We hear a lot about steroid use in human athletes. Are steroids used in racehorses?
Dr. Waterman: First, it is important to understand that there are two distinct types of steroids. Corticosteroids (prednisone, dexamethasone, etc.) are generally used to relieve inflammation. They are commonly used to treat inflammation in joints and in the airways of racehorses. The second type of steroids is anabolic steroids. They are used primarily by veterinarians to keep horses eating and training aggressively. They also are used to replace hormones lost in male horses after being castrated.
