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Steroids: Do You Really Understand the Side Effects
In recent years there has
been a lot of media coverage about the abuse of steroids. The most
recent news of steroid abuse stems from disclosures made by a few
professional baseball players. Admitting to such behavior has certainly
cast a “shadow of suspicion” over the behavior of other baseball players
and players of other professional sports.
Anabolic steroids are the
most commonly abused steroids. Anabolic steroids are a drug made with a
combination of synthetic and natural hormones, most notably the male
hormone testosterone. Who abuses steroids? Men, women, and even
high-school aged boys and girls who are into sports and body-building
are the most common candidates who use and abuse steroids.
Steroids do have a
“legitimate” medical purpose and doctors prescribe steroids to patients
to help in the treating of many medical conditions and diseases.
Steroids can help those suffering from the affects of cancer to “retain”
weight that would otherwise be lost through such treatments as
chemo-therapy, thus enabling vital organs to function. Steroids have
also been used in diseases that cause muscles to “wither” to rebuild
lost muscle mass. The medical uses for steroids are many. Doctor’s
usually only prescribe steroids for a limited amount of time though
because the affects of longer steroid use hasn’t been fully discovered
yet.
Anabolic steroids are
“illegal” to obtain without a prescription from a licensed medical
professional, in the United States. Unfortunately though, it’s far too
easy to get steroids without a prescription. If you’re found in
possession of steroids not prescribed by your doctor you could face a
jail-term as these are considered: Class III Controlled-substances. The
possibility of doing a “stint” in jail should deter the abuse of
steroids but thus far it has not.
Why would someone take an
Anabolic steroid outside of medical need in the first place? Steroids
build muscle mass beyond the body’s natural capacity for muscle
building. The attainment of such muscle mass is especially popular among
body builders because of the massive- definition steroids give to
muscles and professional sports figures are attracted to the power and
endurance that steroid use produces.
Some of the side effects of
steroid use are the same for both men and women, while other side
effects are gender-specific. But the nasty side effects associated with
steroid use should be another deterrent to the abuse of steroids.
Perhaps as more information about the short and long time affects of
steroid use and abuse reaches more people, it will decrease the number
of people using/abusing steroids.
Side effects of steroid usage
that affects both men and woman include high-blood pressure, skin
problems, high-cholesterol, and even heart attacks and other heart
problems.
Women who use steroids can
experience ‘irregular’ periods, or even stop having them altogether if
the level of steroids in the body is too great. Women can also grow hair
in “unwanted” areas such as the face. Women who use steroids will often
experience a change in their voices as well (usually deeper in tone.)
Men who use steroids can
expect to experience such “unwanted” side-effects as hair loss,
erectile, fertility, and ejaculatory problems. Men who use steroids can
also experience the over-development of their breasts.
With all of these known
effects of using/abusing steroids and the fact that there are effects of
steroid usage that are still unknown: why take such a risk with your
health? Why take the chance of losing your freedom do to criminal
charges or ruining your reputation among the people that matter the most
to you: family, friends, and business associates? Is a bigger muscle to
flex really worth the likely costs of using steroids?
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