All people face the dangers of steroids if taken for sports.
But for children they relate to inhibited growth and development along with the risk of future health problems as they grow into teenagers.
Yet, steroids have been popular with professional and amateur athletes, fitness buffs and even many little league coaches who have the mindset of win at all costs.
They have no problem with encouraging kids to take steroids. This includes both boys and girls even some children as young as 5th and 6th graders.
What are the risks of using steroids?
There are plenty, including liver damage, hormonal imbalance, cardiovascular complications and more that we will explore in this article. Buy legal steroids online here.
Table of Contents
Dangers of Steroids
The challenges of becoming a teen is hard enough without adding more problems.
If we examine the possibility of inhibited growth in boys, it’s a major emotional blow because of our culture that says boys should be big, tall and strong and they should definitely be taller than the girls.
Eye damage in children, and in many adults, can also be a side effect of taking corticosteroids, and other hormonal drugs.
In the May 2006 edition of “Ophthalmologica” the researchers reviewed 45 corticosteroid cases in children with kidney dysfunction.
As a result of the drugs, almost half of the children experienced various forms of drug-induced ocular problem such as cataract formation, and ocular hypertension.
It was determined that these changes were a direct result of the drug use, the duration of drug treatment and the dose used during treatment.
The Serious Effects Of Steroids and Toddlers
The dangers of steroids in toddlers can be major because steroids can alter their reproductive maturation.
As a result, they can even develop problems from indirect steroid exposure.
We’re not saying this exposure was done on purpose, but regardless there are actual case reports presented in the July 2004 edition of the medical journal “Pediatrics” which describe several instances of premature development in both male and female children.
None of these children were given steroids, yet all had received indirect exposure.
Unfortunately, passive absorption occurred as a result of parents using steroid creams and then touching or holding the children.
Dangers Of Steroids In Bodybuilding With Teens
To cite one sad example of the dangers of steroids in teens, there is the case of 17-year-old Taylor Hooten, an incredible young man who could easily be described as the ideal son.
He was outgoing, well liked with many friends, and very active in his church.
Taylor was an excellent student who carried a 3.8 grade average with ease. As a pitcher for his high school baseball team, he was totally committed to baseball and wanted to achieve more.
In a meeting with his coach, he was told that he had to bulk up to succeed.
Taylor made a choice to bulk up by injecting anabolic steroids.
He gained 30 pounds of muscle in 90 days which is a lot for anyone to gain in that time frame. According to his family, he looked fantastic and healthy thanks to his workouts.
No one, including his father, knew about his drug dealer that he would meet at the YMCA where he worked out.
Although his parents were not aware of his steroid use things seemed fine.
According his father speaking on behalf of the family, to the best of their knowledge, Taylor started using steroid injections in January, and committed suicide in July.
A young life cut short due to the dangers of steroids.
What Are The Dangers Of Using Steroids?
As a point of information, these drugs are known by the following names:
- androstenedione,
- anabolic steroids,
- human growth hormone (HGH),
- erythropoietin, creatine,
- diuretics, and stimulants.
- untested designer drugs
Steroids are also produced in the body, which can be confusing to many because they figure if it’s naturally produced, then taking extra should be fine.
What do steroids actually do to your body?
Anabolic androgenic steroids are manufactured compounds rooted in the natural hormone testosterone.
So to understand what steroids do to the body, you have to begin with the function of testosterone in the body.
Many think of testosterone as the hormone that makes people more “manly.”
While it does regulate the development of male sexual characteristics, it is also the hormone behind a healthy musculoskeletal system.
The wide variety of steroids available on the market means there are anabolic drugs designed for specific purposes like bulking, cutting and improved strength.
But what they all have in common is the ability to trigger changes in the way the body metabolizes protein and nutrients for the purpose of muscle tissue development.
The purpose behind taking the anabolic steroids is to increase strength and muscle mass, aid protein synthesis in muscle tissue and help the process while increasing training intensity.
Additionally, the steroids also help many athletes recover from hard workouts faster. It’s easy to understand why recovery is important.
What are the negative effects of steroids?
There’s no question that anabolic steroids come with serious physical side effects as well as some mental challenges and serious mood changes.
Men taking steroids may develop:
- Prominent breasts
- Baldness (This side effect can compound the fact that 80 percent of men suffer from balding issues)
- Shrunken testicles
- Infertility
- Impotence
- Infertility and/or impotence
- Shrunken testicles
Women may develop:
- A much deeper voice
- An enlarged clitoris
- Increased body hair
- Baldness
- Infrequent or even absent periods
- An increase in body hair along with a deeper voice
- An enlarged clitoris
- Absent or infrequent monthly periods
Both men and women might experience:
- Liver tumors and/or liver abnormalities
- Severe acne
- A lowering of the good cholesterol and an increase in the bad cholesterol
- Hypertension, circulatory issues and heart problems
- Depression and mood swings
- Aggression, violence, and anger
- If steroid drug injecting is involved, infections may surface along with the development of diseases such as HIV
- Tendon rupture
- Risk of Tendonitis
The Dangers Of Steroids – Rheumatoid Arthritis
What is a dangerous effect of anabolic steroids?
Rheumatoid arthritis is a distinct possibility with the use of these powerful drugs.
Inflammation is the natural process where the body’s white blood cells and chemicals protect the body against infection and foreign organisms, which may include bacteria and viruses.
With rheumatoid arthritis, the body’s immune system may not function properly because it’s in overdrive.
This may cause inflammation to work against the body’s own tissues, which results in tissue damage.
Patients may initially take 5 to 60mg of prednisone daily as needed based on the severity of the symptoms.
The use of HGH, human growth hormone, a substance that was quite the rage a number of years ago may include the following health issues:
- Retention of fluid
- Joint pain
- Muscle weakness
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Impaired glucose regulation
- Cardiomyopathy
- High cholesterol (hyperlipidemia)
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
The Dangers of Anabolic Steroids
Prednisone’s common side effects include facial/back acne, hair growth, headaches, heartburn, trouble sleeping, nightmares, mood changes, anger, muscle weakness, extreme fatigue, night sweats, happiness, and bruising which may become severe.
Frequent checkups and blood tests are important in avoiding and minimizing the dangers of steroid use.
Anabolic Steroids DiabetesCan you Drink While Taking SteroidsDangers of SteroidsNegative Effects SteroidsSide Effects of Performance Enhancing DrugsSigns of Steroid UsersSteroid AbuseSteroid GutSteroids and Sex DriveSteroids Hair LossSteroids Heart AttacksSteroid Shot Side EffectsSteroids Hpta AxisSteroid Side EffectsSteroids Liver Damage SymptomsSteroids Side Effects for MenSteroids With Least Side EffectsSteroids With No Water RetentionSteroid WithdrawalReferences
- Hughes TK Jr et al . Potential for the effects of anabolic steroid abuse in the immune and neuroendocrine axis. J Neuroimmunol. 1998 Mar 15;83(1-2):162-7. Review.
- Christou MA et al . Effects of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids on the Reproductive System of Athletes and Recreational Users: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2017 Mar 4. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0709-z. [Epub ahead of print] Review.
- Kuhn CM. Anabolic steroids. Recent Prog Horm Res. 2002;57:411-34. Review.
- Zarubina NA. [Anabolic steroids: their basic properties and clinical use]. Sov Med. 1982;(5):83-8. Review. Russian. No abstract available.
- Soliman G et al . Anabolic steroids and malnutrition in chronic renal failure. Perit Dial Int. 1994;14(4):362-5. Review.
- Hatton CK et al . Detection of androgenic anabolic steroids in urine. Clin Lab Med. 1987 Sep;7(3):655-68. Review.
- Creutzberg EC et al . Anabolic steroids. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 1999 May;2(3):243-53. Review.
- de la Torre Abril L et al . [Management of male sterility in patients taking anabolic steroids]. Arch Esp Urol. 2005 Apr;58(3):241-4. Spanish.
- Masi AT et al . Low adrenal androgenic-anabolic steroids in women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA): gas-liquid chromatographic studies of RA patients and matched normal control women indicating decreased 11-deoxy-17-ketosteroid excretion. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 1984 Aug;14(1):1-23. Review.
- Liane BJ et al . Guerilla Warfare on the Pancreas? A Case of Acute Pancreatitis From a Supplement Known to Contain Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids. Mil Med. 2016 Oct;181(10):e1395-e1397.
- Socas L et al . Hepatocellular adenomas associated with anabolic androgenic steroid abuse in bodybuilders: a report of two cases and a review of the literature. Br J Sports Med. 2005 May;39(5):e27. Review.
- Kious BM. Philosophy on steroids: why the anti-doping position could use a little enhancement. Theor Med Bioeth. 2008;29(4):213-34. doi: 10.1007/s11017-008-9078-9. Epub 2008 Oct 22.
1 Comment
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