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10-24-2007, 05:49 PM
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Are Steroids Worth the Risk?
Dominic had baseball on the brain. Just being a good player wasn't enough - he wanted to be the best. He dreamed of playing pro ball someday, but he worried about the intense competition for positions on major league teams. His girlfriend, Deborah, was also a highly competitive athlete. Deborah's appearance and her performance were very important to her. She wanted to stand out and to have what she thought was the ideal body. Because of the pressure they felt to excel, Dominic and Deborah wondered whether steroids would work for them. They'd heard rumors about the bad side effects of using steroids, but they didn't have many facts. Here's the scoop on steroids.
What Are Steroids? Steroids, sometimes referred to as roids, juice, hype, weight trainers, gym candy, 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 pubertal development. Anabolic steroids are artificially produced hormones that are the same as, or similar to, androgens, the male-type sex hormones in the body. The most powerful androgen is testosterone (pronounced: teh-stoss-tuh-rone). Although testosterone is mainly a mature male hormone, girls' bodies produce smaller amounts of it as well. Testosterone promotes masculine traits that guys develop during puberty, such as deepening of the voice and the growth of body hair. Testosterone levels also can affect how aggressive a person is and how much sex drive he or she has. Athletes sometimes take anabolic steroids because of their testosterone-like effects, such as increasing muscle mass and strength. Steroids can be taken in the form of pills, powders, or injections. Another group of anabolic steroids, sometimes called steroidal supplements, contain dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and/or androstenedione (also known as andro). Steroidal supplements are often sold at health food stores or gyms. The effects of steroidal supplements aren't well known, but it's thought that, when taken in large doses, they cause effects similar to stronger anabolic steroids like testosterone. Here's what is known: companies that manufacture steroidal supplements often make claims that are false and very little is known about the long-term effects on the body of some of these substances. The term "steroids" is also used to describe some types of non-anabolic steroids, such as cortisone, which have other medical uses and are available by prescription to treat medical problems like asthma or arthritis. These steroid medications do not have the male hormone effects of androgens. 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. Steroids have become popular because they may improve endurance, strength, and muscle mass. But research has not shown that they improve skill, agility, or performance. Dangers of Steroids Anabolic steroids cause many different types of problems. Less serious side effects include acne, oily hair, purple or red spots on the body, swelling of the legs and feet, and persistent bad breath. Some of the more serious or long-lasting side effects are: premature balding 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 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 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 contracting 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. It can be impossible to tell if your friend or an athlete on your team is sick. It's not enough to take their word for it; they may not know. Sharing needles is never safe. 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 it is difficult to understand how the drugs interact, there is the possibility of taking a deadly combination. As with medications that should not be taken together, anabolic steroids have the potential for negative interactions. 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 when you want to. Steroid users may 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. Teens who use steroids may also be at greater risk for using other drugs, such as alcohol or cocaine. Some of the long-term effects of steroids may not show up for many years. Lyle Alzado, a former Los Angeles Raiders defensive lineman, believed his prolonged use of steroids and growth hormones caused the rare form of brain cancer that affected his central nervous system before he died. Alternatives to Steroids Anabolic steroids are controversial in the sports world because of all the health risks associated with them. Most are illegal and are banned by professional sports organizations and medical associations. As we know too well from the high-profile cases, if an athlete is caught using steroids, his or her career can be destroyed. When it comes right down to it, harming your body or getting disqualified aren't smart ways to try to improve your athletic performance. Being a star athlete means training the healthy way: eating the right foods, practicing, and strength training without the use of drugs. Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD Date reviewed: July 2003 
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10-24-2007, 08:39 PM
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But they are just talking about athletes. What about the average shmo like myself, that is just looking to feel and look better? When age crepes up on you, you sometimes do things that arent the norm.. So instead of a midlife crisis and me going out and buying a vette or something. I chose to better my body and mind.. Well the mind is still out.
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10-24-2007, 09:25 PM
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man, roid rage shouldnt be on there
its just people trying to justify their anger besdies most of these side effects dont even appear through a persons life time of steroid use with reasonable doses
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10-24-2007, 09:39 PM
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Stew...I completly agree with you on that! RoidRage is something that is completly controlable! I'm tired of hearing about roidrage. Yeah...it triggers aggression....blah blah blah! I know people that are at Peace and are in a much better mental state than while off. May have something to do with being able to take your aggression and center it on lifting and not on the whole world!.
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10-24-2007, 09:41 PM
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If someone is aggressive when natty, no doubt he'll be aggressive on but that's not due to the AAS IMHO. It's just who he is, that's all.
__________________
Big egos make small muscles 
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10-24-2007, 10:08 PM
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Well one thing I do since I am on more then off is have blood work done at least twice a year. I want to know if anything is weird right away so I can make adjustments rather then blindly continuing to be on if it is harming me.
Just happen to of of had blood work done last week and got the results yesterday. A quote from my doctor. Wow, your bloodwork is GREAT. Keep doing what you are doing. Get check regularly guys and gals.
__________________
The Fool says in his heart, "There is no God."
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