Many Thai pharmacies openly display vials of steroids on their shop-front windows. One such outlet in South Pattaya on 2nd Road is well known among amateur bodybuilders. Its staff offer up a visual catalogue of different forms of the drugs and talk customers through the process of bulking up.

Some pharmacy owners even offer delivery and shipping services. But it is not always easy to know what you’re getting. And many of the imported drugs are not genuine. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that steroids have wide-ranging and often irreversible side effects for both men and women, including breast growth in females, baldness in males, low sperm count and acne.

Those who buy from the illegal outlets in Thailand are not just risking their health – but also facing prosecution back home. In Australia, for example, steroids are illegal and possession of the drug can result in a fine or jail term. But despite the risk of prosecution, Australians are flocking to Thailand in search of the performance-enhancing drug. In a two-week investigation Fairfax Media found pharmacies in Bangkok and Pattaya sell some brands of steroids for 10 times less than what they cost in Australia.

A former professional bodybuilder, Tim Ward, explains that it is common for Aussies to take a holiday in Thailand to “cycle” _ taking combinations of the drugs every 48 to 72 hours until they’ve built up enough muscle mass. But Mr Shavershian’s death highlighted the dangerous, if not deadly, side of this practice. Steroids Thailand