# Why aren't anabolic steroids used for sarcopenia in the elderly
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-anabolic-steroids-used-for-sarcopenia-in-the-elderly/1017497
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [April 25, 2025, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-anabolic-steroids-used-for-sarcopenia-in-the-elderly/1017497 "2025-04-25T19:10:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2025, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-anabolic-steroids-used-for-sarcopenia-in-the-elderly/1017497/1 "2025-04-25T19:10:11Z")
I don’t want to derail from this thread [Question for people who weight train](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-people-who-weight-train/1017482):
But why aren’t anabolic steroids combined with resistance training and a high protein diet used in the elderly to combat sarcopenia? Is it because of cardiovascular health risks of the steroids, is it due to them being schedule III medications?
If its due to anabolic steroids being schedule III, I wonder if myostatin inhibitors, either as a gene therapy or a medication when those are FDA approved, would be more widespread.
What about human growth hormone? Looking online, the side effects in the elderly seem worse than the sarcopenia but I have no idea what dosage people used. It seems like a dose of just 0.5IU/day among the elderly would bring HGH levels back to what they were in a person’s 30s.
What about IGF-1?
Keep in mind I’m talking about the lowest dose possible to be effective, I’m not talking about cycles of 1000mg of testosterone a week like bodybuilders use.
I know there is an entire anti-aging industry based around medications like these to help the elderly maintain strength and flexibility in old age, but the fact that this industry exists outside of mainstream medicine makes me assume its because its dangerous.
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### Author:  [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2025, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-anabolic-steroids-used-for-sarcopenia-in-the-elderly/1017497/2 "2025-04-25T19:16:24Z")
Because if you’re gonna do enough exercise for the steroids to be useful - you don’t need the steroids.
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### Author:  [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2025, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-anabolic-steroids-used-for-sarcopenia-in-the-elderly/1017497/3 "2025-04-25T19:44:24Z")
I am enjoying my low testosterone. The big head finally has some power over the little head.
My brother who is 83 uses hormone replacement therapy. I think he found some illness that is treated tat way and memorized the symptoms so his Dr would prescribe it. He uses it to help build muscle. I don’t know if he has any side effects or not but knowing him he would talk about it if he was.
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### Author:  [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2025, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-anabolic-steroids-used-for-sarcopenia-in-the-elderly/1017497/4 "2025-04-25T19:45:01Z")
As someone who is barely at 200 ng/dL myself, I totally understand. Its awesome to have this monkey off my back.
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### Author:  [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2025, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-anabolic-steroids-used-for-sarcopenia-in-the-elderly/1017497/5 "2025-04-25T21:51:58Z")
> [@The\_Librarian](#):
>
> Because if you’re gonna do enough exercise for the steroids to be useful - you don’t need the steroids.
I don’t have the study offhand, but years ago I remember reading the abstract of a study that compared elderly people who engaged in resistance training vs elderly who took anabolic steroids but were sedentary. I think muscle growth was roughly the same in both, so I would assume anabolic steroids + resistance training + a high protein diet would work better than just resistance training and a high protein diet alone.
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### Author:  [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2025, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-anabolic-steroids-used-for-sarcopenia-in-the-elderly/1017497/6 "2025-04-25T23:43:13Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#):
>
> As someone who is barely at 200 ng/dL myself, I totally understand. Its awesome to have this monkey off my back.
I would say speak for yourself. I’m at about 500 on TRT, but I’ve also got a damaged pituitary from a prolactinoma. Before starting TRT, I was at under 15 and I’ll tell you it was no fun.
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### Author:  [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2025, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-anabolic-steroids-used-for-sarcopenia-in-the-elderly/1017497/7 "2025-04-25T23:43:58Z")
I’m at about 200 and its great. I don’t feel any of the negative effects like depression or fatigue. I just don’t feel an urge to talk to women at the grocery store anymore. Its wonderful.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2025, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-anabolic-steroids-used-for-sarcopenia-in-the-elderly/1017497/8 "2025-04-26T00:39:00Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#):
>
> But why aren’t anabolic steroids combined with resistance training and a high protein diet used in the elderly to combat sarcopenia? Is it because of cardiovascular health risks of the steroids, is it due to them being schedule III medications?
Side effects of anabolic steroids are an important consideration.
Sarcopenia in the aging has multifactorial causes and research doesn’t have all the answers yet. This article gives an idea of the complexities involved and the approaches being studied.
[https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/19/3271](https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/19/3271)