Anabolic-androgenic
steroids are man-made substances related to male sex hormones.
“Anabolic” refers to muscle-building, and “androgenic”
refers to increased masculine characteristics. “Steroids”
refers to the class of drugs. These drugs are available legally
only by prescription, to treat conditions that occur when the
body produces abnormally low amounts of testosterone, such as
delayed puberty and some types of impotence. They are also prescribed
to treat body wasting in patients with AIDS and other diseases
that result in loss of lean muscle mass. Abuse of anabolic steroids,
however, can lead to serious health problems, some irreversible.
Today, athletes and others abuse anabolic steroids
to enhance performance and also to improve physical appearance.
Anabolic steroids are taken orally or injected, typically in cycles
of weeks or months (referred to as “cycling”), rather
than continuously. Cycling involves taking multiple doses of steroids
over a specific period of time, stopping for a period, and starting
again. In addition, users often combine several different types
of steroids to maximize their effectiveness while minimizing negative
effects (referred to as “stacking”).
The major side effects from abusing anabolic steroids can include
liver tumors and cancer, jaundice (yellowish pigmentation of skin,
tissues, and body fluids), fluid retention, high blood pressure,
increases in LDL (bad cholesterol), and decreases in HDL (good
cholesterol). Other side effects include kidney tumors, severe
acne, and trembling. In addition, there are some gender-specific
side effects:
For
men - shrinking of the testicles, reduced sperm count,
infertility, baldness, development of breasts, increased risk
for prostate cancer.
For
women - growth of facial hair, male-pattern baldness,
changes in or cessation of the menstrual cycle, enlargement of
the clitoris, deepened voice.
For
adolescents - growth halted prematurely through premature
skeletal maturation and accelerated puberty changes. This means
that adolescents risk remaining short for the remainder of their
lives if they take anabolic steroids before the typical adolescent
growth spurt.
In addition, people who inject anabolic steroids run the added
risk of contracting or transmitting
HIV/AIDS or hepatitis,
which causes serious damage to the liver.
Steroids
(Anabolic-Androgenic)