# [BUNK GEAR] Counterfeiting in performance and image enhancing drugs



## MrRippedZilla (Mar 6, 2017)

This paper was more of an investigatory piece rather than an intervention trial but the results are far too interesting for me not to highlight them in this sub-forum. It SHOULD get a lot of readers thinking, at least that's my hope:

Full paper: Counterfeiting in performance and image enhancing drugs

*Abstract*
The current drastic escalation in obesity may be contributing to the exponential rise in drugs used for image enhancement. Drugs such as anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are perceived as a viable method of achieving a perfect physique. They are also the most widely abused drugs in sport. The Internet has encouraged the abuse of expensive drugs, particularly human growth hormone (hGH), resulting in increased importation for personal use. The substantial increase in this market has opened up avenues for counterfeiting, estimated as a multi-million pound business. The acute adverse effects from contaminated vials may result in a variety of pathologies including communicable diseases. 
In 2007, in the UK, a series of intramuscular abscesses, requiring surgical treatment, led us to study samples obtained from the underground market. The analysis of 38 parenteral samples and 19 oral samples of tablets was performed by a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory, in an attempt to establish the extent of available counterfeit products. 
53% (20) of the injectable AAS esters and 21% (4) of the oral tablets were counterfeit. Culture and sensitivity revealed the presence of skin commensal organisms, which may have contributed to the development of the abscesses. Users of AAS and hGH for sport, including bodybuilding, are currently risking their health because of counterfeit and poorly controlled products.


*The purpose & methodology behind this investigation*

The authors were concerned about the frequency of IM abscesses that occurred in a group of UK bodybuilders back in 2007. These abscesses were likely the result of contaminated UGL gear and lead to this investigation. 
The investigation covers the drugs provided by the UGL market at the time (late 2007-09) to *competitive* UK bodybuilders.

To conduct this investigation, the authors purchased a bunch of legit compounds from legit companies and then compared it to the UGL equivalents to see the differences.
The analysis was extremely thorough and included full GC-MS (mass spec), SIM (selected ion monitoring mode), microbio cultures and, for HGH products, full peptide mass mapping (need to identify 12 peps for the real stuff). I won't go into much more detail here in case your eyes get fuzzy but for those interested in more please see the methodology section of the paper. 


*Results*

They analyzed a total of 57 samples, with 24 being counterfeit (42%) and most of that coming from the injectables (12/38 bunk, 8/38 mislabeled).
Microbiological culture of the vials also revealed the presence of contaminants identified as skin commensals (usually harmless bacteria that lives on our skin). 
I won't go through the full results, just the stuff that is of interest (mislabeled/bunk gear)...

Orals:
Oral PIED analyzed by GC-MS and LC-MS/MS (products were provided by bodybuilders and all products had different labels)
Product label = Product found
*3) Stanozolol = No anabolic steroids detected
4) Stanozolol = 5a-dihydrotestosterone*
6 Stanozolol = Stanozolol
11 Stanozolol = Stanozolol
*14) Stanozolol = Methyl testosterone and caffeine
15) Ma Huang = Ephedrine*

- The big take away here is that there is/was ALOT of bunk winstrol going around. Var, interestingly, was tested twice and was legit both times. 
- This is a much more important discovery for women than men since females taking DHT or oral test when they think its winstrol is a very bad thing. It may also explain why users report different (translated: not the norm) sides with this oral, you may be getting something else. 

Injectables that were mislabeled:
Product label = Product claimed = Product found
1) Boldenona 50 = *Boldenone undecylenate = Test prop*
*2) Nandrolone decanoate = Test E*
*3) Primobolan depot = Methenolone enanthate = NPP*
4) Sustanon = Test Prop, Phenylprop, *Isocaproate*, Decanoate = Test Prop, Phenylprop, Decanoate, *Enanthate*
5) Trenbolone 80 = Trenbolone *enanthate* = Trenbolone *acetate*
6) Growth hormone = rhGH material present (22 kda peak, only)

- Some of these results are fascinating and I'd be VERY interested to hear if users can tell the difference between this stuff (I doubt it). Specifically, Test Prop instead of EQ, Test E instead of Deca, NPP instead of Primo and Tren E over Tren A. 
- The sustanon alteration is the most sophisticated. The key difference is replacing Test Isocaproate with Test E. Sustanon is a pain in the ass to use anyway due to the unclear half life (the data on it sucks) so I doubt anyone would notice this very small change.
- The GH result is beyond my level of expertise apart from understanding that it isn't the real deal.

Injectables that were pure bunk:
Product label = Product claimed = Product found
*1) Boldabol = Boldenone undecylenate = Nil
2) Boldebal-h = Boldenone undecylenate = Nil
3) Mastabol = Dromastanolone dipropionate = Nil
4) Primobolan depot = Methenolone enanthate = Nil
5) Spectriol = Test Esters = Nil
6) Testabol depot = Test Cyp = Nil
7) Testex elmu prolangatum 250 = Test Cyp = Nil
8) Tesosterone cypionate injection (cypionax) = Test Cyp = Nil
9) Trenbol 75-r = Trenbolone acetate = Nil
10) Youth gh = Growth hormone = Nil
11) Growth hormone = Somatotropin = Nil
12) Norditropin simplexx = Growth hormone = Nil*

- We've had 1 mislabeled and 2 pure bunk EQ results here so that's another one that should raise some eyebrows.
- That's a lot more bunk Test cyp then I was expecting.
- Lot's of bunk GH on the other hand shouldn't come as a surprise considering the cost of the real stuff.


*Discussion*

There is a lot worth talking about there but I'm going to let you guys do most of that as I dive into what the authors were chatting about:

*"It has been estimated that one million individuals in the US, predominantly males under 25 years of age, are current or past users of AAS. 50% of these young adults administer their drugs intramuscularly..."*
So 50% are doing oral only cycles. I'll let you form your own opinions about this. 

*"In 1997, an investigation demonstrated that 15 (36%) of 42 AAS analyzed by GC-MS did not contain the expected ingredients.[14] Much more recently, Thevis et al investigated the contents of 70 confiscated products, where 17 (35%) of 48 compounds labelled as anabolic steroids did not contain or did not only contain the declared ingredients.*"
Bunk/mislabeled gear has been around for a long time, not exactly shocking, and seems to have been hovering around the same rate (40%) for that time period (97-09).

*"Thigh, pectoral and deltoid abscess have been reported in bodybuilders using ‘spot shots’ or ‘site locations’...Administration of large volumes of testosterone esters in one injection (up to 5 mL) is common, exposing an individual to sterile abscess formation, where a pathogenic organism cannot be found."*
Sometimes abscesses are caused by injecting too much gear into one spot rather than contamination. Something to keep in mind for the high volume users. Also, pectoral abscess? No thanks.

With regards to site-specific injections in the hope of gaining site-specific growth, something I'm highly skeptical of, the authors note the stupidity of this practice. Specifically, here is a case study of a 25yr old injecting 1.5ml into his left biceps brachi:
Images in clinical medicine. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus abscess after intramuscular steroid injection

The result was acute necrotizing myositis and a culture analysis showed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Since the individual used a sterilized needle obtained from his local pharmacy, I think its safe to assume contaminated gear rather than careless administration was the cause of the abscess. Not pretty: 



*"There is a need for the unlimited provision of sterile equipment with the assurance of anonymity, embracing the fact that all previous methods have failed."*
True that. 

Finally, a bit of a random addition to this paper but well worth sharing. Here is what the final 5 weeks of a female, UK national bodybuilding (not physique, bikini, etc - BODYBUILDING) champions cycle looks like during prep:

*Clen (Spiropent), 120mcg ED for all 5 weeks
GH (Somatropin) (Jintropin), 2ius 4xweek for all 5 weeks
Anavar (oral), 10mg 5xweek for all 5 weeks
Winstrol (oral), 8mg 5xweek during week 1 - 10mg 5xweek during week 2 - 12mg 5xwk3 - 10mg 5xwk4 - 8 mg 5xwk5
Winstrol suspension (IM), 50mg/week during week 1 - 100mg/week during week 2 - 100mg/wk3 - 100mg/wk4 - 50mg/wk5
Nolva, 10mg EOD for all 5 weeks
Test prop, 150mg/week for all 5 weeks*

- The main thing that stands out is the sheer amount of gear being used here. This obviously is NOT suitable for any female outside of the competitive bodybuilding class. 
- That clen is going to waste. 
- I suspect the GH 4xweek is more of a budgetary necessity more than anything else. Of course there is nothing wrong with this dosing scheme and it does help limit some of the post-GH negatives (insulin resistance, etc) while sacrificing some benefit from lower overall dosage. 
- I have no idea what's going on with the titrating winstrol (oral and injectable) doses. If someone wants to hazard a guess then please feel free.
- The Nolva EOD dosing is done to get the benefits (better conditioning) without too much of the negatives, specifically post-cycle. 
- Her test dose is higher than most TRT guys and, I suspect, the reason for choosing the prop ester is an attempt to limit some of the negative sides. 


*Summary*

It's rare to find such an in-depth look into our world and, despite this papers flaws (horrible references), its a worthwhile read. 
We have information on mislabeled/bunk gear, contamination, injection protocols and an interesting insight into the cycle of a female bodybuilding champion - plenty to mull over for everyone I think 

I want to emphasize the importance of keeping yourself & your source accountable. 
Do research appropriate injection techniques, do inform your source of any gear quality issues and do make these issues public if they are not resolved and/or concern the health & safety of other users.  

Finally, I want to mention the names Simec & Chemtox, 2 independent accredited labs that can test & verify the quality of your gear (the former is no longer accepting samples, the latter I believe is). This type of independent testing isn't exactly cheap but, in certain circumstances, I believe it's worth considering (I'm thinking about the ladies more than the dudes here).


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## ron1204 (Mar 6, 2017)

Awesome read zilla. many times we forget or simply don't even think of the repercussions of buying gear from UG labs. We always assume were getting 100% real stuff when im sure theres still a lot of fake, underdosed, or just different compound in our vials. This is a good wake up call for all of us to stay safe!

On a side note, those abscesses spoken about which were resistant to some anti-biotics were because of too much oil in one spot or because of contamination? I read the guy injected 5ml on the inside of his bicep but it wasn't clear if it was also because of an infection.


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## MrRippedZilla (Mar 6, 2017)

ron1204 said:


> On a side note, those abscesses spoken about which were resistant to some anti-biotics were because of too much oil in one spot or because of contamination? I read the guy injected 5ml on the inside of his bicep but it wasn't clear if it was also because of an infection.



The demonstrated bicep abscess involved 1.5ml and was a result of contamination, specifically an antibiotic resistant staph injection (Staphylococcus aureus - also known as MRSA). 

The up to 5ml injections mentioned earlier, but not related to the bicep example, was regarding the discovery of sterile abscesses found in the absence of any pathogenic organism (no contamination, hence "sterile" abscess). In this case, it is the large volume of gear causing the issue.


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## Seeker (Mar 6, 2017)

It is definitely a worthwhile read a sad truth to what's happened since AAS became illegal years ago.  I do have some feedback to site injections but I'm late for work and will return later. Lol


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## Flyingdragon (Mar 6, 2017)

This article is old and has been circulating for years....


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## MrRippedZilla (Mar 6, 2017)

Flyingdragon said:


> This article is old and has been circulating for years....



If your referring to the paper itself then yes, it was published in 09. If your referring to the whole article then no, I wrote it up this weekend


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## DieYoungStrong (Mar 6, 2017)

I read this years ago...good to have a refresher on it.


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## Jin (Mar 6, 2017)

Oral only cycles from now on. Got it.


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## CtrlAll (Mar 6, 2017)

Great read RippedZilla. I never read the original but I'm happy you shed some light on this issue. Makes you really think before you put something in your body. I guess the takeaway for me is only do pharmacy grade gear and wait around like Charlie until you find your golden ticket.


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## sctxms (Aug 23, 2017)

Good lord that sucks but u can thank the big Parma companies and politicians for creating the underground market for GH and AAS. I can smoke or chew and raise the possibility of getting cancer and its legal. However to improve my over all performance and health by using AAS and GH in my late 40's is a class 3 felony makes no fing sense.....


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## BRICKS (Aug 23, 2017)

Excellent Zilla, thanks.


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## Cobra Strike (Aug 24, 2017)

sctxms said:


> Good lord that sucks but u can thank the big Parma companies and politicians for creating the underground market for GH and AAS. I can smoke or chew and raise the possibility of getting cancer and its legal. However to improve my over all performance and health by using AAS and GH in my late 40's is a class 3 felony makes no fing sense.....



Same concept as a salad costing twice as much as a burger


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## gunslinger357 (Aug 24, 2019)

This does NOT surprise me at all, its why I brew my own shit for one thing, and even then you have to do testing on raws in a serious way because probably 60% of raw sources have sent me fake shit.  It's the price of the game we're in.


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