WHAT ARE ANABOLIC STEROIDS ?
Anabolic steroids are synthetic substances similar to the male hormone testosterone. Doctors prescribe them to treat problems such as delayed puberty and other medical problems that cause the body to make very low amounts of testosterone. Steroids make muscles bigger and bones stronger. They also may cause puberty to start and can help some boys who have a genetic disorder to grow more normally.
Anabolic steroids may be taken as a pill, as a shot into a muscle, or as a gel or cream rubbed on the skin.
Common anabolic steroid medicines include fluoxymesterone (such as Halotestin) and nandrolone (such as Durabolin). In the United States, you need a prescription to get any anabolic steroid. Illegal anabolic steroids are those that people get without a doctor's prescription.
Some people take legal dietary supplements that have certain steroid hormones also made by the human body. One such supplement is dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). The body can turn DHEA into other steroid hormones, including testosterone, estrogen, and cortisol. People use it to try to make their muscles bigger. Whether such products actually work has not been proved. But if you take them in large amounts, they can cause the same side effects as anabolic steroids.
FACTS; THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF STEROIDS PRODUCED BY THE BODY
Catabolic steroids or glucocorticoids are part of the body's response to stress. The word catabolic comes from the Greek word meaning to "throw down," and these steroids help break down large chemicals into smaller ones. For example, cortisol helps glycogen (a large molecule that is stored in the liver) metabolize into glucose, a small molecule that can be used for energy by the body. Cortisol naturally is manufactured in the adrenal glands and is required for many of the basic functions of the body, including glucose metabolism, the immune response to infection, and protein, fat, and carbohydrate metabolism. Prescription medications, such as prednisone, hydrocortisone, and dexamethasone, are examples of steroids that are used to reduce inflammation and treat a range of illnesses from asthma and COPD to rheumatoid arthritis and allergic reactions.
Anabolic androgenic steroids are steroids that mimic testosterone in the body. Anabolic refers to the properties of these drugs to increase production of proteins that act as building blocks for muscle cells, bone, and other tissues within the body. The androgenic response (andro=male + genic=formation) describes the increased male features (secondary sexual characteristics) that occur as a result of androgenic steroids, including facial, body, and pubic hair, deepened voice, and increased sex drive or libido. The medical indications for these medications are inadequate testosterone production in the body, either because of inborn errors of metabolism or because of illnesses that decrease production. Some physicians believe that decreased testosterone that occurs normally with aging is an indication for replacement therapy with anabolic steroids, but their use in otherwise healthy older patients is still controversial because of the potential serious side effects.
There are many different types of anabolic steroids that have been manufactured over the past decades. The goal of the chemists is to promote the anabolic effect of the drug while decreasing the androgenic effects that are most often associated with potential side effects that can be life threatening. Examples of anabolic steroids include the following:
Testosterone
Androstenedione
Stanozolol
Durabolin
Dianabol
Nandrolone
WHY PEOPLE ABUSE ANABOLIC STEROIDS
People abuse steroids for a variety of reasons, but most do it to increase body performance and appearance. There may be peer pressure to use anabolic steroids in some sports because of a fear that normal training will not be enough to succeed. There is also the perception that other athletes are abusing steroids and gaining an unfair advantage.
People who use steroids to enhance their appearance by increasing muscle and decreasing fat may suffer from muscle dysmorphia or abnormal perception of their own body. Males may think that they are perpetually too small and weak, and females may think themselves fat, even though that perception may not be actually true.
Body builders and weight lifters are not the only athletes to think that anabolic steroid use is their road to success. Athletes, from strength sports like football and throwing the discus to speed sports like track sprinters and speed skaters, have attempted to use steroids to enhance performance and increase the efficiency of their training.
see how to get ripped 6 pack abs without steroids.
WHAT ARE THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF ANABOLIC STEROID USE
Hormonal system
Steroid abuse disrupts the normal production of hormones in the body, causing both reversible and irreversible changes. Changes that can be reversed include reduced sperm production (low sperm count ) and shrinking of the testicles (testicular atrophy). Irreversible changes include male-pattern baldness and breast development (gynecomastia) in men. In one study of male bodybuilders, more than half had testicular atrophy and/or gynecomastia.
In the female body, anabolic steroids cause masculinization. Breast size and body fat decrease, the skin becomes coarse, the clitoris enlarges, and the voice deepens. Women may experience excessive growth of body hair but lose scalp hair. With continued administration of steroids, some of these effects become irreversible.
Musculoskeletal system
Rising levels of testosterone and other sex hormones normally trigger the growth spurt that occurs during puberty and adolescence and provide the signals to stop growth as well. When a child or adolescent takes anabolic steroids, the resulting artificially high sex hormone levels can prematurely signal the bones to stop growing.
Cardiovascular system
Steroid abuse has been associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including heart attacks and strokes, even in athletes younger than 30. Steroids contribute to the development of CVD, partly by changing the levels of lipoproteins that carry cholesterol in the blood. Steroids, particularly oral steroids, increase the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and decrease the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). High LDL and low HDL levels increase the risk of atherosclerosis, a condition in which fatty substances are deposited inside arteries and disrupt blood flow. If blood is prevented from reaching the heart, the result can be a heart attack. If blood is prevented from reaching the brain, the result can be a stroke.
Steroids also increase the risk that blood clots will form in blood vessels, potentially disrupting blood flow and damaging the heart muscle so that it does not pump blood effectively.
Liver
Steroid abuse has been associated with liver tumors and a rare condition called peliosis hepatis, in which blood-filled cysts form in the liver. Both the tumors and the cysts can rupture, causing internal bleeding.
Skin
Steroid abuse can cause acne, cysts, and oily hair and skin,yellowing of the skin,skin cancers.
Eye
Steroids can sometimes cause cataracts or glaucoma or worsen these conditions if they are already present.
Infections
Many abusers who inject anabolic steroids may use nonsterile injection techniques or share contaminated needles with other abusers. In addition, some steroid preparations are manufactured illegally under nonsterile conditions. These factors put abusers at risk for acquiring lifethreatening viral infections, such as HIV and hepatitis B and C. Abusers also can develop endocarditis, a bacterial infection that causes a potentially fatal inflammation of the inner lining of the heart. Bacterial infections also can cause pain and abscess formation at injection sites.
What effects do anabolic steroids have on behavior?
Case reports and small studies indicate that anabolic steroids, when used in high doses, increase irritability and aggression. Some steroid abusers report that they have committed aggressive acts, such as physical fighting or armed robbery, theft, vandalism, or burglary. Abusers who have committed aggressive acts or property crimes generally report that they engage in these behaviors more often when they take steroids than when they are drug free. A recent study suggests that the mood and behavioral effects seen during anabolic-androgenic steroid abuse may result from secondary hormonal changes.
Anabolic steroids are synthetic substances similar to the male hormone testosterone. Doctors prescribe them to treat problems such as delayed puberty and other medical problems that cause the body to make very low amounts of testosterone. Steroids make muscles bigger and bones stronger. They also may cause puberty to start and can help some boys who have a genetic disorder to grow more normally.
Anabolic steroids may be taken as a pill, as a shot into a muscle, or as a gel or cream rubbed on the skin.
Common anabolic steroid medicines include fluoxymesterone (such as Halotestin) and nandrolone (such as Durabolin). In the United States, you need a prescription to get any anabolic steroid. Illegal anabolic steroids are those that people get without a doctor's prescription.
Some people take legal dietary supplements that have certain steroid hormones also made by the human body. One such supplement is dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). The body can turn DHEA into other steroid hormones, including testosterone, estrogen, and cortisol. People use it to try to make their muscles bigger. Whether such products actually work has not been proved. But if you take them in large amounts, they can cause the same side effects as anabolic steroids.
FACTS; THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF STEROIDS PRODUCED BY THE BODY
Catabolic steroids or glucocorticoids are part of the body's response to stress. The word catabolic comes from the Greek word meaning to "throw down," and these steroids help break down large chemicals into smaller ones. For example, cortisol helps glycogen (a large molecule that is stored in the liver) metabolize into glucose, a small molecule that can be used for energy by the body. Cortisol naturally is manufactured in the adrenal glands and is required for many of the basic functions of the body, including glucose metabolism, the immune response to infection, and protein, fat, and carbohydrate metabolism. Prescription medications, such as prednisone, hydrocortisone, and dexamethasone, are examples of steroids that are used to reduce inflammation and treat a range of illnesses from asthma and COPD to rheumatoid arthritis and allergic reactions.
Anabolic androgenic steroids are steroids that mimic testosterone in the body. Anabolic refers to the properties of these drugs to increase production of proteins that act as building blocks for muscle cells, bone, and other tissues within the body. The androgenic response (andro=male + genic=formation) describes the increased male features (secondary sexual characteristics) that occur as a result of androgenic steroids, including facial, body, and pubic hair, deepened voice, and increased sex drive or libido. The medical indications for these medications are inadequate testosterone production in the body, either because of inborn errors of metabolism or because of illnesses that decrease production. Some physicians believe that decreased testosterone that occurs normally with aging is an indication for replacement therapy with anabolic steroids, but their use in otherwise healthy older patients is still controversial because of the potential serious side effects.
There are many different types of anabolic steroids that have been manufactured over the past decades. The goal of the chemists is to promote the anabolic effect of the drug while decreasing the androgenic effects that are most often associated with potential side effects that can be life threatening. Examples of anabolic steroids include the following:
Testosterone
Androstenedione
Stanozolol
Durabolin
Dianabol
Nandrolone
WHY PEOPLE ABUSE ANABOLIC STEROIDS
People abuse steroids for a variety of reasons, but most do it to increase body performance and appearance. There may be peer pressure to use anabolic steroids in some sports because of a fear that normal training will not be enough to succeed. There is also the perception that other athletes are abusing steroids and gaining an unfair advantage.
People who use steroids to enhance their appearance by increasing muscle and decreasing fat may suffer from muscle dysmorphia or abnormal perception of their own body. Males may think that they are perpetually too small and weak, and females may think themselves fat, even though that perception may not be actually true.
Body builders and weight lifters are not the only athletes to think that anabolic steroid use is their road to success. Athletes, from strength sports like football and throwing the discus to speed sports like track sprinters and speed skaters, have attempted to use steroids to enhance performance and increase the efficiency of their training.
see how to get ripped 6 pack abs without steroids.
WHAT ARE THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF ANABOLIC STEROID USE
Hormonal system
Steroid abuse disrupts the normal production of hormones in the body, causing both reversible and irreversible changes. Changes that can be reversed include reduced sperm production (low sperm count ) and shrinking of the testicles (testicular atrophy). Irreversible changes include male-pattern baldness and breast development (gynecomastia) in men. In one study of male bodybuilders, more than half had testicular atrophy and/or gynecomastia.
In the female body, anabolic steroids cause masculinization. Breast size and body fat decrease, the skin becomes coarse, the clitoris enlarges, and the voice deepens. Women may experience excessive growth of body hair but lose scalp hair. With continued administration of steroids, some of these effects become irreversible.
Musculoskeletal system
Rising levels of testosterone and other sex hormones normally trigger the growth spurt that occurs during puberty and adolescence and provide the signals to stop growth as well. When a child or adolescent takes anabolic steroids, the resulting artificially high sex hormone levels can prematurely signal the bones to stop growing.
Cardiovascular system
Steroid abuse has been associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including heart attacks and strokes, even in athletes younger than 30. Steroids contribute to the development of CVD, partly by changing the levels of lipoproteins that carry cholesterol in the blood. Steroids, particularly oral steroids, increase the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and decrease the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). High LDL and low HDL levels increase the risk of atherosclerosis, a condition in which fatty substances are deposited inside arteries and disrupt blood flow. If blood is prevented from reaching the heart, the result can be a heart attack. If blood is prevented from reaching the brain, the result can be a stroke.
Steroids also increase the risk that blood clots will form in blood vessels, potentially disrupting blood flow and damaging the heart muscle so that it does not pump blood effectively.
Liver
Steroid abuse has been associated with liver tumors and a rare condition called peliosis hepatis, in which blood-filled cysts form in the liver. Both the tumors and the cysts can rupture, causing internal bleeding.
Skin
Steroid abuse can cause acne, cysts, and oily hair and skin,yellowing of the skin,skin cancers.
Eye
Steroids can sometimes cause cataracts or glaucoma or worsen these conditions if they are already present.
Infections
Many abusers who inject anabolic steroids may use nonsterile injection techniques or share contaminated needles with other abusers. In addition, some steroid preparations are manufactured illegally under nonsterile conditions. These factors put abusers at risk for acquiring lifethreatening viral infections, such as HIV and hepatitis B and C. Abusers also can develop endocarditis, a bacterial infection that causes a potentially fatal inflammation of the inner lining of the heart. Bacterial infections also can cause pain and abscess formation at injection sites.
What effects do anabolic steroids have on behavior?
Case reports and small studies indicate that anabolic steroids, when used in high doses, increase irritability and aggression. Some steroid abusers report that they have committed aggressive acts, such as physical fighting or armed robbery, theft, vandalism, or burglary. Abusers who have committed aggressive acts or property crimes generally report that they engage in these behaviors more often when they take steroids than when they are drug free. A recent study suggests that the mood and behavioral effects seen during anabolic-androgenic steroid abuse may result from secondary hormonal changes.
