Anabolic steroids effects and side effects

Anabolic steroids are synthetically produced substances that are related to the male sex hormone testosterone. These substances are mainly taken by strength athletes (including women) and bodybuilders to promote muscle growth and increase the number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells. From a medical point of view, a prescription of anabolic steroids is mainly used for diseases with protein deficiency.

However, due to many serious side effects, experts strongly advise against improper use of these substances. They are also on the list of illegal substances and substances, and are therefore prohibited. In medicine, anabolic steroids are used to treat diseases in which a protein deficiency occurs or protein breakdown occurs.

They are used, for example, for muscle atrophy or after polio. They are also used in the treatment of malignant tumours, poorly healing bone fractures and osteoporosis. Anabolic steroids are divided into two subgroups, anabolic androgenic steroids and beta-2 agonists. Anabolic androgenic steroids (also called anabolic steroids) are artificially produced and are related to the male hormone testosterone. Testosterone is primarily produced in the male testicles and has two areas of action, anabolic and androgenic.

Effect and side effects

The aim of taking anabolic steroids is to use the anabolic effect similar to that of testosterone to achieve gains in strength and muscle. When ingested, intramuscular injection and absorption via the digestive system are most effective. The best known anabolic steroids are metenolone and stanozolol, which can be purchased on prescription.

Dianabol and Oral-Turinabol are no longer for sale. The protein-building effect of anabolic steroids thus suggests that using them in parallel with weight training increases muscle growth enormously. Studies have found out that an additional increase in strength is only really worthwhile if there is a testosterone deficiency.

This deficit is found in women, adolescents and older adults. In healthy men, therapeutically acceptable doses could not cause significant muscle growth. Only when the dosage was increased could additional strength and muscle gains be measured.

The increase in dose is so high that it is no longer medically justifiable to administer it to an athlete. In addition, these dose increases lead to undesirable and sometimes dangerous side effects, such as damage to the tendon apparatus due to overloading, an increase in the risk of heart attack, a decrease in testosterone production with a reduction in testicles and loss of libido. Liver damage, an increased risk of cancer and an increase in aggressiveness can also occur.

The intake of anabolic steroids in healthy men can lead to a decrease in testosterone production, so that an overall loss of strength can be expected. This is unfortunately also the vicious circle of these substances. You need more and more anabolic steroids to maintain your strength level and make progress.

With ever increasing doses, the probability of dangerous side effects increases rapidly. However, anabolic steroids are no longer only used in strength sports, but are also used in other disciplines. There have also been cases of doping with anabolic steroids in endurance sports.

This is due to the fact that it is possible to tolerate higher training loads when taking anabolic steroids than without anabolic steroids. Since 1976 anabolics have been on the internationally recognised doping list of the International Olympic Committee. Thus, the use in training and competition is prohibited.

Illegal use of the substances can be controlled and detected by a urine sample. Even the smallest amounts can lead to a conviction and result in high penalties. Controls can surprise the athlete at any time, both after the competition and unannounced during the training phases.

The prohibition of anabolic steroids in sport has no connection to the side effects, but is mainly done from the point of view of sporting fairness and the desired equality of opportunity. Despite the most modern detection methods used everywhere today (gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, high-resolution mass spectrometry), anabolic steroids and related substances can unfortunately only be detected in the body for days or weeks due to their metabolic behaviour. This depends on the type of intake and the amount taken.

For this reason, it was decided at some point to no longer only take doping samples on competition days. Athletes who had only doped during training could no longer be convicted. Unannounced doping controls also in the training phases of the athletes were introduced to prevent doping abuse.

But also the athletes and the doctors who administered doping substances adapted. Artificially produced testosterone was used because it could not be distinguished from the body’s own testosterone and thus could not be detected. But this variant of anabolic steroid doping could also be detected.

In addition to testosterone, the urine also contains epitestosterone, which occurs in a ratio of one to one. If an athlete has now doped with artificially produced testosterone, the concentration of testosterone in the urine was higher than that of epitestosterone. This was proof of doping with artificially produced testosterone.

Beta-2 agonists also belong to the group of anabolic agents (such as clenbuterol) and are used in medicine as a remedy for asthma, among other things. After ingestion, beta-2 agonists lead to a dilatation of the bronchial tubes and airways. High doses can lead to a massive increase in skeletal muscles.

This effect was also used by athletes to gain an advantage, so that the International Olympic Committee added beta-2 agonists to the list of prohibited substances in 1993. The group of anabolic steroids are the most commonly used doping substances worldwide and are estimated to be taken by up to 15 million athletes. The banned substances are now very widespread, especially in the areas of weight training, bodybuilding and fitness studios, and are sometimes administered in dangerous doses.

In addition, studies have found that traces of anabolic steroids of up to ten percent have already been found in food supplements. You should therefore inform yourself very carefully before taking food supplements. A major contribution to the increasing abuse of anabolic steroids is the modern body or muscle cult.

The quest for the perfect body is what drives many young people in particular to try out anabolic steroids. But also the pressure to perform that prevails in today’s society contributes to this. Especially young athletes often can not get away from anabolic steroids.

After a short period of use, for example, a psychological dependence can develop, as is known with classic drugs. The first prohibition of anabolic steroids was in 1974 after a method was developed to detect the breakdown products in the body. The first doping controls were subsequently introduced at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.