Please educate me on steroids

Legerity

Legerity

Bluelight Crew
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Jul 29, 2010
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I browse all forums regularly and I came to realize that steroids are one of the few "substances" that I have absolutely no experience with and I am completely ignorant of. Most of my understanding is probably based on stereotypes and misinformation. If any of you would be willing to answer the following questions I would appreciate it. Please remember I have ZERO knowledge of this.

-Are steroids usually injected or does oral work fine?
-Are there any health benefits to steroids for somebody who does not want to work out or gain weight?
-What are the usual side-effects?
-Is there any high or withdrawal, however subtle?
-What are the known long-term consequences of moderate consumption?
-Do you have to use every day?


If anybody wouldn't mind just providing a quick brief answer to any of those questions I'd appreciate it. I don't suspect I'll ever really consume any so I'd prefer to gather information from people who do instead of random websites.
 
Steroids are for people who have been lifting/training consistently for years and have reached a plateau and need an extra edge to boost them to the next level of their athleticism. They can be used for generally everything. They can have bad side effects, or (with proper guidance/cycling) none at all.

Withdrawals would have to be your natural testosterone levels being very low post-cycle. Which is why people typically have a post cycle treatment (PCT).
 
Very few steroids should be taken orally as most steroids in oral form are very harsh on your liver. It is more ideal to inject steroids.

If you aren't going to work out and build muscle, there is virtually no reason for you to take steroids, especially if you are otherwise a healthy adult.

There is no high or withdrawal, although using steroids without PCT is normally a horrible idea.

With some esters of testosterone, you would not dose daily but every 2 to 3 days (testosterone propionate), or for other ones, even longer (cypionate, ethanate, and so on). If you simply had testosterone by itself, I believe you would take that every day or twice per day.

The most common side effects can be mediated by specific drugs. I'll let someone else fill you in there. An example is how testosterone is converted into dihydrotestosterone; when DHT levels are higher than normal, this can cause pre-mature balding. It is best to test your hormone levels before, during, and after a cycle to be on the safe side.
 
Others in this forum know more about steroids -- through experience and knowledge -- than I'll probably every know. Anyway, I'll try to answer the questions without going into too much detail.

Disclosure: The only steroid I have personal experience with is testosterone (cypionate) at 250 mg for ten weeks.

-Are steroids usually injected or does oral work fine?

Some steroids come in inject-able form while others come in oral form; yet others come in both forms.

-Are there any health benefits to steroids for somebody who does not want to work out or gain weight?

Probably not, on balance.

( But I want to add my personal experience. I had an amphetamine problem for 18 months. Over the course of that time I lost almost all of my muscle that I had added through natural bodybuilding. Additionally, I felt weak physically from long term habituation. When I ultimately decided to stop using, I also decided to improve my chances of making a lasting recovery by taking testosterone. Upon discontinuing use, my weight was about 140 lbs at 5'7. This was down from 165 lbs at the height of my involvement with bodybuilding. I gained about 20-25 lbs of weight over the course of ten weeks. During those ten weeks I also smoked weed and hit the gym six days a week. At the end of the cycle I was physically strong enough to do things that would have been very doubtful before. So I think steroids can help for their intended purpose. I was very malnourished, lethargic, and low on morale. Test helped me overcome my physical weakness and poor self-image as a skinny, sick looking person.)

-What are the usual side-effects?

I'll stick with testosterone here. Testosterone is a highly anabolic-androgenic steroid. A portion of testosterone will aromatize to estrogen. The manifestation of this process can eventually cause: acne, shrunken testicles, prostate enlargement, water retention and gynecomastia. I personally experienced worse skin, definite water retention/bloat, shrunken balls, and high blood pressure.

-Is there any high or withdrawal, however subtle?

This depends on individual factors. Some people love the increased physical capabilities/body image and feel more powerful as a result. Post-cycle, off steroids they may feel psychological effects such as anxiety and depression.

-What are the known long-term consequences of moderate consumption?

I don't know too much about the documented implications, but here's an abridged list from http://www.steroid.com/steroids_side_effects.php:

Inhibition of natural hormone production
Liver damage
Adverse effects on cholesterol
Gynecomastia
Aggression/ mood swings.
Accelerated baldness
Cardiovascular damage
Enlarged Prostate
Kidney Problems
High Blood Pressure
Sterility


Moderate consumption is a subjective term. Some people would consider it a waste of time to take 250 mg of testosterone weekly. That is the lower side of the general dosage range with favorable effects to ordinary people; some professional bodybuilders inject no less than 2,000 mg of testosterone a week, in conjunction with a half dozen other steroids. In my judgment, you should monitor for liver damage, blood pressure, gynecomastia, and a lack of natural hormone production. I had blood work done during a cycle and my liver enzymes came back elevated. I wasn't conscious that steroids caused my elevated liver enzymes, so I took a test for hepatitis a, b, and c. Blood pressure is a big factor; it's what I hate most about being on. Imagine pressure in your head and overall body tension that causes chronic headaches. My chest became more fatty for sure. My balls took a while to return to their normal size. Note: I didn't do what is known as post-cycle therapy. PCT is initiated some time after a cycle to help return the body to its natural state, with respect to certain adverse effects.

-Do you have to use every day?

The answer depends on which steroid you're talking about. I injected test cyp once every week, because I had an ester form that was longer lasting and more slow to release (a few weeks), compared to say, test propionate, which is generally injected daily, because it has a shorter ester which causes it to take effect and be cleared more rapidly.


I hope others will feel free to correct/clarify any wrong/misleading information here and freely add to it, based on their knowledge and experience.
 
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