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“You Could Try This Compound, but it Might Send You nuts”: How Steroid Suppliers Perceive the Underground Market and Their ‘Hybrid’ Role within It

Timothy Piatkowski Orcid Logo, Steve Vigorous, Luke Cox Orcid Logo, James McVeigh

Deviant Behavior, Volume: 46, Issue: 7, Pages: 915 - 926

Swansea University Author: Luke Cox Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1080/01639625.2024.2375014

Abstract

Introduction: The illicit manufacture and use of image and performance enhancing drugs (IPEDs) have increased. The underground market continues to meet consumer demands amidst evolving cultural narratives around most alluring IPEDs. This qualitative study aimed to provide insights into how IPED supp...

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Published in: Deviant Behavior
ISSN: 0163-9625 1521-0456
Published: Informa UK Limited 2024
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69861
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spelling 2025-07-02T09:35:27.3863386 v2 69861 2025-07-02 “You Could Try This Compound, but it Might Send You nuts”: How Steroid Suppliers Perceive the Underground Market and Their ‘Hybrid’ Role within It 9811ac84cad867903c385bf7086dfd2d 0000-0001-7625-4603 Luke Cox Luke Cox true false 2025-07-02 EAAS Introduction: The illicit manufacture and use of image and performance enhancing drugs (IPEDs) have increased. The underground market continues to meet consumer demands amidst evolving cultural narratives around most alluring IPEDs. This qualitative study aimed to provide insights into how IPED suppliers perceive demands within the current market and their roles within it. Methods: We interviewed four IPED suppliers in Australia regarding distribution challenges and market changes. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed, with immediate reflective notes taken after each interview. Inductive line-by-line analysis facilitated identification and development of themes. Results: Cultural narratives were perceived to influence the demand for several drugs (e.g. trenbolone, dihydroboldenone, fluoxymesterone) due to their perceived desirability and elevated status compared to other compounds. Consumers, who appeared to demonstrate knowledge gaps, were sometimes guided in their consumption practices by IPED suppliers, who drifted into a “hybrid” role of coach-supplier. Discussion: IPED suppliers highlighted a perceived demand for specific AAS, driven by cultural narratives. Consequently, IPED suppliers assumed a hybrid role whereby they provide advice to the people who purchase IPEDs at point-of-sale. Urgent action is needed to address cultural narratives and provide education and harm reduction to support people who use IPEDs. Journal Article Deviant Behavior 46 7 915 926 Informa UK Limited 0163-9625 1521-0456 2 7 2024 2024-07-02 10.1080/01639625.2024.2375014 COLLEGE NANME Engineering and Applied Sciences School COLLEGE CODE EAAS Swansea University Another institution paid the OA fee 2025-07-02T09:35:27.3863386 2025-07-02T09:27:16.4412479 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences Timothy Piatkowski 0000-0002-6177-0266 1 Steve Vigorous 2 Luke Cox 0000-0001-7625-4603 3 James McVeigh 4 69861__34639__281962299bc24cedb7e96732eda1dae1.pdf 69861.VOR.pdf 2025-07-02T09:33:16.3420139 Output 794250 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2024 The Author(s). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title “You Could Try This Compound, but it Might Send You nuts”: How Steroid Suppliers Perceive the Underground Market and Their ‘Hybrid’ Role within It
spellingShingle “You Could Try This Compound, but it Might Send You nuts”: How Steroid Suppliers Perceive the Underground Market and Their ‘Hybrid’ Role within It
Luke Cox
title_short “You Could Try This Compound, but it Might Send You nuts”: How Steroid Suppliers Perceive the Underground Market and Their ‘Hybrid’ Role within It
title_full “You Could Try This Compound, but it Might Send You nuts”: How Steroid Suppliers Perceive the Underground Market and Their ‘Hybrid’ Role within It
title_fullStr “You Could Try This Compound, but it Might Send You nuts”: How Steroid Suppliers Perceive the Underground Market and Their ‘Hybrid’ Role within It
title_full_unstemmed “You Could Try This Compound, but it Might Send You nuts”: How Steroid Suppliers Perceive the Underground Market and Their ‘Hybrid’ Role within It
title_sort “You Could Try This Compound, but it Might Send You nuts”: How Steroid Suppliers Perceive the Underground Market and Their ‘Hybrid’ Role within It
author_id_str_mv 9811ac84cad867903c385bf7086dfd2d
author_id_fullname_str_mv 9811ac84cad867903c385bf7086dfd2d_***_Luke Cox
author Luke Cox
author2 Timothy Piatkowski
Steve Vigorous
Luke Cox
James McVeigh
format Journal article
container_title Deviant Behavior
container_volume 46
container_issue 7
container_start_page 915
publishDate 2024
institution Swansea University
issn 0163-9625
1521-0456
doi_str_mv 10.1080/01639625.2024.2375014
publisher Informa UK Limited
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences
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description Introduction: The illicit manufacture and use of image and performance enhancing drugs (IPEDs) have increased. The underground market continues to meet consumer demands amidst evolving cultural narratives around most alluring IPEDs. This qualitative study aimed to provide insights into how IPED suppliers perceive demands within the current market and their roles within it. Methods: We interviewed four IPED suppliers in Australia regarding distribution challenges and market changes. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed, with immediate reflective notes taken after each interview. Inductive line-by-line analysis facilitated identification and development of themes. Results: Cultural narratives were perceived to influence the demand for several drugs (e.g. trenbolone, dihydroboldenone, fluoxymesterone) due to their perceived desirability and elevated status compared to other compounds. Consumers, who appeared to demonstrate knowledge gaps, were sometimes guided in their consumption practices by IPED suppliers, who drifted into a “hybrid” role of coach-supplier. Discussion: IPED suppliers highlighted a perceived demand for specific AAS, driven by cultural narratives. Consequently, IPED suppliers assumed a hybrid role whereby they provide advice to the people who purchase IPEDs at point-of-sale. Urgent action is needed to address cultural narratives and provide education and harm reduction to support people who use IPEDs.
published_date 2024-07-02T05:31:15Z
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