Effects of Steroids

Side Effects of steroids Effects of Steroids Steroid Side Effects

Side Effects of Steroids

The side effects of steroids; if you’re like most people you’ve heard the horror stories and tales of grim torture and psychotic lobotomizing effects. You’ve been told anabolic androgenic steroids have been linked to heart disease and heart attacks, numerous forms of cancer, strokes and many more frightful and gruesome effects; even death. Of course, if you’re like many people, you’ve never asked one very important question; is it true? Can anabolic steroids truly rot you from the inside out; with more than six-million adults in the U.S. alone supplementing with anabolic steroids for the sole purpose of performance enhancement, if it’s true they should be dropping like flies. With this in mind, let’s get right to the point; no, the effects just mentioned are not possible; in-fact, they’re no more possible than you jumping off a building and magically having the ability to fly. Are there side effects of steroids, can anything bad actually happen? Of course, there are numerous possible side effects of steroids, but they’re largely nothing like you’ve been told, and that key word “Possible” is one that is intrinsic to such a conversation.

There are numerous possible side effects of steroids, but for the healthy adult, especially the healthy adult male they are in most all cases avoidable, and supplementation can take place without any negative outcome. You better believe it, there are risks, but such risks can be controlled when one is educated and understands exactly what the effects are, how they occur and of course, what can be done to control them. In-order to understand this, the only logical place is to start with what anabolic steroids are, and this simple foundation is often the key missing link to a proper understanding. Further, we must understand what the overall general purpose of use is, and then and only then can we begin to understand the side effects of steroids and what we can do about them.

Nature & Purpose

Anabolic androgenic steroids are synthetic hormones based on the primary male androgen Testosterone; many other naturally produced hormones play a strong role too, such as Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), but Testosterone remains primary. These are not foreign substances to the body; for example, take Testosterone, a hormone all human beings naturally produce, and this includes males and females; however, men require and naturally produce about ten times as much. Further, anabolic steroids share nothing in-common with what we traditionally label as a “Drug.” Sure, that’s how they’re labeled, but when we understand what a drug is we can easily see a strong, distinguishing difference. Drugs are substances that are used to treat a condition in the body, and anabolic androgenic steroids definitely meet this portion of the definition. Anabolic steroids are often used to treat many ailments, from muscle wasting diseases, anemia, low testosterone and Andropause and even osteoporosis, certain types of breast cancer, renal insufficiency, angioedema, and even as part of therapeutic rejuvenation plans. While true, we must look at the other part of the definition of a drug, which is a substance that causes an action or reaction that alters the body’s normal function causing an action or reaction that would otherwise be impossible; as these are substances you already produce, anabolic steroids fall short in this portion of the definition. Of course, some will argue the mere fact that they’re used to treat ailments is enough to call them drugs, but vitamins are often used to treat ailments, and no one in their right mind would call a vitamin a drug.

This brings us to the important question; why supplement, what’s the purpose? Regardless of the specific purpose, performance enhancement or in therapeutic treatment the basic premise is the same. We supplement with anabolic hormones in-order to provide more of the hormones in-order to reach a desired end. For therapeutic treatment, it could be to provide more so that the traits are enhanced to combat a condition, or it could be simply to provide more because you are no longer producing enough. For the performance enhancer, the purpose is to simply provide more so that the hormone’s traits are enhanced; there’s more of the hormone available to perform by its nature. Now that we understand these things, let’s take at the primary factors of consideration

Primary Factors

There are a few things that must be considered when looking at the side effects of steroids; you cannot merely state XYZ is a side-effect, that’s irresponsible, you must include things that revolve around age, gender, state of health, dosing and even the genetic nature of the individual. Every one of these areas plays an important role regarding the probability of incurring specific side effects; in-fact, probability is something that must be considered too. When it comes to steroidal supplementation, the probability of incurring adverse side effects is low if each of the primary factors line up properly; there can be exceptions, but such exceptions are extremely rare; let’s take a look:

Age: anabolic androgenic steroids should only be considered by adults; adolescents should not supplement with anabolic steroids. Use by adolescents is tremendously damaging to their developing androgen system; a risk that is not there for adults as their androgen system has already been fully developed. That said, adults can cause damage too, but it will take extreme and we do mean extreme supplementation to cause such damage. As for the adolescent, such damage will often be irreversible.

Sex: established above we know we must be adults if we are to consider supplementation, but sex must also be taken into consideration. Both men and woman can supplement with anabolic steroids; however, there is a greater risk for women due to virilization. Absolutely, virilization can be avoided, but it will take a sound understanding and steroidal education to do so, and as such, the right steroids in the right doses must be chosen.

Physical Health: the only way supplementation should be considered is if you are in a good state of health; if not, it should only be considered in specific forms and methods to treat very specific conditions. If you have high blood pressure or cholesterol, you should not supplement; if you have liver disease or an enlarged prostate you should not supplement.

Total Dosing: anabolic androgenic steroids hold to a strong risk to reward ratio; the more we take, often the greater the benefits; however, in many case, the more we take the greater the risk. This is not to say we can only take a miniscule amount if we are to remain safe, but there is a cutoff point, and while it can vary a little depending on the individual there are normally solid standards of safety to hold by with most steroids.

Individual Response: every last human being on earth is unique; we are all the same in many ways in-terms of our physical makeup, but we all respond to numerous things a little differently due to our genetic makeup. For example, most healthy adults can supplement without falling prey to the side effects of steroids if they supplement responsibly; however, some adults may incur problems even with responsible supplementation. This is not a concept unique to anabolic steroids, it holds true with absolutely anything and everything we put in our body from steroids to non-steroidal prescription medications, over the counter (OTC) medications and even the foods we eat.

Primary Side Effects

There are 8 possible primary side effects of steroids; 8 effects that are also 100% avoidable. If you are a healthy adult and you fall prey to any of these side effects, you did not supplement responsibly or you were not a healthy adult to begin with; there is no in-between grey area with one slight exception and we’ll note such an exception as we go along. Each of the primary side effects of steroids is listed below, along with the cause and what you can do about it.

Acne: largely dependent on genetic sensitivity to acne, and will most commonly be caused by DHT based anabolic steroids. If you are sensitive, you may need to avoid DHT based anabolic steroids, but some will also fall prey to Testosterone based. In either case, keeping your skin clean and dry at all times is important, and this means always changing your shirt if it becomes sweaty, taking an extra shower every day or even two extra showers if needed. Further, avoid applying anything to your skin that might promote oily skin.

Gynecomastia: in most cases, this will be caused by aromatizing steroids; aromatase referring to the conversion of testosterone into estrogen. As estrogen levels rise, it attaches to the receptors and gynecomastia or male-breast enlargement occurs; this condition can also be caused by progesterone based steroids in men who are sensitive to the condition, and if you have a progestin based steroid with an aromatizing nature the risk truly increases. Even so, this is one of the easiest side effects of steroids to avoid, as the use of an Aromatase Inhibitor (AI) will work every time. AI’s do exactly what they sound like they do, they inhibit the aromatase process from occurring and even reduce our body’s estrogen levels; they’ll even combat against progesterone induced gynecomastia. AI’s will be your best line of defense, but some Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERM’s) can also do the trick. SERM’s can protect you from aromatizing steroid, by binding to the receptors in the place of estrogen; however, they’re sometimes not enough. SERM’s will not prohibit aromatase or lower estrogen levels, and they will not combat progesterone induced gynecomastia.

Hair-Loss: this is the one side-effect that is 100% genetically dependent, as it is only possible in those who are pre-disposed to male-pattern baldness; if you are not predisposed, you will not lose the first hair on your head. In any case, for those who are predisposed, DHT steroids will bring the greatest risk; you were going to lose your hair any way, but such steroids can speed the process up. Other steroids like basic testosterone can also have an effect, but it will normally take large doses for extended periods of time, and will only result if there has been a testosterone to DHT conversion and a large DHT buildup as consequence. If you are predisposed, you may find the synthetic 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor Finasteride to offer you protection; you know it best by its most popular trade names Propecia and Proscar. While Finasteride will protect your hair-line, it is also a powerful androgen suppressor, that’s precisely why it works, but on this basis caution is advised. If you are concerned about your hair-line, avoiding DHT based steroids will always be your best bet.

High Blood Pressure: this will largely be dose dependent, but genetic response to specific hormones can play a role as can excess estrogen levels in the body due to aromatase. Keeping your doses reasonable will be your best protection, but living a healthy lifestyle will be beyond imperative. Clean and healthy diets along with clean and healthy living will do more to protect you than anything else. If this doesn’t work for some reason (it almost always will) you should try a different steroidal hormone that offers you a better response.

High LDL Cholesterol: this will largely be dose dependent, but genetic response to specific hormones can play a role as can excess estrogen levels in the body due to aromatase. Keeping your doses reasonable will be your best protection, but living a healthy lifestyle will be beyond imperative. Clean and healthy diets along with clean and healthy living will do more to protect you than anything else. If this doesn’t work for some reason (it almost always will) you should try a different steroidal hormone that offers you a better response.

Liver Toxicity: this is caused by the use of C17-alpha alkylated (C17-aa) anabolic steroids, which refers to a structural change at the hormones 17^th carbon position in-order for it to survive ingestion. This is a trait held by most oral anabolic steroids, there are exceptions, but it’s a rare trait for injectable steroids to hold, with one primary exception. In any case, steroids that carry this nature must or the liver would destroy most of it before it could be used by the body; unfortunately, this causes such steroids to carry a hepatotoxic nature. For this reason, C17-aa use must be done so in an extremely cautious manner or liver damage will occur. Use of such steroids must be short lived; the total duration will depend on the steroid at hand and its overall hepatotoxic nature, but it will almost always fall into the four to six week range with a few minor exceptions. In any case, your liver enzyme values will go up with use, but if your liver was healthy before hand, you did not drink excess alcohol (avoiding all alcohol is the safest bet) and you limited all OTC medication use to only when absolutely necessary you will be fine. Alcohol is tremendously stressful to the liver, and many OTC meds are just as if not more hepatotoxic than many anabolic steroids; such things must be limited. Of course, you can always avoid all C17-aa anabolic steroids and stick with the other choices and there will be no concern.

Low HDL Cholesterol: normally caused by testosterone based or steroids that carry a progestin nature. Dosing will once again play a role, but in this case, diet will be enormous. Ensuring your diet is healthy will protect you, and part of this healthy diet means consuming plenty of omega fatty acids as omega fatty acids have been shown to be tremendously HDL friendly. Further, by protecting your HDL levels, this will aid in controlling our LDL levels as HDL cholesterol plays a massive role in the regulation of LDL cholesterol.

Water Retention: an effect that is caused by excess estrogen due to aromatization, and the same AI that was used to combat gynecomastia can be used here for the same exact reasons. Of course, it’s always important to remember the best way to hold water is by overeating, especially carbohydrates, and if you have an aromatizing steroid in your body and you’re overeating you’re going to be even more sensitive. Control your diet and use an AI and you will be fine.

Men

There are three side effects of steroids that are only a concern to men; testosterone suppression, testicular atrophy and prostate enlargement. The first two are guaranteed; steroidal supplementation shuts down your natural testosterone production, and as testosterone is manufactured in the testicles they will atrophy when production comes to a halt. In order to avoid problems, such as a low testosterone condition and all the effects that come with it you must supplement with exogenous testosterone. Do this, and the form of exogenous testosterone doesn’t matter, and you won’t have a problem. Further, once all steroidal supplementation has come to an end and all the exogenous steroids have cleared your system your natural testosterone production will begin again, and your testicles will return to their normal size. It must be noted; this is assuming you did not suffer from low testosterone prior to supplementation and did not do anything during supplementation to severely damage your HPTA.

As for prostate enlargement, this is caused by a large buildup of DHT, and this means we must be cautious and responsible with our DHT based steroids. If you supplement with DHT based anabolic steroids non-stop or in high doses for far too long you will be susceptible; further, if you already had some enlargement you may have a problem. . In any case, if you do run into trouble you will need to discontinue all steroid use, and you will find the use of the synthetic 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor Finasteride to be truly useful. 6 months of Finasteride therapy has been shown to significantly reduce prostate enlargement; in many cases, completely.

Female

When females supplement with anabolic steroids, the can be susceptible to all the primary side effects of steroids discussed above based on the same factors and conditions; gynecomastia being a non-issue here. They can also be susceptible to what is referred to as virilization, which simply refers to the enhancement of masculine traits, and there are not too many females who will desire such an end. Such traits can include body-hair growth, a deepening of the vocal chords and clitoral enlargement; obviously, these effects can be very damaging to a woman’s femininity. Even so, there is hope, and this hope revolves around choosing anabolic steroids that carry low virilization ratings, and supplementing with such steroids in low doses. Most healthy adult women can supplement with such steroids without any ill-effects, but due to genetic response there will always be a few who cannot; some of us can’t take Aspirin, some of us can’t drink milk, it may not be fair but such is the nature of life. If for any reason virilization symptoms begin to show, at the onset of symptoms you should discontinue use immediately and they will fade away rapidly. At this point, remain steroid free for a time and if you desire, try a different anabolic steroid a few months later. If problems occur again, this may mean anabolic steroids are simply not for you. In any case, if symptoms begin to show and are ignored, this is where they may set in and become permanent, but supplement responsibly and most women will be fine.

Unpredictable

There are a few side effects of steroids that are largely unpredictable and will completely rest on your genetic response; however, they are only possible with a few anabolic steroids. Such effects include anxiety, insomnia, night sweats and rapid heart rate. If these side effects occur, in some cases it can mean the dosing of a particular steroid may be too high based on your genetic response, but in most cases, it will mean that steroid is not for you and you will need to find alternatives.

The Bottom Line

We definitely covered a lot of ground, but the above represents the truth; the above represents the side effects of steroids, and as you can see, safe and successful supplementation is possible. Of course, you will need to educate yourself on the particular steroids you’ll be using if you are to have ultimate success, but the above will guide you in regards to what to look for. Further, and this is an important note; if it was not mentioned, if it was not discussed it is not because we forgot; it is because it is not a side-effect of anabolic steroidal supplementation, and that’s the bottom line.