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Richard B. Rosse, MD; Steven I. Deutsch, MD, PhD
Veterans Administration Medical Center Washington, DC

JAMA. 1990;263(15):2048-2049.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

Drs Kashkin and Kleber¹ recently presented a hypothesis for anabolic steroid addiction. They point out that withdrawal from anabolic steroids can be associated with an acute hyperadrenergic syndrome that includes signs and symptoms such as elevated pulse and blood pressure, nausea, chills, headache, dizziness, diaphoresis, and piloerection. The authors propose a possible mechanism of anabolic steroid withdrawal that includes a sudden decrease in central endogenous opiod activity and also speculate about a possible influence of anabolic steroids on central aminergic activity. There is also some similarity between anabolic steroid—associated hyperadrenergic withdrawal phenomena and the syndrome seen in either alcohol or sedative/ hypnotic withdrawal, agents that have been demonstrated to act at the benzodiazepine/-aminobutyric acid_A receptor complex.² Consistent with the similarity between anabolic steroid withdrawal and sedative/hypnotic withdrawal are our recent preclinical findings that suggest a testosterone—benzodiazepine/-aminobutyric acid_A interaction.³ Such an interaction had . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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