Investigation: SARMs Are Widely Available in the UK

Aug 02, 2023

Reported side effects include: erectile dysfunction, mood swings and eye-sight issues

A BBC investigation has found that 'dangerous' muscle-building drugs are being sold illegally in UK-based shops.

The investigation found that drugs known as SARMs (selective androgen receptor modulators), which result in side effects including erectile dysfunction, mood swings and can cause eye-sight issues, are widely available in bodybuilding supplement shops as well as online.

‘SARMs do pose a danger to people who are taking them,’ Laura Wilson of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society told the BBC.

‘We would like to see the laws around them tightened, we would like to see better control over them and an acknowledgment that they are not being used for 'research purposes' when they're being purchased.’

SARMs are similar to steroids in that they both work by binding to your androgen receptors, which then triggers changes to your DNA and increases your muscle cells’ growth potential. With steroids, however, enzymes in the prostate and scalp cause the extra testosterone to metabolise into DHT. Whereas SARMs are said to be 'tissue selective' and do not trigger this reaction. SARMS are also typically taken in pill form, rather than as an injection like steroids.

SARMs were first discovered by a scientist working on pioneering treatments for prostate cancer. He identified the first SARM, andarine, which wasn't much use as a treatment for cancer, but had a remarkable effect on muscle growth.

The drug has since become popular with gym-goers who want to build muscle and lose fat, and typically sells for £40 for 60 pills. However, the Food Standards Agency warns that ‘placing them on the market in the UK is a criminal offence’.

Speaking to Men's Health earlier this year, Allan, a 37-year-old personal trainer, said he started taking SARMs after he started noticing YouTubers he respected recommending them. However, when he started taking ostarine, which he’d seen described as one of the mildest SARMs, he almost immediately felt more anxious and was overcome by a sense of unease.

‘After a few days this anxiety was constant,’ he said. ‘After just over two weeks, that's when I was like, this isn’t for me.’

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