Anabolic Steroid Abuse

Anabolic steroids are a synthetic derivative of testosterone. Anabolic steroids promote the storage of protein and the growth of tissue. It was created to treat hypogonadism, which is a condition in which the testes do not produce enough testosterone for normal growth, and sexual functioning. There is no cure for hypogonadism; however, anabolic steroids are used for treatment. A few years after they were made, people began illegally using them for body building. This paper will be about the creation of anabolic steroids, abuse of anabolic steroids, and stories of anabolic steroid users. Hypogonadism has three million U.S. cases per year. Hypogonadism can last for a few years or last forever. There are two types of hypogonadism, primary, which

Doses taken by abusers can be ten to one hundred times higher than normal doses (National Institute On Drug Abuse). There are three patterns to anabolic steroid abuse, cycling, stacking, and pyramiding. Cycling is when the abuser uses multiple doses of steroids for a short amount of time, then quits and begins again to hide any signs of steroid abuse. Stacking which is commonly used, is when the abuser takes two or more different anabolic steroids, mixing oral and/or injectable (National Institute On Drug Abuse). Pyramiding is when users slowly escalate steroids or the dose and frequency of one or more steroids at one time, abusers believe that pyramiding allows the body time to adjust to the high doses, and allows the body’s hormonal system time to recuperate (National Institute On Drug Abuse). There are three basic signs of anabolic steroid abuse, internal changes, private or personal changes, and external changes. Some physical changes would be fast muscle growth, red or purplish acne, hair loss, and bad breathe. Personal and emotional symptoms would be extreme mood swings, depression, hallucinations, paranoia, and lying. Social changes would include locking doors often, covering back with a towel to hide acne, longer showers for injecting, stealing, and forgetting

Abusers can stay on steroids for too long, which will cause liver damage. Eating properly while on anabolic steroids is important, because the user must have four to seven thousand calories a day, and if an abuser does not work out, the anabolic steroids will have no effect. People believe that supplements and steroids are alike, but that is not the case. Supplements fill the body with rich nutrients, and supplements are natural, safe, and effective. Steroids are derivations of the masculine hormone testosterone. They are often confused because they both increase muscle mass, strength, and