Anabolic steroids are synthetic hormones which have been specifically designed to resemble the male sex hormone. The main reason why body builders use them is so that they can be able to increase the progress of there muscle growth. Anabolic steroids enhance muscle growth by assisting the muscles in the synthesis of proteins. Anabolic steroids can also enhance the performance of athletes. It does this by boosting there energy level enabling them to perform even better.
There are several ways in which a user can take steroids, some are injected intramuscularly, others are taken orally, and others come in form of creams or gels which are applied on the skin. The doses administered by abusers are usually 10 to 100 times higher than the recommended dosage for medical conditions.
Steroid abusers usually ‘stack’ the drug, which means they take two or more anabolic steroids which are different. They could for example mix oral and injectable anabolic steroids at the same time. What abusers assume is that when they mix more than one type of steroid the interaction between the two will produce a greater effect on the growth of the muscles.
This theory however has not been proved by scientists.
The other way steroids can be used is through a ‘pyramid’, this is where they take the drug within cycles of about 6 to 12 weeks. When the abuser is beginning the cycle, he will take very low doses of the steroids being stacked after which the doses will increase as the cycle progresses. When the abuser is in the second half of the cycle, he will begin to decrease the dose until it reaches zero. This signifies the beginning of another cycle whereby the abuser continues with his training but this time round without any steroids. The assumption of abusers when they pyramid the doses is that the body will have ample time to adjust to the high doses. Therefore the body hormonal system is able to recuperate at the drug-free cycle. However it should be noted just like stacking, pyramiding benefits have not been proven scientifically.
The side effects of anabolic steroids usually arise when the user uses more than the recommended dose, which usually leads to a hormonal imbalance. When you have hormonal imbalance your health will be affected adversely. This will affect both your psychological health and your physical health. Your psychological health will be affected in the following ways; you could experience mood swings, you could become very aggressive, you could suffer from withdrawal syndrome, depression, and suicidal tendencies. Your physical health will be affected as follows; liver disorders, kidney failures, and heart conditions and strokes. There are other side effects which are less life threatening and if a person quits taking steroids they could be reversible. They include; in men- shrinking testicles, there breasts could enlarge, low sexual drive or libido, impotence, and premature lose of hair. In females the side effects include; growth of facial hair, disrupted menstrual cycles, development of a hoarse voice, and an enlargement of the clitoris.
In conclusion, you should observe great care before you start abusing steroids because they could lead to the above side effects.
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