Steroids: Use, Effects, Danger

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In recent years the world of sports has been plagued with the issue of “doping”. The use of performance enhancing drugs has been fingered as the sole derivative of doping.

But then in reality, it is mostly non-competitive athletes who use these drugs on a regular basis, just to add up a couple of pounds and develop some packs. Body builders are somewhat familiar with anabolic steroids, because of its popularity, regardless of the numerous health risk and potential side effects.

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I recently read an interesting publication about performance enhancing drugs, which I share in this post.

It is estimated that about 3 – 4 million people, many of whom are just your average gym-heads, make use of anabolic steroids.

Due to the wide spread use of steroids; let’s take a brief look at what steroids are, and how they can affect users.

Our body has anabolic steroids already

Our body naturally produces Testosterone which is an anabolic steroid. Whether male or female, both sexes produce testosterone. Although the ovaries only produce a little amount of testosterone, the low levels of testosterone it yields, still helps in muscle building.

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Variety of steroids

Steroids are a class of chemicals with a unique structure which has a series of four rings. There are several hundreds of steroids and they all perform varying degree of biological processes in the body.

• Anabolic Steroids – These are steroids that promote protein building in the body. The term “anabolic” means “to build up”.

Other forms of steroids also exist, such as;

• Progesterone steroids – These are steroids which instead of promoting protein production, rather regulate the female reproductive system.

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Steroids as Medical Treatment

Steroids have various importance, even though its anabolics are often used by sport cheats, steroids often have various medical importance and uses.

• Patients are sometimes given steroids to ameliorate the effects of diseases like cancer and HIV/AIDS which cause the body to waste and deteriorate.
• Steroid supplements can also be administered to people who medically need to gain crucial muscle mass
• Steroids can also be used for kids who are extremely late in attaining puberty.
• Adults who do not produce sufficient testosterone naturally, are also administered steroids.
• Steroids are sometimes recommended for people who experience gender dysphoria - a condition critically affecting people who are gender-unsure. Prescribed steroids help to induce secondary sex characteristics related to the gender that they choose to identify with.
• Anabolic steroids were popularly used to treat diseases such as osteoporosis; however better drugs are now preferred due to the side effects which have made steroids less popular

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Why are steroids bad, even when our body naturally produces them?

People try to put up comparison between steroids and other illicit substances out there, by excusing steroids to be relatively better or safer that other substances, but that does not make steroids medically safe.

Most users feel that since our body naturally produces some levels of steroids, supplementing with chemical steroids should be pretty straightforward. The problem with that line of thought however, is that the human anatomy does not obey or function on simple formulas. Also, our hormonal system doesn’t take too well to being manipulated either. Hence, the eventually side effects that occur due to the use of steroids.

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Steroids and body enhancements

A typical steroid user aims for six-packs, massive biceps and the looks of popular cinematic superheroes. Such understandable longings make people want to use steroids to add testosterone to their system and enhance themselves to look more masculine in physique.

Inducing the body with extra testosterones in the form of steroids, prompts the muscles to grow faster and also heal faster, thereby quickly and incredibly putting on mew muscles with ease. This process however, confuses and alters the body’s endocrine system.

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Side-effects of 'too much' steroids

When the body receives too much artificial testosterone, it begins to lower the production of the naturally occurring testosterone, because it assumes that it is over-producing at a high level. This results in certain effects such as;

• shrinking of the testicles (on steroids) – because the body gradually shuts down hormone production in that region.
• fertility can also drop drastically
• the confusing state of high level of testosterone inducement in the body can actually prompt the growth of breasts. This is possible because when one has a normal amount of hormones in the body, the body naturally converts some of the testosterone to estrogen, but when the testosterone levels are increased through steroid inducements, it raises the amount of estrogen in the bloodstream, and voila, breasts.

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What happens when you decide to stop taking steroids?

Sadly, even when you realize the various side-effects accompanying the use of steroids, and you decide to stop, there are still consequences of stopping. I suppose that could be “side-side-effect”.

Upon stopping the use of steroids;

• The body would not immediately re-adjust, as it no longer thinks that it has to naturally produce testosterone.
• Sex drive will drop
• Inability to get an erection
• It could take years for the body’s endocrine system to build itself back up and attempt re-adjustment
• Often times the body might not recover at all

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Athletes and steroids

Athletes that have been caught doping have been found not to use straight testosterones. The synthetic steroids which do not have direct impacts on the endocrine system have been found to be popular.

In light of the protracted doping case involving Russian Athletics, especially for the alleged state-wide-sponsored doping in Sochi back in 2014, using banned drugs; the Russian Olympic team was recently banned from the Winter Olympic Games for this year.

It was reported that the Russian Olympic team used a cocktail of three steroids: metenolone, trenbolone and oxandrolone. The first two are powerful muscle-building tools, and are strictly black-market drugs at this time. But Oxandrolone is not so powerful. It is still medically used as medication to aid patients who need to heal faster and subsequently build muscle mass. Hence, its popularity among athletes who want to benefit from its anabolic effect without the masculinizing effect.

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Are anabolic steroids really that dangerous?

The reality is yes. Even though the desire of most people is to actually grow muscle mass and build up without any side-effect, the fact however, is that altering and messing with the body’s endocrine system is not okay.

Body hormones affect so many parts of our anatomy to the extent that side effects from induced hormonal imbalance can be wide-ranging, and athletes can consequently develop serious health problems when they use steroids for long periods.

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Health challenges from 'prolonged use' of steroids

• You begin to experience abnormal swelling due to the fact that the body begins to retain water improperly.
• You tend to develop acne
• You develop stretch marks because overtime, your muscles start growing faster than your skin can cope with.
• Loss of hair on the head
• Spontaneous erections
• Nocturnal emissions
• Excessive body hair
• Disruption of menstrual cycle
• Shrinking breast
• Enlarged clitoris
• Mood swings
• Extreme aggression and irritability

Apart from these very troubling issues, which could gradually be controlled or handled once the drug intake has been stopped, other dangers associated with steroids include;

• Being prone to liver and kidney failure
• Anabolic steroids induce a higher risk of having a heart attack
• Users could also develop arrhythmias (an abnormal rhythm of the heart)
• Contracting prostrate cancer
• Poor functioning of the immune system
• Erratic insulin response, etc

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In Summary

Even as being fit, muscular and athletic-looking may feel like the thing-of-the-moment, no one would appreciate a mirror if he or she lands in a hospital after a heart seizure, liver or kidney failure, etc., due to the use of steroids.

The various ways in which the use and inducement of artificial steroids can mess with our body, is really evident via numerous research online, of which I have attempted to enunciate in this post.

This then means that the temporary increase in muscle mass and physique isn’t worth the risk.

Be health and body smart. Do not damage your actual body because of body image enhancement issues.

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Source/Reference: 1, 2, 3, 4

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Thank you for your time and for reading my post.

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