What Steroids Do to a Body

What Steroids Do To a Body

To try to achieve the muscular look, some people use anabolic steroids, a synthetic version of the male hormone, testosterone. Anabolic steroids are drugs with many dangerous side effects

Psychological Side Effects of Steroids

·  edginess, impatience, paranoid feelings

·  severe mood swings including depression

·  obsession with body image, having to work out, and food

·  angry and violent outbursts known as "roid rage"

General Physical Side Effects of Steroids

·  liver damage

·  kidney damage

·  increased blood pressure and cholesterol (risk for heart disease)

·  depressed immune system (risk for infections)

·  headache and stomach ache

·  nosebleeds

·  severe facial and body acne

·  decreased joint flexibility

Additional Physical Side Effects of Steroids

In men:

·  breast enlargement

·  shrunken testicles

·  lowered sperm count

·  increased sex drive

·  decreased sexual performance - difficulty getting and maintaining erections

In women:

·  growth of facial and body hair

·  male pattern balding

·  evelopment of Adam's apple

·  deepening of voice

·  enlargement of clitoris

·  abnormal or absent menstrual period

·  infertility

In teens:

·  stunted growth due to early closure of the growth centres in long bones

·  severe acne

Is It Worth the Risk? Get All the Facts...

·  The side effects of steroids can be dangerous and permanent.

·  Your genetic makeup has a major role to play in your body shape and size. That's a fact even steroids can't change.

·  Anabolic steroids for the purpose of bodybuilding can only be obtained on the black market. Much of this supply is impure or unclean. Vials and needles are often shared.

·  Injection of steroids means increased risk of AIDS, and other diseases such as hepatitis.

Do You Know... Anabolic Steroids

Generic and trade names: oxymotholone (Anadrol®), methandrostenolone (Dianobol®), stanozolol (Winstrol®), nandrolone decanoate (Deca-Durabolin®), testosterone cypionate (Depo-Testosterone®), boldenone undecylenate (Equipoise®) and others
Street names: the juice, the white stuff, roids

What are they? Many kinds of steroids occur naturally in various hormones and vitamins. Drugs known as “anabolic steroids” are made in laboratories and have the same chemical structure as the steroids found in the male sex hormone, testosterone. The musclebuilding (anabolic) and masculinizing (androgenic) effects of these drugs make them appealing to athletes and bodybuilders.

Anabolic steroids have few medical uses. Their primary use is to promote weight gain and muscle development in farm animals. They are rarely prescribed to humans; however, they are sometimes used to treat delayed puberty, some types of impotence, and wasting of the body caused by AIDS and other diseases.

Steroidal “supplements,” such as dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), are converted into testosterone or a similar compound in the body. Although little research has been done on steroidal supplements, if taken in large quantities, they likely produce the same effects, and the same side-effects, as anabolic steroids. DHEA is not available in Canada, but is sold in health food stores and on the Internet in the United States.

Where do steroids come from? Anabolic steroids manufactured by pharmaceutical companies are available legally only by prescription. Most steroids used by athletes are smuggled, stolen or made in clandestine laboratories. Veterinary drugs are often used.

Although trafficking these drugs is illegal, the penalities imposed tend to be minor. Possession of steroids is legal.

What do steroids look like, and how are they used? Anabolic steroids come in the form of tablets, capsules, a solution for injection and a cream or gel to rub into the skin. Weightlifters and bodybuilders who use steroids often take doses that are up to 100 times greater than those used to treat medical conditions.

Regimented methods of taking steroids are believed to enhance the effects of these drugs and lessen harm to the body. However, there is no scientific evidence to back up these claims. Such methods include the following:

·  Cycling: a period of taking and then not taking the drugs in the belief that the drug-free cycle allows the body to recover normal hormone levels

·  Pyramiding: taking doses in cycles of six to 12 weeks, starting with a low dose, then slowly increasing it, and then decreasing the amount to zero, believing this allows the body time to adjust to the high doses

·  Stacking: taking two or more types of steroids, mixing oral and injectable forms, believing the different drugs interact to have greater effect.

Who uses steroids? Most non-medical use of steroids is by athletes who believe that these drugs will help them to win, and by bodybuilders and young men who think they will look better with bigger muscles.

People who use steroids to improve athletic performance and build muscles are mostly men; however, the highest increase in use is among young women. U.S. studies have also noted a disturbing increase in use among adolescents concerned about body image. Some people take steroids because they have a disorted body image where they believe their muscles are small or that they have too much body fat, even when they are lean and muscular.

Steroid use has also been found among people with a history of abuse or assault who wish to build muscles in order to protect themselves better. Steroid use is banned by the International Olympic Committee and many other amateur and professional sports organizations. But because drug testing is costly, tests of professional athletes are generally “random,” and are often preceded by a warning. Regular mandatory testing is standard only at the international level of competition.

Successful prevention of steroid abuse focuses on teaching people about how to refuse drugs and about other ways to build muscle bulk and strength.

How do steroids make you feel? Steroids can produce a variety of psychological effects ranging from euphoria to hostility. Some people who take steroids say the drugs make them feel powerful and energetic. However, steroids are also known to increase irritability, anxiety and aggression and cause mood swings, manic symptoms and paranoia, particularly when taken in high doses.

Variations in how people respond to steroids may be due in part to individual differences, or depend on which type of steroid was taken. Scientific understanding of the effects of non-medical anabolic steroid use is limited.

High doses, especially when taken orally, causenausea, vomiting and gastric irritation. Other effects include fluid retention and trembling.

Are steroids dangerous? Yes. Taking high doses of steroids increases risk of

·  enlargement and abnormalities of the heart, blood clots, high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke. Steroid-related heart failure has occurred in athletes younger than 30.

·  aggression and violence (“roid rage”), negative personality change, mania and depression, which may lead to suicide. Depression may persist for a year after drug use is stopped.

·  hepatitis, liver enlargement and liver cancer

·  reduced fertility in both women and men

·  tendon ruptures, cessation of growth in adolescents

·  hepatitis or HIV if steroids are injected using shared needles, and infections if steroids are injected with dirty needles.

Are steroids addictive? Yes, they can be.

Addiction to steroids differs from many other drugs in that tolerance to the effects does not develop. However, some people who abuse steroids meet criteria for drug dependence in that they

·  continue to take steroids, even when they experience negative physical or emotional effects

·  spend large amounts of time and money obtaining the drugs

·  experience withdrawal symptoms such as mood swings, fatigue, restlessness, depression, loss of appetite, insomnia, reduced sex drive and the desire to take more steroids.

What are the long-term effects of taking steroids? Some of the effects of steroids disappear when drug use is stopped, but others are permanent. The effects of long-term use include:

·  acne, cysts, oily hair and skin, and thinning scalp hair in both sexes

·  feminization in men, including permanent breast development

·  testicle shrinking, difficulty or pain urinating and increased risk of prostate cancer in men

·  masculinization in women, including breast size and body fat reduction, coarsening of the skin, enlargement of the clitoris, deepening of the voice, excessive growth of body hair, loss of scalp hair and changes or cessation of the menstrual cycle; with long-term use, some of these effects may be permanent

·  in children or adolescents, the high levels of testosterone stop bone growth, preventing them from ever growing to full height

·  aggression and violence; personality changes revert when drug use is stopped.

What Are Steroids?

Steroids, sometimes referred to as roids, juice, hype, weight trainers, gym candy, arnolds, stackers, or pumpers, are the same as, or similar to, certain hormones in the body. The body produces steroids naturally to support such functions as fighting stress and promoting growth and development. But some people use steroid pills, gels, creams, or injections because they think steroids can improve their sports performance or the way they look.

Anabolic steroids are artificially produced hormones that are the same as, or similar to, androgens, the male-type sex hormones in the body. There are more than 100 variations of anabolic steroids. The most powerful androgen is testosterone (pronounced: tess-toss-tuh-rone). Although testosterone is mainly a mature male hormone, girls' bodies produce smaller amounts. Testosterone promotes the masculine traits that guys develop during puberty, such as deepening of the voice and growth of body hair. Testosterone levels can also affect how aggressive a person is.

Athletes sometimes take anabolic steroids because of their testosterone-like effects.

Another group of steroids, sometimes called steroidal supplements, contains dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and/or androstenedione (also known as andro). For the most part, steroidal supplements, which used to be found at health food stores or gyms, are now illegal and require a prescription. DHEA is one of the few exceptions and can still be bought over the counter.

Steroid supplements are weaker forms of androgen. Their effects aren't well known, but it's thought that, when taken in large doses, they cause effects similar to other androgens like testosterone. Here's what is known about steroidal supplements: Companies that manufacture them often use false claims and very little is known about the long-term effects some of these substances have on the body. That’s one reason why the government took action to protect citizens by passing laws controlling steroid distribution.

How Do Anabolic Steroids Work?

Anabolic steroids stimulate muscle tissue to grow and "bulk up" in response to training by mimicking the effect of naturally produced testosterone on the body. Anabolic steroids can remain in the body anywhere from a couple of days to about a year. Steroids have become popular because they may improve endurance, strength, and muscle mass. However, research has not shown that steroids improve skill, agility, or athletic performance.

Dangers of Steroids

Anabolic steroids cause many different types of problems. Some of the more serious or long-lasting side effects are:

·  premature balding or hair loss

·  dizziness

·  mood swings, including anger, aggression, and depression

·  seeing or hearing things that aren't there (hallucinations)

·  extreme feelings of mistrust or fear (paranoia)

·  problems sleeping

·  nausea and vomiting

·  trembling

·  high blood pressure that can damage the heart or blood vessels over time

·  aching joints

·  greater chance of injuring muscles and tendons

·  jaundice or yellowing of the skin; liver damage

·  urinary problems

·  shortening of final adult height

·  increased risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer

Specific risks for girls associated with anabolic steroids include:

·  increased facial hair growth

·  development of masculine traits, such as deepening of the voice, and loss of feminine body characteristics, such as shrinking of the breasts

·  enlargement of the clitoris

·  menstrual cycle changes

Specific risks for guys include:

·  testicular shrinkage

·  pain when urinating

·  breast development

·  impotence (inability to get an erection)

·  sterility (inability to have children)

Steroids can also have serious psychological side effects. Some users become aggressive or combative, developing "roid rage" — extreme, uncontrolled bouts of anger caused by long-term steroid use.

Steroid users who inject the drugs with a needle are at risk for infection with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), the virus that causes AIDS, if they share needles with other users. People who use dirty needles are also at greater risk for contracting hepatitis, a disease of the liver, or bacterial endocarditis, an infection of the inner lining of the heart.

Steroids: Stacking and Addiction

Some people combine or "stack" anabolic steroids with other drugs. Other steroid users may "pyramid" or "cycle" their steroid doses, starting with a low dose of stacked drugs and then periodically increasing and decreasing the dosage of the steroid, which users believe helps their bodies recuperate from the drugs.

Because even scientists don't understand exactly how steroids interact with each other or possibly cause reactions to other medications, it's possible that a person who stacks or cycles steroids can take a deadly combination. Emergency departments have reported cases of vomiting, tremors, dizziness, and even coma (unconsciousness) when patients were admitted after taking combinations of steroids.

A lot of people tell themselves they'll only use steroids for a season or a school year. Unfortunately, steroids can be addictive, making it hard to stop taking them.

Steroid users can spend lots of time and money trying to get the drugs. And once users stop taking steroids, they're at risk of developing irritability, paranoia, and severe depression, which may lead to suicidal thoughts or attempted suicide. Some of the long-term effects of steroids may not show up for many years. People who use steroids also appear to be at higher risk for using other drugs, such as alcohol or cocaine.

What Is Human Growth Hormone?

You may have heard of something called Human Growth Hormone, or hGH, in relation to sports supplements and maybe even related to steroids. Like steroids, hGH is only legal when prescribed by a doctor for a medical condition. Doctors prescribe hGH for people whose bodies don't naturally make enough growth hormone, a condition known as growth hormone deficiency. However, recent trends show an increase in growth hormone being abused as an athletic supplement.