Anabolic steroid

The anabolic steroids, technically known as androgenic anabolic steroids, are steroids derived from the androgen group that chemically decrease the androgenic and virilizing effects and increase the anabolic actions. Although some advances have been made, these two fundamental actions have not been completely separated, and for this reason anabolic androgens retain their virilizing effects, more evident in women and with prolonged use.

Classification

The classification of EAAs takes the testosterone molecule as its central axis and in this way 3 well-defined groups can be determined according to their chemical structure and function. The importance of grouping drugs has to do with the ease of remembering characteristics in common, both those related to the positive effects, as well as those related to the negative effects.

1.♪ group:

• Testosterone and derivatives. Some examples: Propionate, Suspension, Sustanon 100, Sustanon 250, Omnadren, Sten, Test 400, Testoviron, Cypionate, Undecanato, Enantato, Boldenona, Metiltestosterone, Metandrostenolona.

2.o group:

• Dihydrotestosterone and derivatives. Some examples: Drostanolona, Oximetolona, Estanozolol, Metenolona, Oxandrolona, Etilestrenol, Testolactone, Dromostenolona.

3.♪ group:

• Nandrolone and derivatives. Some examples: Dean of Nandrolona, Fenylpropionate of Nandrolona, Noretandrolona, Etilestrenol, Trembolona, Laurabolin.

Adverse effects

The presence of adverse effects is strongly related to the formation of metabolites produced during the transformations that testosterone undergoes in plasma, in addition to this, the anabolic androgens better known as "steroids" 34;, cause serious effects on the sexual vigor of the man. Among these transformations, the formation of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and estrogens predominate.

The formation of DHT is known as reduction and this reaction involves the enzyme called 5 alpha reductase. Dihydrotestosterone is the metabolite considered responsible for Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy, alopecia, acne formation and aggressiveness. The formation of estrogens is known as aromatization and it involves the enzyme called aromatase that converts testosterone into estradiol.

Estradiol is responsible for producing gynecomastia, fluid retention, arterial hypertension, lipogenesis and Testicular Atrophy (oligospermia) via blocking the production of FSH and LH by binding to receptors in the pituitary. This internal control mechanism, between the different sex hormones, is what makes the alternative of using estrogen receptor blockers at the pituitary level viable (to increase the production of FSH and LH) with the subsequent increase in endogenous testosterone levels.. The practice of using blockers of this type, such as clomiphene and tamoxifen, is common among anabolic steroid users to recover testicular function after a cycle of anabolic use.

• Other adverse effects: Hepatic dysfunctions, changes in cholesterol levels, decrease in immunoglobulins.

Anabolic androgenic steroids, although they are not narcotic or psychotropic substances, are consumed in many cases with a pattern of abuse in many sports, so the consumption of anabolic steroids for recreational, aesthetic or competitive purposes is considered by many psychiatrists as a drug addiction, which produces short and long-term health problems, physical and also in some mental cases, of the type of psychosis.

Anabolic steroids are synthetic substances related to the male sex hormones (androgens). They cause the growth of skeletal muscle (anabolic effects), the development of male sexual characteristics (androgenic effects), and have a few other effects as well. The term "anabolic steroid" here because of their familiarity, although the correct term for these compounds is 'anabolic-androgenic' steroids.

Anabolic steroids were developed in the late 1930s primarily to treat hypogonadism, a condition in which the testicles do not produce enough testosterone for normal growth, development, and sexual function. Paradoxically, these types of compounds cause atrophy of the testicles and hormonal alterations that prevent the formation of spermatozoa, which can cause irreversible damage and cause sterility in men. The primary medical uses of these compounds are the treatment of delayed puberty, some types of impotence, and wasting of the body caused by AIDS infection or other diseases.

During that decade, scientists discovered that anabolic steroids could facilitate the growth of skeletal muscle in laboratory animals, leading to the use of these compounds first by bodybuilders and weightlifters and later by athletes in other sports. Steroid abuse has become so widespread in athletics that it affects the outcome of athletic competitions.

Over 200 different anabolic steroids have been developed, but a prescription is required to legally use them in the United States. Most illegally used steroids are smuggled from other countries, smuggled out of US pharmacies, or synthesized in clandestine laboratories.

Most users are high-performance athletes, so they must resort to ergogenic aids that allow them to reach the highest levels of the sport they practice.

Scientific data and experience indicate that resistance training and proper diet can increase lean muscle mass and strength in people using anabolic steroids. However, there is no concrete evidence that anabolic steroids increase endurance or speed. Non-scientific experience suggests that athletes using anabolic steroids may perform high-intensity exercise more frequently, although there are no studies confirming this effect and the mechanisms involved are not known. You can only perceive an increase in athletic performance.

Use in athletes

Athletes can take steroids for a period of time, stop taking them, and start taking the drugs again several times during a year (cycles). The intermittent rest periods are thought to allow endogenous testosterone levels, sperm counts, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis to return to normal. Unscientific experiences suggest that these cycling periods may decrease harmful effects and the need for increased doses to obtain the desired effect.

Use in children

Drugs used as puberty blockers in trans children or childhoods may be analogues of anabolic androgenic steroids or analogues of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRHa).

Signs and symptoms

The most characteristic sign is an exaggeratedly dramatic and rapid increase in body mass. If users weight train and eat a high calorie, high protein diet while taking anabolic steroids, both strength and muscle mass increase. Increases in energy levels and libido levels (in men) can occur, but are more difficult to identify.

The safety of anabolic steroid use is questionable. Methyltestosterone, 200 mg/week, produces no adverse effects (including not on personality), except for a slight increase in acne. Most adverse effects occur with doses greater than 200 mg weekly of methyltestosterone. The effects of long-term treatments have not been studied, nor have the effects of extraordinarily high doses used by some athletes, especially bodybuilders, who sometimes use doses equivalent to several grams of methyltestosterone per week.

Psychological effects that occur (usually at very high doses) are frequently reported by families and include severe mood swings, irrational behavior, increased aggressiveness ("steroid rage"), irritability, depression and dependency.

Increased acne is one of the few adverse effects that can cause a teen to seek medical attention. Jaundice, indicating liver dysfunction, may occur but is usually associated with oral anabolic steroid use. Musculotendinous injuries and liver dysfunctions or tumors (benign and malignant) can also occur. When consumption is carried out before or during puberty, we can find ourselves with premature closure of the epiphyses of the bones that possibly decrease the final height. Hypertension, increases in low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and decreases in high-density lipoproteins (HDL) may contribute to increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Males may develop gynecomastia, testicular atrophy, and azoospermia.

However, the abuse of these substances leads to a series of fertility problems:

• In man there is a blockage in the formation of sperm in the testicles, along with a decrease in the testicles since the production of sperm ceases, there is also an erectile dysfunction and decrease in libido, with a growth and development of the breasts (ginecomastia), by the increase of estrogens.

In the event that you want to become a father in the future, it is advisable to freeze semen before starting steroid cycles.

• In the woman there are changes in the menstrual cycle with tables of anovulation and cessation of menstruation, together with an appearance of typical male characters such as the increase of hair in typically male areas, acne, baldness, severe voice, etc.

The consumption of these substances can lead to addiction in the people who consume them, leading to serious health problems when trying to stop drinking such as fatigue, agitation and insomnia

Virilizing effects in women

Some virilizing effects in women may be irreversible, for example alopecia, clitoral enlargement, hirsutism, and deepening of the voice. The size of the breasts may decrease, the vaginal mucosa may atrophy, there are menstrual disorders with anovulatory phases, libido may increase or less frequently decrease, and appetite and aggressiveness may be increased. Use as puberty blockers in girls may have irreversible effects.

Permitted medical uses

Anabolic steroids also have medical indications. Due to its anticatabolic properties and improvement of protein utilization, they are used in the treatment of burnt, bedridden or other debilitated patients to prevent muscle atrophy.

Diagnosis and prevention

Urinalysis can detect anabolic steroid users. Anabolic steroid metabolites can be detected in urine for up to 6 months (even longer for some types of anabolic steroids) after cessation of use.

Education and information on the use of anabolic steroids should begin at the school level (secondary education). Teachers, professors, coaches (especially American football, basketball, wrestling, etc.), health professionals, schoolchildren, as well as adolescents and their parents should be educated.