What is Testosterone and anabolic steroids

Testosterone is the most important sex hormone in the male body. Testosterone also plays an important role in the female body, but the concentrations are much lower. Anabolic steroids are synthetic derivatives of testosterone. Testosterone has androgenic (producing male features) and anabolic (tissue-growing) effects. Anabolic steroids and testosterone are used both to improve performance in competitive sports and to improve muscle growth and appearance among fitness enthusiasts.

Medical use

Both testosterone and anabolic steroids are doping substances within the meaning of the Regulation (705/2002) relating to the first paragraph of Section 16 of Chapter 44 of the Penal Code. They are classified as prescription drugs that are only allowed to be used to treat diseases approved by the drug authorities.

These diseases include pituitary or testicular-derived testosterone deficiency, various anemias, bone loss, and chronic conditions associated with protein loss and delayed tissue healing. Testosterone is also used to treat menopausal symptoms in men.

Testosterone is used as injections or oral testosterone undecanoate capsules containing various testosterone esters (e.g., testosterone propionate, testosterone enanthate, testosterone phenylpropionate, testosterone isocaproate, testosterone decanoate, testosterone undecanoate). Anabolic steroids are available in both injections and tablets.

Doping

Anabolic steroids and testosterone are used both to improve performance in competitive sports and to improve muscle growth and appearance among fitness enthusiasts. About one percent of the Finnish adult population has used doping substances at least once in their lives. When a healthy person uses hormones, this often causes hormonal disorders. Doping is typically about raising the body's normal levels of anabolic substances to unnaturally high levels, which increases the risk of side effects.

Side effects

The side effects are very individual and their severity can vary considerably between individuals. As most users of doping substances are still under the age of 50, the long-term effects of the substances are yet to be seen.

Anabolic steroids with their potential impurities cause side effects in almost all organs. Typical health effects associated with anabolic steroids and their non-medical replacement therapies include cardiovascular disease, hepatotoxicity, renal failure, mood disorders, and sexual dysfunction.

Based on the research data, it can be assumed that the use of anabolic steroids leads to increased morbidity and mortality and promotes the risk of sudden cardiac death in particular. The risk of premature death for users of anabolic steroids and testosterone is up to 3-4.6 times higher than in control groups.

The link between the use of anabolic steroids and aggressive behavior has not been conclusively proven. It is more likely that an already aggressive person will start using anabolic steroids than that the use of the substances alone would lead to aggressive behavior. However, it may be that concomitant use of drugs and anabolic steroids in particular triggers or increases the risk of pre-existing aggressive behavior.

The risks of use in women are similar but higher than in men. Because women naturally have significantly less testosterone in their bodies, high doses of anabolic steroids cause masculine features and other changes, some of which remain permanent.

In young adults, on the other hand, growth may stagnate and result in short stature.

Other risks

Other risks and side effects associated with the use of fitness doping include the risks of infection associated with injecting, the unknown origin of the substances and possible contaminants, and the stigma associated with use.

Discontinuation of anabolic steroids can cause a condition similar to withdrawal symptoms, like sexual dysfunction, fatigue, depression, and even suicide may occur upon discontinuation of high doses. After discontinuation, gonadotropin levels usually return within 13 to 24 weeks. However, the recovery of hormonal activity may take months to years. In a small percentage of individuals, a hormonal function may never return to normal and they need testosterone replacement therapy. Withdrawal symptoms can drive users into the cycle of hormone use. It is estimated that about 30% of users experience addiction.

Side effects of self-medication

The multi-user package includes so-called post cycle therapy (PCT) agents. These typically include antiestrogens (also: SERM, selective estrogen receptor modulator, aromatase inhibitors ) and placental hormone. These agents are often used between courses, i.e., when anabolic steroids are discontinued or the dose size is reduced. The purpose of these substances is to revive their hormone production, but there are similar risks to the use of other doping substances. For example, it is almost impossible to know the content of a PCT substance obtained on the black market.

Investigation of side effects of anabolic steroids

The abuse of anabolic steroids should be inquired if the patient's symptoms suggest adverse effects of steroids. The use of doping agents is sometimes accompanied by a fear of stigmatization, and the patient may not want to report their behavior openly. This article explains what your doctor should look for when you suspect the side effects of using anabolic steroids.

Side effects of anabolic steroids

General symptoms

Skin symptoms

Liver function

Cardiovascular

Male gender functions

• testicular sperm loss (infertility)
• Prostatic Hyperplasia
• with prolonged use, testicular atrophy and increased risk of prostate cancer
• breast growth
• often initially an increase in sexual desire, followed by the use of impotence

Female gender functions

• menstrual disorders
• breast reduction
• sound attenuation
• clitoral enlargement
• uterine atrophy.

Studies used

The following laboratory tests are suitable for basic studies of the user of anabolic substances:

Liver function

• ALT (liver enzyme from blood)
• Liver echocardiography provides more detailed information on the structure of liver tissue.

Sex hormones and reproductive capacity

in men

• semen analysis of semen
• Testo (testosterone) and FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) from a blood sample
• in the recovery phase of LH (luteinizing hormone) from a blood sample

in women

• information about the menstrual cycle if menstruation has been absent for a long time
• Testo (testosterone), Estrad (estradiol, female hormone) and FSH (follicle stimulating hormone)

Fat metabolism

• total cholesterol
• bad cholesterol (LDL-Kol)
• good cholesterol (HDL-Kol)
• triglyceride value (Trigly), from blood samples

Thyroid function

Heart and circulatory system

• blood pressure (RR) measurement
• cardiac film (ECG)
• Echocardiography reveals thickening of the heart wall and an abnormal structure of the heart.
• lung x-ray (thorax x-ray)
• fasting blood sugar (fP-Gluk), glucose test (Pt-Gluk-R)

Change

• Depression and addiction can be assessed using standardized surveys.
• The use of uncleaned needles carries a risk of hepatitis and HIV infection. They can be tested by laboratory tests.

The patient, in turn, should remember that the doctor has a duty of confidentiality. Tell your credit doctor about possible steroid use to make further investigations easier.

Anabolic steroids shrink the brains of gymnasts

Steroids directly destroy brain cells or adversely affect cerebral circulation.

Anabolic steroids are derivatives of the male sex hormone testosterone used by bodybuilders and weightlifters to increase muscle mass. Overuse of anabolic steroids is known to predispose to psychiatric disorders and impaired intellectual performance. The Norwegian research team sought to find out how the use of anabolic steroids affects brain structures.

The study group consisted of 82 gymnastics enthusiasts who had used anabolic steroids to increase muscle mass for at least a year. 68 gymnasts in the control group had never used anabolic steroids. Both groups underwent 3 T magnetic resonance imaging of the brain.

Users of anabolic steroids had a smaller cortical volume, less gray matter, and less basal putamen than those who had not used the substances.

The cerebral cortex, which functionally connects the cerebral hemispheres, was also lower in anabolic steroid users, but the finding was no longer significant after Bonferroni correction. In users of anabolic steroids, gray matter loss in the brain was concentrated in the cerebral and occipital lobe on the left, and in the forebrain and temporal lobe in addition to these areas on the right. The amount of gray matter in the brain was significantly lower in those who had used anabolic steroids for more than 10 years (n = 32) than in those who had used it for less than 10 years (n = 23).

As this was a cross-sectional study, the researchers try to eliminate confounding factors by finding out e.g. the association of factors predisposing to the use of anabolic steroids with the small size of the brain. However, differences in brain size were not explained by linguistic intelligence (thought to reflect long-term intelligence), previous drug use, previous alcohol consumption, attention deficit disorder, or psychiatric symptoms.

According to the study, excessive use of anabolic steroids reduces brain volume, either by directly destroying brain cells or adversely affecting cerebral circulation. For example, in the case of drug addiction, weight loss disorder, and schizophrenia, a decrease in brain gray matter volume is associated with a decrease in intellectual performance.

Are Anabolic Steroids Dangerous?

The 17-year-old boy asks where to get a doctor’s prescription for anabolic steroids. He has no illness or growth-related defect, medications would come for strength training. Without a doctor's prescription, medicines could be ordered online, but they cannot be taken out of duty. Is it dangerous to take these drugs?

This must be answered as clearly as possible: forget the whole thing! It is common knowledge that anabolic hormones are used in weight rooms when there is a rush to increase muscle mass. There is no clear researched evidence of the effectiveness of the drugs, but belief in it is strong. In general, substances are likely to be smuggled because they are not prescribed by a sensible and ethically responsible doctor to a healthy young person and may not be legally imported, even if purchased online. Admittedly, according to customs laboratory tests, these online medicines are little of what happens, ineffective lime tablets, or quite other chemicals.

Anabolic steroids are used as a medicine when a person has a real hormone deficiency or muscle or bone loss due to a disease. They should not be used by a healthy person, especially a 17-year-old who is not yet developing. The effects of extra hormones on metabolism (diabetes), liver (liver damage and tumors), heart (arrhythmias, coronary heart disease), skin (acne), mood (depression, sleep disorders, delusions) and genitals (testicular pain, infertility) are so many life-threatening that increasing muscle mass with steroid doping can in no way be justified.

The pressures can still be severe if the gym “everyone else” is exercising and in a circle of friends only muscle size matters. There may not be as much talk about the risk of side effects. However, a recent study of bodybuilders using anabolic steroids found that more than 99 percent of those surveyed had suffered from three or more side effects. The most common were acne, sleep disturbances, mood swings, decreased testicular size and sexual disturbances, breast growth, and fluid retention.

There are probably exaggerated perceptions of the effectiveness of steroid doping. In doping, when doses are often 10 to 100 times those used in the treatment of diseases, there is no clear scientific evidence of their doping efficacy. At least part of this is explained by the snow effect as well as the fact that the agents increase aggression and thus training motivation. Would that motivation be found in more natural ways?