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http://www.steroid.com/steroids_side_effects.php
Most of the time, when steroids are mentioned, theyre brought up as the reason a particular athlete can run so fast, hit so many home runs, or make so many tackles. They are also claimed to have extraordinarily harsh side effects and for causing severely unforgiving and permanent damage. Everybodys seen movies like "The Program" where steroids ruin a young athletes life, or perhaps "The Aaron Henry Story" on HBO, where a young athlete suffers lifelong problems from his steroid abuse. Most recently, I saw the movie "Spiderman" where the villain, the Green Goblin, admits to having his superhuman strength and psychotic personality from using "performance enhancers"! Im here to assure you that those types of horror stories are few and far between, and after consulting with literally hundreds of athletes and bodybuilders, I've almost never heard of anything even remotely resembling the popular "horror stories" we see in the media almost daily. Ive certainly never seen anyone become Green Goblin-like from using them, either. By reading this article, coaches, athletes, parents and teachers will learn the truth about anabolic steroid side effects, and will be able to make their own informed decisions regarding them. But I suspect that after reading what I have to say, as well as what the scientific literature says, the question of how bad steroids are will be a different question entirely; the only question remaining will be "why didnt anyone tell me this before?" When I initially started research for this piece, I consulted not only real-life athletes who had vast experience with anabolic steroid use, but also scientific and medical journals. The picture that unfolded before me was very different from the one typically painted by the mass media, and certainly much different than the one I found on www.steroidabuse.org, www.dea.org, and www.drugabuse.gov. Honestly, my research on the governmental sites revealed very little useful information. There were numerous unfounded claims, and plenty of talk about money being put into studies. In reality, the government "studies" on anabolic steroids were not medical studies at all. They were surveys given to various age groups, on steroid use, in order to generate statistics. There was nothing of medical value or scientific merit on those sites, despite the endless parade of doctors that seemed to be against their use. Heres an example of one of the more absurd claims made on one of those sites: "..[steroids] they are dangerous drugs, and when used inappropriately, they can cause a host of severe, long-lasting, and often irreversible negative health consequences. These drugs can stunt the height of growing adolescents, masculinize women, and alter sex characteristics of men. Anabolic steroids can lead to premature heart attacks, strokes, liver tumors, kidney failure and serious psychiatric problems. In addition, because steroids are often injected, users risk contracting or transmitting HIV or hepatitis.." This is the information found on a government website, in a piece written by a doctor. Im surprised she didnt mention turning into the Green Goblin in her list of possible health side effects. As you read what I have to say, I want you to keep this in the back of your head. I want you to remember this claim, made by a medical doctor, as you read the rest of this piece. All of the information here is exactly what has been reported to me by athletes, as well
as what is found in credible scientific journals. Review the information and decide for yourself how harmful steroid side effects can be.
Now, as that first chart shows, testosterone levels fell when Nandrolone (an anabolic steroid was administered, but interestingly, the following chart shows an almost identical mirror image, where the Nandrolone levels in the blood rise. What this indicates is that the amount
of this particular steroid in the blood is directly and proportionately inhibiting natural testosterone production. Heres the chart:
Most athletes who use anabolic steroids accept all of this as a necessary price to pay in order to experience the benefits from using steroids. In an effort to combat this, athletes have experimented throughout the years with various compounds to avoid or at least limit this problem. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, anti-estrogens, and Selective Estrogen Receptor Antagonists (SERMs) are all used during a cycle, or after (or both) with this goal in mind. The following table shows the various hormonal levels of former steroid users who havent used them for a year (*called "ex-abusers" by the nice people who funded the test) versus current users (*abusers):
What we see in this chart is not surprising to anyone who is actually familiar with steroids, and not with media-hype. In people studied who haven t used steroids for a year, ALL of their measured hormones (testosterone, estrogen) were within the NORMAL RANGE! Clearly, the effects that steroids have on your hormones are reversible and the horror stories weve all read in the media about people who never regained normal hormonal function after one cycle are greatly exaggerated. I think anyone who is familiar with "After School Specials" about steroids will be very surprised at learning this fact. As for "The Aaron Henry Story" on HBO, I can t imagine how he has suffered side effects well into his 40s when the steroid users in this study were totally fine after one year, and in some cases used more than he did! (*Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 84 (2003) 369-375)
removed by surgery. Most athletes experience itchiness of the nipples, followed by pain. Since this develops over several days, usually, the athlete has more than enough time to discontinue the use of the compounds hes taking, or to attempt to counteract the breast tissue development while remaining on the cycle. The two most common ways to counteract gynecomastia are the use an anti-estrogen like Nolvadex or Clomiphene Citrate (best taken post-cycle) or Letrozole, a very strong Aromatase Inhibitor (AI)/anti-estrogenic compound is employed during cycle to effectively starve the growth of nourishing estrogen. The initiation and progression of breast development involves a variety of pituitary (and ovarian, in women) hormones, as well as various local mediators. As you can see in the following chart, testosterone has the ability to aromatize (convert to estrogen), and eventually become part of the cascade of hormones that contribute to the development of breast tissue:
(GYNECOMASTIA: ETIOLOGY, DIAGNOSIS, AND TREATMENT Chapter 14 - Ronald S. Swerdloff, MD, Jason Ng, MD, and Gladys E. Palomeno, MD, March 1, 2004)
6. Roid Rage
Increased aggressiveness is often claimed to occur with anabolic steroid use. Although its highly rare (less than 5%), significant psychiatric symptoms have been found in some steroid users, including aggression and increased violence, mania, and even psychosis. However, it must be noted that in the studies performed there was no control group, making their results spurious at best. It can be logically assumed that naturally aggressive people (those with certain aggressive traits) are simply more inclined to use steroids, which further skews any research results. Can steroids enhance such aggressiveness? Possibly. Can steroids be to blame for anti-social, psychotic, "roid-rage" type of behaviors? Probably not. The evidence just isnt there to support that such theories. In fact, a landmark study was performed which examined different doses of testosterone administration on men aged 20-50, who had a variety of experience with steroids from having used them previously to not at all prior to the study. A variety of psychological tests were performed at the outset of the study as well as at the end. It was found was that no participant in the study had become violent as a result of the testosterone injections they had been receiving, although some said they felt more aggressive. This clearly indicates that there is a high level of control over possible violent or aggressive behavior that can result from steroid use. The researchers also noted that in terms of the psychological tests performed, some subjects showed little or no response to testosterone, with regards to psychological measures, while others experienced significant changes. Thus, general temperament clearly plays a large role in how one responds psychologically to steroid administration. In addition, when this study was compared with others, similar results were found:
Out of 109 cases studied, only 5 people exhibited Psychological (Manic or Hypomanic) effects. (*Archives of General Psychiatry, Volume 57, February 2000.)
really see any real problems associated with hair loss; especially since it can be avoided when proper steps are taken and certain steroids are avoided.
(Human Anatomy and Physiology, 6th Edition, John W. Hole jr., Wm. C. Brown Publishers.)
the major offenders of this seems to be Trenbolone, which turns the users urine a very dark color. This problem is alleviated when enough water is consumed daily. Also, even though I know youre probably getting sick of hearing this from me, the possibility of side effects is dependant on the dosage and type of administered compounds. Some steroids (Nandrolones) are even used to help treat people with kidney problems! So clearly, they arent as bad as theyre made out to be with regards to possible negative kidney-related side effects.
cutting cycles. Also contributing to the bloating are moderate to high levels of sodium, sugar, and synthetic sweetners like those found in diet drinks. It's true that estrogen is required for optimal muscle development, which often makes bloating is an acceptable side effect during off-season training. Thus, there are periods of training during which athletes and bodybuilders are less concerned with, and affected by bloating. However, when seconds count, success is measured in inches, and muscular presentation readiness is of great importance, bloating is often off-set in numerous ways. Firstly, the above high propensity for bloating steroids and food sources are avoided. Secondly, with regard to steroid use AIs and SERMs (anti-estrogenics explained earlier) are employed to reduce estrogenic activity, and thereby promote lean, bloat-free physiques. The third weapon against bloat used by the athlete comes in the form of diuretics which flush extra fluids from the body. Some are mild (mostly mineral & herbal), others (mostly prescription) can be harsh, but both should be used respectfully to prevent debilitating cramping which can hinder both performance and presentation. Psychological characteristics of adolescent steroid users. Burnett KF, Kleiman ME., Adolescence. 1994 Spring;29(113):81-9., Counseling Psychology Program, School of Education, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33124.