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Anabolic Steroids
What are anabolic steroids?
Testosterone was often referred to
as the "male" hormone, because it is responsible for developing some of the male
characteristics such as lowering of the voice and hair growth, and because the
male body produces much more of it than the female.
However, it is responsible for stimulating quite a few other processes in
both the male and female body, such as skin, muscle and bone. Anabolic steroids
are synthetic versions of testosterone, they are steroid hormones that are
claimed to have a greater anabolic effect than virile.
The testosterone
molecule has in different ways been altered to lessen the androgenic effects and
increase it's protein build-up abbility, and preferably eliminate it's masculine
enhancing features.
Unfortunately this has not been completely successful, so there are a lot of
different side effects with any anabolic steroid.
What is the history of steroids?
Steroids was developed in the 1940s in Germany and used experimentally on
their troops during World War II, the drugs ability to stimulate tissue growth
and protein synthesis lead them to believe that the drug might be beneficial to
treat burn victims and towards other war accidents. The drug was never such a
big success, because other drugs with fewer side effects were discovered, and
the legal use of steroids still seems to be declining.
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What are anabolic steroids legally used for?
Steroids are used for treating anaemia, because of it's abbility to increase
the production of red blood corpuscles (red blood cells). They are also used for
treatment of leukemi, cancer mammae, and at times steroids are also used for
general strengthening therapy. Steroids have also been tried in combination with
other drugs as a means of helping AIDS pasients.
Who else uses anabolic steroids?
It's no secret that athletes often use steroids to stay at the top,
unfortunately it seems as if it is not possible to dominate in some sports
without the aid of drugs like steroids.
Steroids can without doubt increase muscular growth in women and children but
there is still some dispute on whether steroids work for grown up men. Still, a
vast number of athletes and trainers are convinced that steroids causes muscular
growth and increases the body's ability to recuperate after hard training.
This might very well be true, but for these effects the doses need to be
pretty high, causing greater side effects.
What are the side effects?
Side effects that might occur:
Sterility
Liver damage and pain
Kidney damage and pain
Heart damage/problems/disease/irregularities/strokes
Hypophysis supression
High blood pressure (Hypertension)
Acne
Cancer
Shrunken testicles
Neanderthale-look, a big jaw-bone and spacing between teeth
Higher risk of injury because of strain on tendons and joints
Water retention
Baldness (male)
Prostrate enlargement
Aggressive behavior ('roid rage)
Depression
Gynecomastia (bitch tits)
Lowered sperm count
Temporarily raised sex drive when on steroids and almost eliminating it
later.
Be aware that some side effects are not reversible
Women should take even more caution using steroids since their normal levels
are only 5% of the average male's testosterone level. Women may get most of the
above mention side effects but might have more trouble with the following:
Lowering of the voice
Increased fascial and body hair growth
Reduced breast size
Acne
Genital enlargement
Menstrual cycles
What happens after you've stopped using steroids?
Well, some of the side effects of using steroids are reversible, but far
from all of them. However, once you get off steroids you might loose almost all
the gains you made while being on them.
This might be due to the fact that your body shuts down the production of
it's own testosteron when supplied with large amounts of synthetic testosteron
in the form of steroids. Some bodybuilders claim that it is possible to
kickstart your body's production of testosterone by using certain drugs after
getting off steroids.
Depression is often experienced, self esteem drops and the desire to train as
well. Sometimes people stop cycling steroids because they don't manage to get
off the drugs for a month or two.
What is the differance between oral and injectable
steroids?
Injectable steroids are longer lasting in the body, but therefore they can
be detected in your body for a longer periode of time, so athletes that are
likely to be doping tested have shifted from using injectables to orals.
The problem with orals however, aside from the fact that they are not as long
lasting, is that they put a lot of strain on the liver as they must be processed
there. Larger quantities are also needed as a lot of it is broken down before it
enters the bloodstream.
How can I tell if someone is using steroids?
If he has some of these symptoms he might be on steroids:
Rapid weight and muscle gain
Sudden mood changes and aggressive behavior
Acne, especially on the back
Trembling
Sudden increase of food consumption
What are the positive effects of steroids? Why do athletes use them?
Enhanced recuperation / Reduced recovery time
Strength increases
Reduced bodyfat
Enlarged muscle size Many of these effects are only temporary, which means
that once you get off steroids most of the gains disappear. As mentioned before
steroids causes water retention, so steroid users will gain mass very quickly,
but most of it will be water not muscles.
This will put the body through a lot of stress, loosing and gaining weight in
cycles. The more positive sides of steroids are that they seem to be able to
suppress the body's production of the stress hormone cortisol after exercise.
Cortisol is actually a muscle tissue destroyer, so by keeping the levels of
cortisol down reduces muscle damage and allows for faster recuperation. So the
steroid user might be able to train more frequent.
Another major effect of steroids is the increased stimulation of the protein
synthesis by increasing the amount of nitrogen in the body, more protein
available to the body means that the environment for muscle production is
better.
A lot of steroid users report that the steroids help them lower their body
fat levels, the reason for this is not clear, but some feel it is because of an
increased metabolic rate. Others claim that oxidation of fat is increased
because the steroids promote mitochondria growth in the cells.
What if I don't exercise, but take steroids, will I experience muscle
gains?
Yes, in fact you might experience muscle growth, but this growth will be
much less than what is achieved together with training.
Steroids will mostly
help your body to recuperate faster thus enabling you to train longer and
harder. But will also build muscles by stimulating the protein synthesis and
keeping the production of the stress hormone cortisol down.
Disclaimer: Steroid use is illegal in a vast number of countries around the
world. This is not without reason. Steroids should only be used when prescribed
by your doctor and under close supervision. Steroid use is
not to be taken lightly and we do not in any way endorse or approve of illegal drug use.
The information is provided on the same basis as all the other
information on this site, as informational/entertainment value.
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