Q: A buddy of mine claims that 50 percent of all pros are taking Nubain pre-contest. Why do they take Nubain? I was always of the mind that it caused water retention and that it weakened training sessions and caused digestion problems. Does it have good effects on muscle appearance or on cuts?

A: I have to say that I am glad we are addressing this. In the 90s everyone thought Nubain suppressed the release of cortisol. Cortisol is not the friend of the bodybuilding, and is fat producing and muscle wasting. So, it made sense. But when people found out that that was absolutely false, and then became addicts and outright junkies, doing a lot of ugly things to get their next fix - uglier things than the worst you’ve heard about procuring steroids - no one had any legitimate reason to use it.

This stuff is strong and prescribed for cancer and chronic pain patients. It is an agonist/antagonist opioid drug that somewhat dulls the high and is a little less addictive. But all that means is that it takes longer to realize, “Oh crap, I’m hooked and can’t get off of this by myself!” Bodybuilders whom we all know, like Titus, Prince and Cormier have had a TON of trouble in their lives using it. Nubain is a hydrocarbon with 3 fused rings of a 6-6-6 configuration.  Steroids (like testosterone) are terpenoid lipids arranged in a 6-6-6-5 configuration, so Nubain provides the base for these lipids.  Many think that these building blocks are already in your system and that putting Nubain in will cause your body to manufacture more steroids itself. Ummm, no evidence. Bottom line, if your life revolves around finding narcotic fixes, winning your next stage show is the least of your worries. People do use it to come back from injuries, but this is just a prescription for more injury. Don’t touch it.

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