Steroids: Frequently Asked Questions

Taking steroids is very common for experienced bodybuilders and athletes who want to advance their drive and muscle power. But to be able to properly use them you should first know the in’s and outs of steroid use. Steroids are synthetic hormones that can be very safe and are proven to be helpful in gaining muscle mass.

Follow the guide below to answer the most important questions you have before using steroids.

What are The Benefits of Steroids?

Steroid use has become fairly mainstream in bodybuilding and intensive exercise routines over the last few decades. Though they’ve sometimes been the brunt of a lot of flack in the media, we’ve learned over the years that they actually have many benefits for athletes.

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Using steroids have been proven in the medical community to help build muscle and repair muscle tissues more quickly. It gives athletes a greater drive and spikes their workouts with greater endurance and stamina.

What are the Risks of Using Anabolic Steroids?

Like everything foreign to the human system there will always be risks involved. Steroids are synthetic hormones designed to affect the body like testosterone because the body closely regulates these hormones sometimes a large spike that’s not closely monitored can do more harm than good.

These risks include shrinking of the testicles, reduced sperm count, severe mood swings or altered behavior like anger sometimes called “roid rage”, swelling of the breast tissues, increased body hair growth, and acne. These risks can be avoided in some cases by only taking steroids in recommended dosages and giving yourself plenty of recovery time during your off-weeks in your steroids cycles.

You should also make sure to consult with your doctor about any unforeseen complications that could come from prescription medications you’re already taking or underlying medical conditions.

Are Steroids Safe For Women?

Over the counter, steroids are currently not approved for women. Because women produce testosterone at a much lower rate than men using steroids can drastically affect the female body.

Risks for women include shrinking of the breasts, enlargement of the clitoris, deepening of the voice, body hair growth and male pattern scalp hair loss.

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Is there an Age Limit?

Steroids are not approved for anyone under the age of 21. This is because until 21 you still have a possibility of growth plates being affected. If steroids are used by someone with open growth plates the synthetic hormones can prematurely close them halting any future growth in height, shoulder width, or muscle mass.

Healthy individuals under the age of 21 have no reason to worry about needing extra hormones because they will have plenty of natural testosterone in their systems anyway.

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Can Steroids Be Used To Treat Any Conditions?

Steroids are actually currently in place to treat medical conditions in both men and women. Men with low libido, hair loss, erectile dysfunction, or otherwise low T levels can be prescribed creams, gels or pills to take to correct these issues, with many men feeling back to their old selves within a matter of weeks.

While over the counter steroids aren’t approved for female use they are approved in certain medical scenarios with a doctor’s prescription. Women experiencing severely low libido issues, pre or post-menopausal women, or treating delayed puberty.

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How Will Steroids Affect my Sex Life?

In most cases, steroids have no negative effects on the sex drive. Commonly testosterone will up your libido and cause you to have harder and longer lasting erections. These effects will also give you more drive in the bedroom that will affect everyone differently.

While rare, it can have adverse effects. If you find that instead your sex drive is reduced you should consult with your medical practitioner. You may need to consider using different steroids or stop altogether to avoid any long-term damage.

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Are Steroids Addictive?

Steroids are actually considered addictive because they do come with withdrawal symptoms. While most users are able to avoid any long-term addiction symptoms if you have any mood disorders like depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, you should probably avoid steroid use altogether as the withdrawal symptoms can become overwhelming in these individuals.

Withdrawal will happen during your off-weeks and each cycle can become more intense. These symptoms will include restlessness, sleeplessness, fatigue, reduced sex drive, loss of appetite and depression.

You can reduce your risk of withdrawal by shortening your on-weeks during your steroids cycle and take a longer amount of off-weeks. Also, consider lowering your steroids dose or only taking one steroid at a time instead of a stack.

Must Read: Are Anabolic Steroids Addictive

What To Do Pre-steroids?

Before starting any steroids you’ll need to make sure your body is physically prepared. It’s important that you make sure you’ve gotten far enough in your bodybuilding that you’ve made every “natural gain” possible first. While it can seem like a good idea to start taking steroids right away it’s not uncommon to wait 6 months to a year as you build up your body.

Another important component of making sure you’re ready is to have a near perfect diet routine. You’ll need to make sure you’re getting the right combination of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats for your body and that you’re getting the proper amount of vitamins and nutrients to support the increase of hormones on your body.

What To Do Post-Steroids?

It’s important that if you’ve been a long-term user of steroids that you don’t just stop taking them cold-turkey or you’ll probably be left with terrible withdrawal symptoms. You’ll want to wean yourself off your dosage by lowering it considerably and taking it for a week or so to give yourself time to get used to fewer hormones in your system.

You can even do this for a period of on and off weeks if you’ve been used to taking a very high dose or advanced stack. Don't forget to take Tamoxifen or Arimidex for anti-estrogen effect, it is really important.

Steroids are known to be both safe and effective when taken by the safety conscious individual. You can expect your body to gain considerable muscle with an incredible drive.