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Anabolic Steroids
Mar
What are Anabolic Steriods
Anabolic steroids are synthetic, or human-made, variations of the male sex hormone testosterone. The proper term for these compounds is anabolic-androgenic steroids. “Anabolic” refers to muscle building, and “androgenic” refers to increased male sex characteristics. Some common names for anabolic steroids are Gear, Juice, Roids, and Stackers.
What are anabolic steroids used for?
Health care providers use anabolic steroids to treat some hormone problems in men, delayed puberty, and muscle loss from some diseases. But some people misuse anabolic steroids.
Why do people misuse anabolic steroids?
Some bodybuilders and athletes use anabolic steroids to build muscles and improve athletic performance. They may take the steroids orally, inject them into muscles, or apply them to the skin as a gel or cream. These doses may be 10 to 100 times higher than doses used to treat medical conditions. Using them this way, without a prescription from a health care provider, is not legal or safe.
What are the health effects of misusing anabolic steroids?
Misuse of anabolic steroids, especially over a long period of time, has been linked to many health problems, including
- Acne
- Stunted growth in teens
- High blood pressure
- Changes in cholesterol
- Heart problems, including heart attack
- Liver disease, including cancer
- Kidney damage
- Aggressive behavior
In men, it can also cause
- Baldness
- Breast growth
- Low sperm count/infertility
- Shrinking of the testicles
In women, it can also cause
- Changes in your menstrual cycle (period)
- Growth of body and facial hair
- Male-pattern baldness
- Voice deepening
Are anabolic steroids addictive?
Even though they don’t cause a high, anabolic steroids can be addictive. You can have withdrawal symptoms if you stop using them, including
- Fatigue
- Restlessness
- Loss of appetite
- Sleep problems
- Decreased sex drive
- Steroid cravings
- Depression, which can sometimes be serious and even lead to suicide attempts
Behavioral therapy and medicines can be helpful in treating anabolic steroid addiction.
How do people use them?
Continuous use of AASs can lead to problems such as tolerance. They may even cause the body to stop producing its own testosterone.
Some people use AASs continuously, but others try to minimize their possible adverse effects through different patterns of use.
Cycling: The person takes AASs in cycles of 6 to 12 weeks trusted Source (known as the “on” period), followed by 4 weeks to several months off.
Stacking: Users combine severalTrusted Source different types of steroids or incorporate other supplements in an attempt to maximize the effectiveness of the steroids. This is called “stacking.”
Pyramiding: Some users gradually increase the dose to a peak, then reduce the amount.
However, there is no evidence that these methods reduce the risks.
Types
There are up to 32 types of anabolic steroid listed on commercial websites.
Some have only medicinal uses, such as Nebido. Anadrol is an example of a steroid with both medicinal and performance uses.
Others, such as anadur, have no therapeutic use, but athletes use them.
People choose different types for different purposes:
- bulking steroids for building muscle
- performance steroids for strength and endurance
- cutting steroids for burning fat
Other reasons for use include healing and recovery and enhancement of metabolism.
For both medical and illegal purposes, AASs can be taken:
- by mouth
- as pellets implanted under the skin
- by injection
- through the skin as a cream or gel
Oral forms are taken by mouth. They include:
- Fluoxymesterone (Halotestin), or “Halo”
- Mesterolone (Proviron)
- Methandienone (Dianabol), or “Dbol”
- Methyltestosterone (Virilon)
- Mibolerone (Cheque)
- Oxandrolone (Anavar, Oxandrin), or “Var”
- Oxymetholone (Anadrol), or “Drol”
- Stanozolol (Winstrol), or “Winny”
Injectable forms include:
- Boldenone undecylenate (Equipoise), or “EQ”
- Methenolone enanthate (Primobolan), or “Primo”
- Nandrolone decanoate (Deca Durabolin), or “Deca”
- Nandrolone phenpropionate (Durabolin), or “NPP”
- Testosterone cypionate (Depotest)
- Testosterone enanthate (Andro-Estro)
- Testosterone propionate (Testex)
- Trenbolone acetate (Finajet), or “Tren”
AASs travel through the bloodstream to the muscle tissue, where they bind to an androgen receptor. The drug can subsequently interact with the cell’s DNA and stimulate the protein synthesis process that promotes cell growth.
