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07/31/09
To use or not to use, that is the question.
The decision to use steroids is very serious, and most bodybuilders do actually take it seriously. They’ve been exposed to the mainstream advertising scheme discussing the dangers of steroids (some true, some not), and they know they are facing a lot of legal and health risks when using steroids. They think it through, and use when they are ready to face the risks. However, most bodybuilders don’t assign the same somber decision-making process to pro-hormones. Until a few years ago, this ‘steroid alternative’ was available over the counter in any GNC store, and on hundreds of websites. The beauty of them was that they were entirely legal, fairly affordable, and they worked. Boy, did they work! Users saw steroid-like gains in just a few weeks. There was no need for needles. Users would simply pop a few pills, a few times a day, and would see body weight gains of 10 to 20 pounds in just a few months. They would get stronger, aggression would go through the roof, and they would sometimes out-gain their steroid-using brethren who were taking legal risks obtaining compounds they had to inject with needles. Pro-hormone users thought they knew it all.
Then there were the side effects. Lo and behold, pro-hormones were not without their drawbacks. Users soon discovered acne, Gynecomastia, and bloating came out of nowhere. When they stopped the cycle, they would lose a lot of muscle (unless they had the wherewithal to run PCT, which most users did not). If they just kept buying more pro-hormones, they encountered serious organ damage from the long-term oral use. You can ‘recommend’ users take breaks on products, but if they’re sold over-the-counter in unlimited supplies, you are always going to have people who over-use them.
Today, many pro-hormones are banned, but there are still some that can be obtained legally. Many users of steroids have turned to pro-hormones for use either instead of an AAS cycle, or following their cycle in the ‘clean’ season. If you are going to opt for pro-hormones instead of a steroid cycle, you should be aware of the risks you are incurring. The side effects are similar to those of strong oral steroids. You run the risk of cosmetic short-term problems, and internal longer-term problems. It is a serious risk that only educated users should consider.
In terms of using pro-hormones in your steroid “off-season”, such a practice should never be considered. After using a cycle of steroids, the body’s natural testosterone production is extremely depressed. Post-cycle therapy can help to re-start natural production, which may take months to fully recover. Users who cannot wait for their own levels to re-ignite, or those who simply cannot fathom a few months without that added “boost”, may choose to use pro-hormones during this time. Even a short cycle in this time period will disrupt natural production levels. The testes might never receive a chance to develop production again. Avoid this pitfall!
