The Negative Effects Of Steroids

Anything you take comes with side effects. Steroids have a lot of side effects. In Sports and Drug Use it states that you can get mood swings, aggression, depression, and liver damage. In women side effects include, facial and body hair, deeper voice, and altered menstrual cycles. Steroids can change your behavior and change the women are. Performance-enhancing drugs: know the risks, states that men and women can become bald. It also says that women can get absent or infrequent periods. People can also get severe acne, liver tumors, high blood pressure and rage. This illustrates that it can affect you in many different ways. In another article it says, “The negative effects associated with steroids far outweigh the positive. The extensive

list of negative side effects of steroids affects both men and women alike. Acne, bad breath and baldness are the least severe of commonly reported side effects. Regular steroid use dramatically increases the risk of developing several conditions such as cancer, psychosis and diseases of the kidneys, liver and cardiovascular system. Steroids have been shown to decrease testicular size and promote breast growth in men while contributing to the growth of facial hair and deepening of the voice in women” (Effects of Steroids on the Body).

People might get cancer from taking these drugs. It also shows that the side effects outweigh benefits. “Use of steroids greatly increases the risk of muscle tears and tendon injuries. The occurrence of muscle cramps is also dramatically increased with steroid use, which can impact training regimens and athletic performance” (Effects of Steroids on the Body). You can get muscle tears if you take steroids. If you don't take them for a long period of time you may not get side effects. “Not everyone will develop side effects and side effects vary from person to person. If steroid injections are infrequent (less than every three to four months), it is possible that none of the listed side effects will occur” (Steroids to Treat Arthritis). If you take them orally you can get blurred vision, easy bruising, difficulty sleeping, high blood pressure, increased appetite, weight pain, muscle weakness, nervousness, stomach irritation or bleeding, sudden mood swings, swelling, worsening of diabetes, and a puffy

face. If you inject steroids, you can get infected, allergic reactions, bleeding into the joints, skin discoloration, weakening of bone, ligaments, tendons (from frequent, repeated injections in the same area) (Steroids to Treat Arthritis). You can get different side effects depending on the way you take them. You can also get withdrawal symptoms which include, decreased appetite, fatigue, craving steroids (How to Find the Best Residential Steroid Recovery Center). When you decide to stop taking them or reduce the doses, you can have withdrawal. You can also get “depressive-like symptoms, anxiety, concentration problems, difficulty sleeping, pain, headaches, and lowered libido” (Steroid Abuse). In another article it says, “Some steroids can be incredibly harmful to those who take them. Conversely, some types are used to help people with inflammatory conditions like chronic bronchitis, but those are categorized as corticosteroids. They are not the same as the more harmful version: anabolic steroids. Anabolic steroids—sometimes referred to as "juice" or "roids"—are actually synthetic forms of the male hormone, testosterone. It may be used legitimately to induce puberty or to help those suffering from wasting diseases like AIDS or cancers. Technically, this group of substances is called anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS). Aside from the people that are prescribed these substances for medical reasons, anabolics are abused by people looking to change their physical health, performance, and/or appearance. Common users of anabolic steroids include, body builders looking to gain muscle, athletes hoping to improve their skills, people trying to expedite recovery from an injury” (The Effects of Steroid Use). This shows that it depends on what kind of steroid you take and how much you are taking. Also shows that athletes use them to look better, improve on skills, and recover from injuries.
Many athletes who take steroids think that they will get better at sports if they take them.

Some benefits for athletes include, increase in strength, enhance athletic performance and quicker recovery from injuries (Sports and Drug Use). Some athletes are lazy and want to get in shape faster by taking drugs. In Anabolic Steroids, it states that people use steroids to gain strength and lose body fat. In an article, it says, “Anabolic steroids may help athletes recover from a hard workout more quickly by reducing the muscle damage that occurs during the session. This enables athletes to work out harder and more frequently without overtraining” (Performance- enhancing drugs: know the risks). People can recover from hard workouts quicker by using steroids. “When inflammation threatens to damage critical body organs, steroids can be organ saving and, in many instances, life-saving. For example, they may help prevent the progression of kidney inflammation, which can lead to kidney failure in people who have lupus or vasculitis. For these people, steroid therapy may eliminate the need for kidney dialysis or transplant” (Steroids to Treat Arthritis). Steroids can help people have the need to not get a transplant or dialysis. “When taken in these very high doses, anabolic-androgenic steroids can produce dramatic increases in muscle mass and strength, making it possible for users to far exceed the upper limits of muscularity attainable under natural conditions, without these drugs.

Because of these properties, anabolic- androgenic steroids are widely used by athletes in sports requiring strength or muscle mass” (Steroids). When people take high doses of steroids, they can get big increases of muscle mass and strength.
Steroids can come with consequences. In an article it shows that a 14-year-old got a four year suspension for using steroids (Olympics; South African Tests Positive). Minors can get suspended for long periods of time for using steroids. People can also get awards taken away. In an article it shows this when the author says, “When Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson was stripped of an Olympic Gold Medal in 1988 because of a positive drug test, anabolic steroids were suddenly front-page news. Nine other Olympic competitors lost medals because of steroid use, but Johnson was one of the most famous athletes in the world. Millions had watched on live television when he set a record in the 100-meter dash during the 1987 world championships in Rome, and millions watched him win the event in the Seoul Olympics, apparently breaking his own record. But the medal and the record were taken away two days later, and Johnson flew back to Canada in disgrace” (Anabolic Steroids). This shows that a famous sprinter along with nine others got awards taken away from them for taking steroids. If you have certain health problems you shouldn't take steroids. These health issues include infection, uncontrolled diabetes, uncontrolled blood pressure or congestive heart failure, peptic ulcer, osteoporosis (bone thinning), and glaucoma (Steroids to Treat Arthritis). People with these certain conditions are recommended to not take steroids because it could affect them more. “Long-Term Effects: Many of the side effects of steroids can be seen from someone's outward appearance changes or through their behaviors. Some long-term effects of abuse cannot be observed. Although steroid use does not trigger the same intense, immediate response in the brain as another substance like cocaine, it can create changes to the brain over time. These changes can impact the production and supply of certain chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters. These changes in the brain can lead to changes in mood and behavior in the person. In the long-term, anabolic steroid abuse can cause: Anger and aggression ("roid rage"), Paranoia, Delusions, Heart attack, Stroke, Kidney failure, Tumors in the liver, Blood-borne diseases from injection use” (The Effects of Steroids Use). The effects of Steroids Use). This shows that it can affect your brain. This is important because your brain gives you the ability to do the things you want to do in your life. It could also give you other health problems while it affects your brain.
Some people that take steroids abuse them. They might not realize that they are abusing them because the way that they are making them feel. There are different types of abuse. One type is stacking, which is combining two or more kinds of steroids. Another type is cycling. This type is when people use steroids for a period of time, quit and then start using again. Pyramiding is slowly increasing dose, reaching a certain amount and then gradually decreasing doses (Drug Facts: Anabolic Steroids). Some people abuse steroids and they can do it in different ways. “Injecting steroids into one or two areas of inflammation allows doctors to deliver a high dose of the drug directly to the problem area. When doctors give steroids by mouth or IV, they cannot be sure an adequate amount will eventually reach the problem area. In addition, the risk of side effects is much higher with oral or IV steroids” (Steroids to Treat Arthritis). You are more opted to get side effects when taken orally.
If you decide to stop taking steroids, you can get help. Recovery time varies depending on how much steroids you took. “Their use can lead to a very real dependency—with heavy users sometimes requiring recovery in an inpatient rehab center” (How to Find the Best Residential Steroid Recovery Center). Recovery time is different for everyone. You can take medications to recover. But some people abuse medications so they also suggest therapy. If you are abusing other substances, recovery time could be longer. If you experience anxiety or depression, recovering could be different. You can go to inpatient or outpatient programs. Outpatient is when you live at home while getting treatment. Inpatient is when you get treated in a hospital. You could even get aftercare which is to help prevent relapse after treatments. Another type of recovery is detox. This slowly stops addiction. You can also go to group counseling to talk to other people that have an addiction.
Steroids were originally made to treat inflammation. “Inflammation is a process by which the body's white blood cells and chemicals protect the body against infection and foreign organisms such as bacteria and viruses” (Steroid to Treat Arthritis). “They may also be used selectively to treat inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Sjogren's syndrome or gout” (Steroid to Treat Arthritis). These two quotes show that steroids weren't made to help people improve in sports, it was to treat health conditions. Many people misuse drugs for other things. Steroids were made to treat inflammation not to help people get in shape.