Steroids

6 Pages 1436 Words

Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids are man mad substances related to male sex hormones.
Anabolic refers to muscle building and Androgenic refers to increased masculine characteristics. Steroids are supposed to be available only through prescription to treat abnormally low amounts of testosterone, such as delayed puberty and some types of impotence. They can also be prescribed to treat body wasting in AIDs patients and other diseases that result in the loss of muscle mass.

Anabolic steroids can be taken orally or injected. They are usually taken in cycles of weeks or months which is a process known as cycling. Cycling involves taking many doses of the substance ove a period of time, stopping than starting up again. Steroid users often times combine several different types of steroids to maximize effectiveness while minimizing negative effects, this form of usage is known as stacking.

The major side effects from abusing steroids can include liver tumors and cancer, jaundice, an increase in LDL which is bad cholesterol and decrease in HDL or good cholesterol. Users can have severe psychiatric problems leaving the user with sever mood swings including manic like symptoms that often result in violence. Depression often is seen when the drug is stopped, which can contribute to dependence on the drug. Other symptoms that a person may suffer are paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions and impaired judgement.

Over the past several years steroids have become much more of an issue in professional sports than ever before. Just last month Major League Baseball had their hearings on steroids. This was shortly following the release of Jose Conseco's book "Juiced". Throughout this book Conseco made claims that many people including himself throughout the league had used steroids in the past. In a 60 minutes interview Conseco claimed that in his sixteen year career he took steroids from the first game of his first season all ...