Anabolic Steroids
What treatments are effective for anabolic steroid abuse?
There have been few studies of treatments for anabolic steroid abuse. Current knowledge is based largely on the experiences of a small number of doctors who have worked with patients with symptoms of steroid withdrawal. Doctors discovered that in some cases it is sufficient supportive therapy.
Patients are instructed on what they may experience when they stop using drugs and are evaluated to detect if they have suicidal thoughts. If withdrawal symptoms are severe or prolonged, it may be necessary to use medications or hospitalization. Read the rest of this entry »
What can be done to prevent steroid abuse?
Most prevention efforts in the United States today focus on athletes participating in the Olympics and professional sports. Few school districts that perform testing for illicit drug abuse.
It is estimated that about 9 percent of secondary schools conduct some type of program to detect drug use, presumably focusing on the athletes, but less than 4 percent of high schools in the country perform specific tests to see if their athletes use steroids. Currently studies are underway to determine whether such testing reduces drug abuse. Read the rest of this entry »
Are anabolic steroids addictive?
An undetermined percentage of steroid abusers may become addicted to the drug, as evidenced by the continued use of steroids in spite of physical problems and negative effects on social relations. They also tend to waste much time and money obtaining the drugs, which is another indication that they may be addicted. Read the rest of this entry »
What effects do anabolic steroids have on behavior?
The Case reports and small studies indicate that anabolic steroids used in high doses, increase irritability and aggression. Some steroid abusers report that they have committed aggressive acts such as physical fighting, armed robbery, theft, vandalism or trespassing.
Abusers who have committed aggressive acts or property crimes generally report that they engage in these behaviors more often when they take steroids than when they are drug free. A recent study suggests that the effects on mood and behavior seen during anabólicosandrogénicos steroid abuse can result from secondary hormonal changes. Read the rest of this entry »
Anabolic Steroids: Cardiovascular System
The abuse of steroids has been associated with cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke, even in athletes younger than 30 years. Steroids contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease, partly by changing the levels of lipoproteins that carry cholesterol in the blood.
Steroids, particularly the oral types, increase the level of low density lipoprotein (LDL) and decrease the level of high density lipoprotein (HDL). High levels of LDL and low HDL levels increase the risk of atherosclerosis, a condition in which fatty substances are deposited inside arteries and disrupt blood flow. If no blood reaches the heart, the result can be a heart attack. If no blood reaches the brain, the result can be a brain attack or stroke. Read the rest of this entry »
Anabolic Steroids: Hormonal and Musculoskeletal System
Hormonal System
Steroid abuse disrupts the normal production of hormones in the body causing both reversible and irreversible. Reversible changes include reduced sperm production and shrinking of the testicles (testicular atrophy).
Among the changes are irreversible male-pattern baldness and breast development (gynecomastia) in men. In a study of male bodybuilders, more than half had testicular atrophy or gynecomastia, or both. Read the rest of this entry »
Anabolic Steroids: Consequences to Health
What are the consequences of steroid abuse to health?
The abuse of anabolic steroids has been associated with a variety of adverse side effects ranging from some who are physically unattractive as acne and breast development in men, to others that life-threatening, such as seizures heart and liver cancer. Most of these effects are reversible if the abuser stops taking the drugs, but some are permanent, such as voice deepening in women. Read the rest of this entry »
How are Anabolic Steroids Abused?
Some anabolic steroids are taken orally, others are injected intramuscularly, and others come in ointments (gels) or creams that are rubbed into the skin. Doses taken by abusers can be 10 to 100 times higher than the doses used for medical conditions.
Use “cyclical” in “lots” and “pyramids”
Steroids are often abused in patterns called “cycling”, which means that users take multiple doses of steroids over a specific period of time, stop taking them for a period and then start again. Users often also mix several different types of steroids in a process called “stacking.”
By stacking drugs, which typically steroid abusers do is take two or more different anabolic steroids, mixing oral and/or injectable types and sometimes even including compounds that are designed for veterinary use. Abusers think that the different steroids interact to produce a greater effect on the muscles than would be achieved if each drug was taken separately, a theory that has not been scientifically proven. Read the rest of this entry »
Why do People Abuse Anabolic Steroids?
One of the main reasons given as the cause of the abuse of steroids is to improve performance in sports. According to some surveys, it is estimated that abuse of steroids among athletes is less than 6 percent, but anecdotal information from suggests that abuse is more widespread. Although procedures are being used to detect steroid use in order to discourage abuse among professional and Olympic athletes, are constantly design new drugs that go undetected and that put athletes willing to cheat a step beyond the efforts of detection.
However, this dynamic may be about to change if the process of saving urine and blood tests back to them at a future date it becomes the norm. The high probability of eventually being able to detect the new designer steroids, once the technology exists, besides the fear of retroactive sanctions, should be given to athletes reason to stop and think before using these drugs.Another reason given for taking steroids is to build muscle and reduce body fat. Read the rest of this entry »
What are Steroidal Supplements?
What are steroidal supplements?
In the United States can legally buy supplements like tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) and androstenedione (street name which is “Andro”) without a prescription through many commercial sources including health food stores. Inside the body, steroidal supplements can be converted into testosterone or a similar compound.
Little is known about the side effects of steroidal supplements, but if heavy amounts of these compounds substantially increase testosterone levels in the body, then it is likely to produce the same side effects as anabolic steroids. With the enactment in 2004 of amendments to the Controlled Substances Act, the purchase of these supplements are made illegal, with the notable exception of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Read the rest of this entry »