Steroids: uses, effects, and health implications

Steroids

The term "steroids" can refer to a wide range of drugs that are taken to improve muscle building and athletic performance. Anabolic steroids are the most common type, and are basically compounds that resemble testosterone (Drug Free.org). Slang terms for steroids include roids, pumpers, juice, juicers, and terms that make them sound more like other medicines and supplements like weight trainers and strength enhancers (ONDCP). Steroids are classified by the federal government as a Schedule III substance, meaning that they have a lower potential of abuse than other drugs (Drug Free.org). They do not fit into other categories like uppers, depressants, or hallucinogens, though they can have effects similar to all of these drugs.

Steroids can be taken orally or injected (Steroids.com). They can even be rubbed into the skin when the anabolic compounds are placed in a gel or cream (DEA). There are no immediate effects of taking steroids to athletic performance so they must be taken over long periods for the desired effects (Steroids.com). Basically, taking anabolic steroids is like taking extra testosterone, causing the body to exhibit many of the same changes that occur during male puberty including a deepening voice, increased perspiration, the growth of body hair, acne, and the reason people take steroids, the growth of muscle tissue. These effects are only what is seen and felt on the surface, however. Steroid use has other serious effects on short- and long-term health.

Steroids are often taken in a manner known as "cycling," where a person takes large doses of steroids for a period of time and then stops (DEA). This is supposed to enhance the muscle-growing benefits of steroid use. This type of cycling can also influence the types and degrees of health effects that are caused by steroid use, making the drugs even more dangerous.

In addition to the short-term affects of general changes in the body that mimic the response to testosterone, increased irritability, high blood pressure, and fluid retention are all common side effects of steroid use (Drug Free.org). In addition, men can experience the growth of breast tissue, reduced sperm count, and shrinking testicles (Drug Free.org). Women do not take steroids as often as men, but they also experience the full range of effects, from growing body and facial hair to increased aggression, as well as the same long-term health effects (Steroids.com).

The long-term effects of high levels of steroid use are largely unknown (Drug Free.org). Some of the effects, however, are an enlarged liver and liver tumors, jaundice, permanent changes to secondary sex characteristics (such as voice pitch, body hair, and the size/appearance of breasts and testicles) (DEA). There is enough evidence to suggest that taking steroids causes significant health problems that limit longevity, and taking too many at a time can kill.