersooner4900 said:


> I know next to nothing about steroids like this, but:
> 
> Due to the extreme pain he must have been in with his hip combined with the fact that he is apparently already taking cortisone shots, which presumably would alter his blood chemistry, is it possible that his system was "out of whack" (medical term) and created an abnormal amount of testosterone? Perhaps just barely over the WADA limit? He was going at full bore all day, which must excite the adrenal cortex which, according to the above post, also produces testosterone.
> 
> Is this a fundamentaly flawed hypothesis?


If he's barely over the limit, he can always hope the normal variability in the test will end up putting his B sample barely under the limit. Based on what little I know about hormonal physiology I'm pretty sure high stress like stages 16 and 17 does just the opposite. It elevates cortisol (which is even called "the stress hormone" often) and suppresses testosterone. Anecdotally I know when I'm training and racing a lot my sex drive goes way down.


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

Dwayne Barry said:


> I'm not sure how they test for cortisone but they can detect it. The biggest name I remember being banned for it was Bortolami. Armstrong tested positive for it back in '99 (or maybe it was '00) at the Tour but back then you could get back-dated prescriptions from the team doctor. He did this and claimed that the excessive levels detected were from a topical cream used to treat saddle sores.
> 
> This is precisely the scam Gaumont laid out to cover injections of cortisone. You create a sore (no kidding, he said use sand paper on the scrotum) and then get a prescription for the cortisone cream from the MD. You can then inject the cortisone on race morning and if they detect excessive levels you claim it's from the cream. Kenacort seems to be the drug you would read about guys injecting on race day.
> 
> I don't think any of this pertains to Landis as I haven't seen anything about cortisone affects the testosterone test.



Well it's been established that Landis has been taking cortisone for his hip because Landis has said so in public. I don't see how a testosterone test wouldn't detect cortisone when cortisone is a form of testosterone.


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

Yes, cortisol inhibits test production and inhibtis the body from recovering.

I used to take a OTC product calles PST that was a cortisol suppressor.


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

rocco said:


> Well it's been established that Landis has been taking cortisone for his hip because Landis has said so in public. I don't see how a testosterone test wouldn't detect cortisone when cortisone is a form of testosterone.


See the posts above. Cortisone is a steroid, testosterone is a steroid. Cortisone is not a form of testosterone.


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

More info for you:

*Anabolic and virilizing effects*

Anabolic steroids produce both anabolic and virilization (also known as androgenic) effects. Most anabolic steroids work in two simultaneous ways. First, they work by binding the androgen receptor and increasing protein synthesis. Second, they also reduce recovery time by blocking the effects of the stress hormone, cortisol, on muscle tissue. As a result, catabolism of the body's muscle mass is greatly reduced.
Examples of anabolic effects:

Increased protein synthesis from amino acids
Increased muscle mass and strength
Increased appetite
Increased bone remodeling and growth
Stimulation of bone marrow increasing production of red blood cells
 Examples of virilizing/androgenic effects:

Growth of the clitoris (clitoral hypertrophy) in females and the penis in male children (the adult penis does not grow indefinitely even when exposed to high doses of androgens)
Increased growth of androgen-sensitive hair (pubic, beard, chest, and limb hair)
Increased vocal cord size, deepening the voice
Increased libido
Suppression of endogenous sex hormones
Impaired spermatogenesis
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*Unwanted side effects*

Many androgens are metabolized to estrogenic compounds which bind to estrogen receptors, producing additional (usually) unwanted effects:

Elevated blood pressure
Cholesterol levels – Increased LDL, Decreased HDL levels
Acne– Due to the stimulation of sebaceous gland
Reduced sexual function and temporary infertility
Conversion to DHT (Dihydrotestosterone). This can accerate or cause premature baldness and prostate cancer.
Enlargement of the heart – The heart is a muscle and thus affected by the muscle-building qualities of the hormones. The enlargement increases the risk of an adverse cardiac event occurring in later life.
Liver damage – Caused particularly by oral anabolic steroid compounds which are 17-alpha-alkylated in order to not be destroyed by the digestive system.
 [edit]

*Male-specific side effects*


Gynecomastia – Abnormal breast development, due to aromatization.
Testicular atrophy – Temporary side effect that is due to decreases in natural testosterone levels. The size of the testicles usually return to normal within a few weeks of discontinuing anabolic steroid use.
 [edit]

*Female-specific side effects*

Permanent virilizing side effects include

Body hair increase
Deepening of the voice
Enlarged clitoris (clitoral hypertrophy)
Temporary decrease in menstrual cycles
 [edit]

*Adolescent-specific side effects*


Stunted growth – Abuse of the agents may prematurely stop the lengthening of bones (premature epiphyseal fusion through increased estrogen)
Accelerated bone maturation
Slight beard growth
 An ideal anabolic steroid (a hormone with purely anabolic effects and no virilizing or other side effects) has been widely sought. Many synthetic anabolic steroids have been developed in an attempt to find molecules that produced a higher degree of anabolic rather than virilizing effects. Unfortunately, the most effective steroids known for increasing lean body mass also have the strongest androgenic characteristics.
[edit]

*Medical uses*

Anabolic steroids were tried by physicians for many purposes in the 1940s and 1950s with varying success.

Bone marrow stimulation: For decades, anabolic steroids were the mainstay of therapy for hypoplastic anemias not due to nutrient deficiency, especially aplastic anemia. Anabolic steroids are slowly being replaced by synthetic protein hormones (such as epoetin alfa) that selectively stimulate growth of blood cell precursors.
Growth stimulation: Anabolic steroids were used heavily by pediatric endocrinologists for children with growth failure from the 1960s through the 1980s. Availability of synthetic growth hormone and increasing social stigmatization of anabolic steroids led to discontinuation of this use.
Stimulation of appetite and preservation of muscle mass: Anabolic steroids have been given to people with chronic wasting conditions such as cancer and AIDS.
Induction of male puberty: Androgens are given to many boys distressed about extreme delay of puberty. Testosterone is now nearly the only androgen used for this purpose but synthetic anabolic steroids were often used prior to the 1980s.
Used for gender dysmorphia: whereby secondary male characteristics (puberty) are initiated in female-to-male diagnosed patients. Most commonly used testosterone derivatives are Sustanon and Testosterone Enanthate which cause the voice to deepen, increased bone and muscle mass, facial hair, increased levels of red blood cells and clitoral enlargement.
 [edit]

*Administration*

Anabolic steroids should *never* be injected by persons unfamilar with safe injection sites and practices. Steroids are commonly injected IM (intramuscularly) with 1-1.5" 18-25 gauge needles. Common injection sites include the buttocks, shoulders and thighs. The triceps, biceps and latissumus dorsi also have been used, however, this practice can be dangerous. Care must be taken to maintain cleanliness when injecting. Infection and disease can result if careless procedures are used. Care must also be taken when selecting an injection site. The sciatic nerve runs right up the back of each leg and up the middle of both buttocks. Blood vessels are also abundant in other areas. Injections into nerves will be *extremely painful* and dangerous. Injection into vessels is dangerous as well, as this can cause an embolism or other complications. Common amounts used at any one time are typically on the order of a few tens of mg/day (for oral steroids) to several hundred mg/day (for injectable steroids.) As with any drug, increasing the dosage increases the risk of the above side effects.
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*Use and abuse in athletics and bodybuilding*

These drugs are used by track and field athletes, weight lifters, bodybuilders, shot putters, cyclists, professional baseball players, professional wrestlers, and others to give them a competitive advantage, and improve their physical appearance or to allow them to better compete with others who have a physical advantage, perhaps from a more fortunate natural endowment of endogenous steroids or from steroid use as well. Steroid use to obtain competitive advantage is prohibited by the rules of the governing bodies of many sports, and officially condoned by none.
According to the 1999 Monitoring the Future study, the percentage of eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders in the United States who reported using steroids at least once in their lives increased steadily over the preceding four years (an average of 1.8 % in 1996, 2.1 % in 1997, 2.3 % in 1998, and 2.8% in 1999). In addition, steroid use to enhance athletic performance is no longer limited to high school males: a 1998 Pennsylvania State University study found that 175,000 high school girls nationwide reported taking steroids at least once in their lifetime. The National Institute on Drug Abuse found that 3.4% of all high school seniors report using steroids at least once in 2005. Nearly 2% of 8th graders admitted to using steroids.
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*Popular Misconceptions*

Anabolic Steroids are often misrepresented in the media as well as other institutions. Many myths and misconceptions concerning anabolic steroids and their side effects are rife.
A few popular misconceptions include

*Anabolic Steroids shrink your Penis*. Anabolic Steroid use does not shrink your Penis. This myth probably came from the side effect of anabolic steroids known as Testicular atrophy in which the use of anabolic steroids will cause your natural testosterone to decrease thus shrinking the size of your testicles. This side effect is temporary and testicals return to normal once use is stopped and natural testosterone levels return to normal.<sup id="_ref-0" class="reference">[1]</sup>
 
*Lyle Alzado died from brain cancer caused by anabolic steroids*. This claim came from what Alzado himself claimed. However there is no medical evidence anabolic steroids can cause Brain cancer and Alzado's own doctors admited anabolic steroids had nothing to do with his death.<sup id="_ref-1" class="reference">[2]</sup>
 
*Roid rage*. While some studies have shown that increased testosterone from anabolic steroids can cause aggression in male users, Most studies show no phychological effect.<sup id="_ref-2" class="reference">[3]</sup> No studies have found any increase in aggression compaired to that as described in the supposed cases of so called "roid rage". In medical terms "roid rage" is nothing more than another myth.<sup id="_ref-3" class="reference">[4]</sup> <sup id="_ref-4" class="reference">[5]</sup>
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*Illegal trade in anabolic steroids*

Since anabolic steroids are often produced in different countries than in which they are distributed, they must be smuggled across international borders. Like most significant smuggling operations, sophisticated organized crime is involved, often in conjunction with other smuggling efforts (including other illegal drugs). The majority of those using illegaly obtain the drugs via the black market, and more specifically, pharmacists, veterinarians, and physicians.
Unlike psychoactive recreational drugs such as cannabis and heroin, there have not been many high profile cases of individual smugglers of anabolic steroids being caught.
[edit]

*Production*

Anabolic steroids need sophisticated pharmaceutical processes and equipment to produce, so they are produced by legitimate pharmaceutical companies or underground laboratories with large overheads.
In the 1990s most US producers such as Ciba, Searle and Syntex stopped making and marketing anabolic steroids within the US. However, in many other regions, particularly Eastern Europe, they are still produced in quantity. European anabolic steroids are the source of most medical grade anabolic steroids sold illegally in North America.
However, anabolic steroids are still in wider use for veterinary purposes, and many illegal anabolic steroids are actually veterinary grade.
Common problems associated with illegal drug trades, such as chemical substitutions, cutting, and diluting, affect illegal anabolic steroids such that when it reaches distribution the quality may be questionable or possibly dangerous.
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*Distribution*

As with almost all illegal distribution of drugs the majority of illegal anabolic steroids are distributed by steroid users to pay for their habit (i.e. bodybuilders and athletes who themselves are users). Steroids are purchased just like any illegal drug through dealers who are able to obtain the drugs from a number of sources. Increased awareness has caused the government to take a harder stance to steroid traffic and the increased seizures of high quality gray market alternatives such as IGF-1 would be likely to lead to a decrease in traditional anabolic steroid usage.
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*Minimizing the side effects*

Typically, bodybuilders, athletes and sportsmen who use anabolic steroids try to minimize the negative side effects. For example, users may increase their amount of cardiovascular exercise to help negate the effects of left ventricle hypertrophy.
Some androgens will aromatise and convert to estrogen, potentially causing some combination of the side effects listed above. During a steroid cycle users may take an aromatase inhibitor and/or a SERM; these drugs affect aromatisation and estrogen receptor binding respectively. The SERM tamoxifen, is of particular interest as it prevents binding to the estrogen recepetor in the breast, reducing the risk of irreversible gynecomastia.<sup id="_ref-5" class="reference">[6]</sup>
Furthermore, to combat the natural testosterone suppression and to restore proper HPTA function, what is known as 'post-cycle therapy' (PCT) is self prescribed. PCT takes place after the course of anabolic steroids. It typically consists of a combination of the following drugs depending on which protocol is used:

A SERM such as clomiphene citrate and/or tamoxifen citrate (this is the primary PCT drug).
An aromatase inhibitor such as anastrozole.
Human chorionic gonadotropin, HCG (this has become less common as it is now more often used throughout the cycle rather than after).
 The aim of PCT is to return the body's endogenous hormonal balance to its original state within the shortest space of time.
Those prone to premature hairloss due to steroid use have been known to take the prescription drug finasteride for prolonged periods of time. Finasteride reduces the conversion of testosterone to DHT, the latter having much higher potency for alopecia. Finasteride is useless in the cases when steroid is not converted into a more androgenic derivative. Finasteride is also used as a masking agent by those who are subject to steroid testing.


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## Fogdweller (Mar 26, 2004)

DIRT BOY said:


> Yes, they are many form of testerones. You have *Primobolan* *Depot and **[SIZE=-1]Nandrolone*


*
Nandrolone is also a popular masking agent. Prescribed for "allergies", it masks cortizone usage and other builders. The things we can learn just by being fans of this sport... it certainly is an education.*


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## argylesocks (Aug 2, 2004)

*Drudge..*

Well, if matt drudge thinks he's guilty....

http://www.drudgereport.com/

i love how druge had a tiny headline on the bottom right, when landis won..... but now with this, he gets a full picture!


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

I did not know Deca Durabolin was a masking agent or used for allergies.


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## FondriestFan (May 19, 2005)

Thanks for the info you posted, Dirt-Boy. I'm amazed that so many drugs exist and are apparently widely used. How do athletes keep track of all this stuff?!?


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

Dwayne Barry said:


> See the posts above. Cortisone is a steroid, testosterone is a steroid. Cortisone is not a form of testosterone.



Ah! I get it now. Thank you.


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

FondriestFan said:


> Thanks for the info you posted, Dirt-Boy. I'm amazed that so many drugs exist and are apparently widely used. How do athletes keep track of all this stuff?!?


That's what you pay the doctor for!


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## wyomingclimber (Feb 26, 2004)

*Testosterone levels...*

I'm fairly certain that I once read that extreme endurance sports substantially reduce testosterone levels--so you would expect someone like Floyd to have lower than normal levels.

I believe Ferrari once used this as an argument to allow some types of doping--ie to allow doctors to bring testosterone levels in athletes back to normal for general health reasons.

Makes you wonder, though, if Floyd's levels do prove to be high. Based on the above (and assuming my memory is accurate) even normal levels would be suspect.


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

*I'm trying to understand more...*



Dwayne Barry said:


> If he's barely over the limit, he can always hope the normal variability in the test will end up putting his B sample barely under the limit. Based on what little I know about hormonal physiology I'm pretty sure high stress like stages 16 and 17 does just the opposite. It elevates cortisol (which is even called "the stress hormone" often) and suppresses testosterone. Anecdotally I know when I'm training and racing a lot my sex drive goes way down.



Cortisol and cortisone are similar and are a steroid which suppresses testosterone which is another type of steriod?

Edit: ...and if his cortisone level was dropping would his testosterone level go up? It seems strange that he would test positive for testosterone if he was taking cortisone as he has stated. We know his hip is screwed up so I think we can be sure he wasn't lying about taking cortisone. I find it hard to believe that the cortisone has something to do with this whole thing in some way.


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

Doctors or personal trainers. In my body building days we used to say, the best were not the hardest working, but the best chemists!

There are SOOO many diifferent steriods used by athletes it's not even funny.
Many are Ventinarian ones, like *Equipoise.

*Steriods are a whole another world.....

Then there are others like beta II antagonists being used. Some legal in Canada and mexico here in the western hemisphere have been proven to help retain muscle during extreme exercise and promote a thermogenic effect (rapid fat loss.).


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

YEP! Also trainers and coaches might know something. Let's grill Robbie Ventura (?) Check his laptop.  .

Let's hope if he does, which I doubt he would not be dumb enough to leave it there.

BUT hey, Basso was dumb enough to go to a OBGYN with out his wife there for treatment .


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## johnmyster (Mar 13, 2003)

*Adolescent-specific side effects*


Stunted growth – Abuse of the agents may prematurely stop the lengthening of bones (premature epiphyseal fusion through increased estrogen)
Accelerated bone maturation
Slight beard growth


Humm, a 'slight beard' eh? 

Been a Landis fan since his wheelie-popping days. I'd hope that if something is amiss, he'll face up and handle it with the frank temprement that makes him so entertaining in the cycling media. Really, even before this, my exposure (through inside knowledge from several current and former pro cyclists) leads me to believe that illegal drug use amongst pro riders (domestic and international) is far more than we could ever imagine. I'm afraid that the worst case scenario painted by Matt DeCanio (www.stolenunderground.com) is far closer to true than I've wanted to believe. 

How can we as fans (i.e., the people that create revenue for the sponsors) demand that the sport we love be cleaned up from the inside? That riders and team managment hold each other accountable? That positive test results are accepted without dispute, and that tests are (allowed to be) conducted to extremes in order to prove the sport is clean. Well, no thanks to riders like Hamilton and Ulrich that seem to fight the system, but seriously...


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## cyclesoflife (May 8, 2005)

Cortisone is converted into Cortisol in the body. Cortisol is called the "Stress Hormone" because it is supposedly released in greater amounts when a person is under alot of stress.
It is also a catabolic hormone, which means it breaks down tissues as opposed to the anabolic hormones like hgh, testosterone and insulin, which build up tissues in the body. 
In a health person, the body keeps all these levels balanced as too much catabolism or for that fact anabolism is not good (i.e. acromegly).
Cortisol will suppress testosterone levels. 
I suspect his cortisone treatments might have thrown his hormonal balance out of whack and would possibly explain the test results. Though it is still unclear exactly what these results said.


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

cyclesoflife said:


> I suspect his cortisone treatments might have thrown his hormonal balance out of whack and would possibly explain the test results. Though it is still unclear exactly what these results said.


You're still left with the fact that he was tested on several other occasions in the Tour (as the yellow jersey wearer) without tripping a positive test. If a natural explanation is sought it would seem to me to have to lay in the high stress levels of stages 16/17. Of course this also doesn't mean that these stresses couldn't have screwed up his "normal" T/E ratio which was based on some kind of ongoing hormonal preparation used for recovery.


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## pantag (Jul 21, 2006)

When the "B" test results will be made available to the public?


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## Guest (Jul 29, 2006)

The thing that bugs me is that, from what I have read, increasing one's testosterone for a short period of time (in this case less than 24 hours) minimally improves an athlete's recovery. So he still would've have stormed stage 17 anyway. It would be stupidly insane to DQ an athlete for one anomolous test (since tests on the other stage raised no red flags). It's not like he tested with an HCT of 60 or some such significant performance boost. Seems to me this is a big flap over nothing


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## Guest (Jul 29, 2006)

Hmmm, ok, I just read something with a dissenting view on the effect of testosterone:



> Questions about testosterone patches
> By Matt DeCanio
> This report filed July 28,2006
> 
> ...


Not science, but an interesting field report. This is amazingly confusing - no wonder the doping docs get paid so well.


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

AJL said:


> Not science, but an interesting field report. This is amazingly confusing - no wonder the doping docs get paid so well.


The placebo affect is real, humans have a natural tendency to assume causal links between events that occur close in time to one another, and finally there are almost certainly no studies investigating the performance effects of testosterone doping on a highly trained endurance athlete doing multiple days (even weeks) of training/racing.

Consequently a scientist believing testosterone doping wouldn't benefit a TdF cyclist has absolutely no relationship to whether such a person would use it.


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