Steroids Use: Are they worth it?

Commonly known as juice or roids, They are similar to natural hormones that are present in your body naturally. Our bodies naturally create these steroids that help in supporting different functions like fighting stress and promoting development and growth.

People use a variety of steroids. It is rather common among those who are into fitness and bodybuilding. They come in the form of creams, gels, steroid pills, and injections.

Gym goers and those into bodybuilding are of the idea that it could play a key role in boosting their appearance as well as performance.

The most popular form of steroids is anabolic steroids. They are the artificially produced hormones that are almost identical to androgens, the male-type sex hormones in the body. More than 100 variations of anabolic  exist in the market.

Testosterone is the most powerful androgen. And although it is mainly a male hormone, it is found in women too, but in small amounts. Testosterone plays an important role in building muscles and also helps in promoting the masculine traits boys develop when they hit puberty.

This includes body hair and voice deepening and often, acne as well. Other steroids, which are called steroidal supplements contain DHEA and/or Andro. Most of them that were found at health food stores are no more legal DHEA being one of the few exceptions.

You should know that steroid supplements are weaker forms of androgen. And it is reported that when taken in large doses, they lead to impacts muck like androgens. According to research studies, they do little or nothing to boost athletic performance.

Anabolic Steroids – How do they work?

It is  trigger muscle tissue directing it to grow and bulk up when the body trains. It copies the effect of the naturally produced testosterone. These steroids can remain in the body from a few days to even a whole year.

They have become the norm nowadays as they help in improving muscle mass, stamina, and strength.

The Risks of Steroids

Here are a few side effects of anabolic steroids:

• Acne
• Aggression
• Greater risk of muscle and tendon injuries
• High blood pressure
• Weight gain
• Mood swings
• Problems sleeping
• Premature balding or hair loss
• Jaundice and liver damage
• Risk of blood clots and heart disease
• Risk of cancer
• Stunted growth

For Men

• These are some of the risk men might face while using anabolic steroids:
• Pain or discomfort while urinating
• Development of breast
• Impotence
• Infertility or reduced sperm count
• Shrinkage of testicles

For Women

• These are the risks that are associated with women’s usage of anabolic steroids:
• Increased body and facial hair growth
• Change in the menstrual cycle
• Clitoris enlargement
• Male trait development like loss of feminine characteristics, deepening of the voice, and breast shrinkage.

Psychological Problems

Apart from the evident physical changes, it lead to serious psychological side effects as well. Some of the users might develop aggressive tendencies and become combative even.

They can even have delusions and have extreme feelings of fear and mistrust. Those who become addicted to steroid use are more likely to get into drugs like cocaine or become alcoholics.

Stacking and Addiction

The preferred means of taking it is stacking. Some cycle their doses. What they do is that they take multiple doses of steroids over a certain period and then begin again. Taking two or more different anabolic  is called stacking.

Some steroid users pyramid their steroids that begin with a low dose and then gradually get increased. Then, the frequency and amount of steroids also increase to complete a cycle. The idea is that stacking it help with the impact of each drug.

So, if you are a beginner, then certainly you would have found this article informative. But everybody is different and so are the steroids. What works for someone else may or may not be the best option for you. So be careful and choose wisely. You can consult both your trainer and doctor regarding this.