I know we all want that perfect gym body we see everywhere...specially in social media these days. These are the things, the muscle guy at the gym (or instagram) wont tell you. Where they go mis-informed about is on some of the side effects of using them. I know there are some obvious ones you can see like acne and what people call roid-rage.
What people tend to use are the synthetic testosterone or Androstenedione. These synthetic anabolic steroids were originally created so they wouldn't be detected in drug tests but this can be really dangerous.
Since most users are just people that go to the gym and don't really compete which means they aren't going to be tested for anything. These are some of the hidden ones that people really don't know about mostly because you don't see them.
Increased risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture - this is actually pretty common and you see a lot of people rupturing their shoulders and knees tendons. Tendons are very strong so they shouldn't rupture that easily. This can also be a very painful event.
Liver abnormalities and tumors - make sure you get your liver function checked because you can be pretty bad liver in a very short time. People who use steroids can also develop hepatomas which is liver tumor
Cholesterol disbalance - cholesterold abnormalities like increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol which is the "bad" cholesterol and decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the "good" cholesterol. It's in this abnormality that you find lots of premature death in young bodybuilders or fitness lovers.
High blood pressure (hypertension) - the high blood pressure can lead to other problems shortly after
Heart and circulatory problems - the irony here is that those who use steroids look strong but have much weaker hearts. A study published in American Heart Association journal Circulation states "that steroid users had significantly weaker hearts than those who never used steroids. Among steroid users, men that currently used anabolic steroids had significantly worse heart function than past users."
Psychiatric disorders - it is obvious that those who use steroids can develop aggressive behavior which at times can be considered "pump" for some people. Its the other psychiatric disorders that can creep up.
Drug dependence - the cycle of using steroids can lead to a drug dependency because most people who use steroids want to look bigger, the addiction comes when they have to continue to use the drug to continue this growth.
Infections or diseases such as HIV or hepatitis if you're injecting the drugs, like any other drug used with a needle, the sharing of needles can lead to contracting these kinds of infections.
Infertility - is in the form of diminished sperm production in men, most don't think about this because well, you dont see it, until they want to have children.
Impotence in guys - well this isnt a big mystery, guys would loose erections. Over time, the steroids interrupt the body's normal hormonal axis, resulting in low testosterone, which can cause erectile dysfunction
Photo by Nino Liverani on Unsplash
What if you are using them, now what?
Stop using them. Make sure you get checked by your doctor, get some labs done like...liver function tests, CBC and check your blood pressure, as well as kidney function and cholesterol panel, just to name a few.
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References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/performance-enhancing-drugs/art-20046134
https://www.cardiosmart.org/News-and-Events/2017/07/Anabolic-Steroids-Increase-Risk-for-Heart-Disease-in-Young-and-MiddleAged-Men
https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/128655-overview#a1