Greek Weightlifters Test Positive for Anabolic Steroid Methyltrienolone

Eleven of the fourteen members of the Greek National Weightlifting Team have tested positve for the anabolic steroid methyltrienolone. Both samples A and B were positive for the steroid. This will likely result in the expulsion of the entire Greek Weightlifting Team from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Methyltrienolone is a very toxic oral anabolic steroid. However, reports by the Athens News that methytrienolone killed 200 bodybuilders in the 1960s are ludicrous. Researchers at the University of Bonn (Germany) blocked its commercial release in 1966 due to its high hepatotoxicity (liver toxicity). Professor Demetrios Kouretas (Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology at the University of Thessaly) told MESO-Rx he worked with the toxic steroid methyltrienolone as part of his postdoctoral thesis at the University of Harvard.

I remember when I was working with R1881( methyltrienolone) at Harvard in 1990, we were very particular with handling R1881 due to its lipophilicity and easy diffusion throught the skin. And you may think that when you work with steroids you must be very careful.

Steroid experts William Llewellyn (Molecular Nutrition) and Patrick Arnold (Ergopharm) have each called methyltrienolone one of the “most powerful” anabolic steroids ever created.

Arnold has told the MESO-Rx that several athletes used methyltrienolone in the 1990s and were able to successfully pass doping controls looking for methyltrienolone due to the very small quantities of the steroid required for performance enhancing effects. He was somewhat surprised that methyltrienolone was detected by drug testers in the Greek Weightlifting steroid scandal suggesting anti-doping tests have improved for the substance.

Patrick Arnold is organic chemist who developed the once undetectable anabolic steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) for BALCO. THG is a modified form of methyltrienolone.

About the author

Millard

MESO-Rx | Website

Millard writes about anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs and their use and impact in sport and society. He discusses the medical and non-medical uses of anabolic-androgenic steroids while advocating a harm reduction approach to steroid education.