Difference between steroids and HGH

When discussing and pondering the broader subject of steroids and other substances that aid the body in getting stronger and healthier, one word or term that is likely to come to mind is “anabolic”. However, the use and employment of steroids and supplements has multiple layers and types that must be considered. One of the other terms to consider is ergogenic. Regardless of the type of steroid or body aid, there is an intended and desired effect on performance. There is also the related, yet different, use of what is known as human growth hormone, or HGH. As with all medicines and treatments, there are medical risks when it comes to the use or abuse of steroids of any type, which would include ergogenic. While some people are prone to disavow and condemn the use of steroids and/or supplements across the board, here are a number of findings and assertions that can be made and not all of them are negative.

In the broader sense, there are steroids that can and should be used to restore or maintain health. One common example would be the prescribing of prednisone as a means to “prop up” the body so that it can fight a virus. Indeed, the use of antibiotics are useless when it comes to viruses. The body has to win the fight itself. However, this can be aided through the use of steroids and antibody-related methods such as vaccines. Steroids that are designed to help muscles also have a narrow scope where their use is expected and normal. There are non-steroids that are referred to as ergogenic aids. Just like steroids, there are legitimate and healthy ways to make use of ergogenic substances. A very common example of an ergogenic substance would be creatine. Other examples include antioxidant blends and vitamin mixtures. DHEA and synthetic testosterone are others. Some of these substances are banned while others are not. For example, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and other anti-doping bodies keep close tabs on testosterone levels and whether the testosterone present is synthetic or natural. It is possible to get a waiver for legitimate testosterone replacement therapy, or TRT. However, the overall level of testosterone cannot exceed certain levels. Even if a given ergogenic aid is not an anabolic steroid, it can be considered a performance-enhancing drug (PED) nonetheless, thus why they are banned in many sports circles and organizations. Anabolic steroids and ergogenic aids are often lumped together and treated the same because they can cause unfair performance habits. They can also cause damage, sometimes permanent damage. Just a few things that can happen include edema, acne, scrotal pain (in men), nausea, increased urination, personality disorders/aggression, nervousness and euphoria. The last of those is commonly called a “steroid rush”. More serious damage includes liver tumors, psychosis, hypertension and dysplastic changes. Despite this, the ability to exercise longer and harder is what brings the allure to anabolic steroids and ergogenic substances, legal or illegal (Ahrendt, 2017).

Many people conflate steroids and human growth hormone, or HGH. However, that is a big misnomer. This is because HGH and anabolic steroids are not the same thing. It is important to define the terminology involved. Anabolic, by definition, means a substance that enhances the metabolism or complex chemical synthesis. The term anabolic can technically refer to HGH, although the differences start from there. The only other similarities they share is that both can be prescribed by a doctor, they are illegal to use outside of that doctor/patient relationship and they are both hormones. HGH is indeed a hormone. It regulates and stimulate the necessary and needed processes in the body. This is especially true as a person ages from childhood to adulthood. Indeed, there is a lot of bone and muscle growth that occurs over that period. HGH is a necessary building block to make that work. Even after that period is over, HGH is still needed for things like cellular growth. However, HGH production in the body tends to fall off and wane as a person gets older. The body feels this happening. Indeed, there is the common complaint of many people in their 40’s that they are “getting old”. There are some doctors that prescribe HGH as a means to help their patients, although this is done in a deliberate and careful way. It is very much like testosterone in this regard, and for the same reason. HGH is actually superior to anabolic steroids in that they are much more “available” to the body. The body is much more able to use and harness HGH as compared to anabolic steroids. Even if steroids and HGH are very different, the effects that are commonly rendered from HGH are very attractive to those that use it. Hair and nails look better, fat burning is better and bone health all tend to be improved n people that use HGH, legally or illegally (Gaines, 2017).

Using too much HGH or in the wrong way, however, is dangerous. There is a reason it is tightly controlled and regulated through the prescription of a doctor. The common side effects of HGH use and misuse include nerve pain, muscle pain, joint pain, fluid-related swelling on the body’s tissues (edema), carpal tunnel syndrome, numbness, tingling of the skin and high cholesterol levels. There is also a generally higher risk of type II diabetes. Further, if the HGH being acquired by a user is illicit, there is no telling what else is in the HGH, or even if it’s HGH to begin with. Just like with street drugs like heroin, marijuana and so forth, there could be other substances in there from the production. There could also be the inclusion of addictive substances, like PCP, that get a person more reliably hooked. This is a method that some dealers use with all drugs to get more “return customers” (WebMD, 2017).

The medical consequences of HGH, as mentioned before, can be nasty. However, anabolic steroids have their own challenges and effects if they are misused or used excessively. In men, those symptoms would include a reduction in sperm count, a shrinking of the testicles, the inability to father children and enlargement of the breasts, otherwise known as gynecomastia. For women, the effects can include more body hair, a roughening of the skin, a decreasing of breast size, an enlargement of the clitoris and a deepening of the voice. Regardless of biological sex, other problems and symptoms would include high blood pressure, higher risk of heart attack, higher risk of stroke, higher levels of bad cholesterol (LDL), lower levels of good cholesterol (HDL), liver disease, liver cancer, acne, oily skin, hair loss of the male-pattern kind loss, skin infections stemming from bacterial contamination of the steroid, irritability/rage, aggression/violence, uncontrolled high energy bursts (known as mania), paranoia/delusions and addiction. Much like other illicit or abused drugs, “coming down” and off of such drugs can take a treatment program (in-patient or out-patient), family support, social support, individual counseling and family counseling (WebMD, 2017).

As explained by the Mayo Clinic, there are both medical and exercise science implications when it comes to steroids and the use of other hormones like HGH. There are indeed narrow situations where supplementing what the body does on its own can be useful. Indeed, if there are people that are deficient when it comes to HGH, testosterone or other hormones, careful replacement of those missing amounts can be very beneficial to the body. However, there is a reason that the most aggressive and helpful substances are tightly regulated. Entirely too many athletes are unaware of what can happen to them if they take those substances. Other athletes are willing to “risk it” as a way to get bigger and stronger. They will like to their doctors about what is going on with their body. They will also obtain steroids, testosterone replacement substances and HGH through whatever means that they can. There are also tips and tactics used to help mask and hide the use of steroids in the body. A common example would be a diuretic. In some cases, the coaches and leaders of athlete groups are involved in the subterfuge, inclusive of obtaining the drugs, administering the drugs and masking the use of the drugs. In some limited cases, it can be exercise and athletic doctors that are the ones engaging in the improper behavior. Some of these same doctors and experts are using their talents to make “designer steroids”. The upside of these special steroids is that they are meant to be undetectable when it comes to drug tests administered by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and other groups. Just like with the street versions of HGH mentioned earlier, these drugs be very risky as they have not been reviewed and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in addition to being blatantly illegal to develop or use (Mayo, 2017).

The tried and true lessons of exercise science also show that there are other problems that can occur with steroid use. The aforementioned diuretics, which are relatively harmless when used in the right way, can themselves cause their own health issues. These negative outcomes and effects include dehydration, drop in blood pressure, dizziness, muscle cramps, potassium deficiency, gout, loss of balance and/or coordination or even death. Even creatine, which is commonly not banned, can cause issues such as kidney damage, liver damage, stomach cramps, muscle cramps and weight gain. Stimulant use is also present in the bodybuilding and exercise science sphere and those are unwise to use to excess as well. The upsides is that they can improve endurance, reduce fatigue, suppress appetite and increase alertness. However, they can also cause nervousness, irritability, insomnia, heatstroke and addiction.