Why You Shouldn't Take Steroids

It's inevitable that you'll hear about, and even consider, steroids at some point in your career. If you are an athlete or bodybuilder, you will know guys that take them, and you'll be tempted to do so yourself. After all, it's really hard work to pump iron and do a lot of cardio. Why wouldn't you want to look ripped just by taking a pill? Well, you'll find out why you shouldn't take steroids. Just keep reading.

Many high-profile athletes have used steroids to improve their musculature and their physical performance, particularly bodybuilders. Were you aware that there are many serious complications of steroid use, including death? Even so, the allure of being the best sometimes blinds even the most promising athlete.

Anabolic steroids are synthetic copies of testosterone, a prominent male sex hormone. The keyword there is "synthetic." In other words, it's artificial. It isn't real. They were primarily for use in treating patients of AIDS and anemia, who were suffering from extreme muscle loss. The treatment is referred to as "hormone replacement therapy", or HRT, and this helps individuals get more of the hormone that their bodies aren't able to make enough of naturally. Doctors never prescribe anabolic drugs to anyone who doesn't need them to build muscle.

Bodybuilders have garnered a bad reputation for being steroid abusers. Steroids can be transmitted as pills or intramuscular injections, for the most part. For bodybuilders who abuse steroids, they can get more muscle faster than normal. As it increases muscle mass, it also serves as a diuretic, flushing out excess water and giving the bodybuilder a more defined, ripped look.

There are some severe consequences of steroid use, aside from the obvious legal consequences if you are caught possessing or using them. Some major side effects of steroids include cancer, an increase in bad cholesterol, liver tumor, jaundice, high blood pressure, stroke, acne, baldness, enlargement of the breast, shrunken testicles, low sperm count, infertility, heart attack, headache, nose bleed, altered thyroid function, and an increased likelihood of contracting HIV or hepatitis from sharing infected needles.

That's not all, though. There are psychological effects like sudden fits of rage, mood swings, depression, hyperactivity, and brain damage. There are further physical side effects like weight gain/loss, insulin insensitivity, increased body hair, water retention or dehydration, nausea, anaphylactic shock, chills, bone pain, hives, depressed immune system, sore tongue, lethargy, diarrhea, vomiting, thinning of hair, constipation, abdominal pain, edema, and more.

One other issue to note is that what you get might not be pure. If you get impure steroids, there is no telling what else is in there that can cause problems. No one out there regulates "street steroids", and there are people who die from steroids, whether contaminated and not. These are some of the many reasons why you shouldn't take steroids. At the most basic level, you are severely messing with your hormonal balance and undermining your entire bodily functions, so the number of symptoms you could suffer from is just as varied as all the bodily functions affected by your hormones.