Quick Legal Steroids Summary Points

• Steroids refer to anabolic-androgenic steroids designed to mimic the effects of testosterone.
• Steroids are used to treat a wide range of health issues but are often abused by athletes looking to gain a competitive edge in sports. 
• The illegal use of steroid is linked with serious, and often life-threatening side effects.
• The legal status of anabolic steroids varies by country and region and whether they are being used for medicinal purposes. 

What Are Steroids?

Steroids refer to anabolic-androgenic steroids, pharmaceutical substances that are legally produced to mimic the effects of testosterone, the male sex hormone. Even though humans produce this substance naturally, steroids raise levels of this hormone. They affect various parts of your body, such as your nervous system, reproduction, kidneys, liver, bones, hair follicles and muscles, but their masculinizing (androgenic) and muscle-building (anabolic) effects make them especially appealing to most athletes. Anabolic steroids can be in the form of a topical cream, injected into the skin, or taken orally as pills. There are many legal dietary supplements store fortified with certain steroid hormones, such as dehydroepiandrosterone. The human body transforms this substance into other steroid hormones, such as cortisol, estrogen, and testosterone. Athletes and bodybuilders are notorious for taking these supplements to increase muscle mass and strength. 

Steroid Uses

From a medical perspective, steroids are used to treat a wide range of health issues, such as eczema, multiple sclerosis, sciatica, hay fever, growth disorders, delayed puberty, AIDS, and cancer. In these cases, steroids are administered only after being prescribed by doctors and healthcare professionals. 

Steroids are designed to mimic hormones normally produced by the adrenal glands. When taken in high doses, steroids help to alleviate inflammatory conditions, such as eczema and asthma, reduce swelling, provide relief to painful joints and muscles, and slow down the activity of the immune system to treat autoimmune diseases. In certain diseases that cause a decrease in muscle mass, Anabolic-androgenic steroids can be used to preserve muscle mass and extend the lifespan of the patient.

However, it is not uncommon for people to use steroids illegally to improve their physique and boost athletic performance.  Bodybuilders and young men often get hooked to steroids to develop a more muscular appearance or to improve performance at sports. Even though Steroid use is banned by the International Olympic Committee as well as other professional sports organizations, lack of testing facilities help many athletes get away with steroid abuse.  Call them juice, gear, roids, vets’ drugs, or Caseys, remember that if steroids are not used under the supervision of health professionals, they may lead to serious repercussions. 

Side Effects of Steroids

Medical and healthcare professionals will never endorse steroid use, unless faced with a legitimate, life-threatening condition. This is because the serious, and often permanent, well documented and scientifically reported side effects associated with long-term steroid use, such as an elevated blood pressure, blood clots, enlargement of the left ventricle of the heart, Increase in bad LDL cholesterol and a decrease in good HDL cholesterol; all red flags for heart diseases and stroke.

 In addition, Steroid use can also lead to decreased glucose tolerance levels, liver damage, and excessive acne and accelerated balding. In some cases, steroid use has also resulted in a shrinkage of testicles, tendon ruptures, lower sperm count, Gynecomastia, and decreased fertility in males, while coarser skin, increased body hair, decreased breast size and body fat,  cessation of the menstrual cycle, and a muscular appearance in women. It’s also not uncommon to witness violence, mania and depression, delusions, rage, aggression, and irritability in long-term users of steroids. Steroids can cause cataracts or make your glaucoma worst, as well as lead to chorioretinopathy, an eye condition marked by fluid buildup in some parts of the eye. 

Even though proponents of steroids argue that these side effects are only seen in long-term usage at high dosages, some side effects can be witnessed after a single use.

Why Do Athletes Abuse Steroids

When it comes to the sports arena, especially bodybuilding, powerlifting, and Olympic weightlifting, athletes are forever looking for ways to gain an edge over the competition. Since anabolic steroids cause an increase in muscle tissue and muscle strength and power, a decrease in body fat percentage, enhanced red blood cell production, and promise better muscle endurance, enhanced recovery from workouts and injury, and better bone mineral density, these performance enhancing drugs are quite popular with athletes and body builders. By helping to increase muscle mass, these drugs promise increased speed and power outlet. 

Legal Status of Steroids

Certain countries, such as UK, USA, and Australia consider steroids as controlled substances. This translates to the fact that possession, use, and supply of steroids is considered illegal unless prescribed by a medical practitioner. In Australia, it is against the law to keep, make, use, sell or give away, or inject someone else with anabolic steroids, and the penalty varies from state to state, depending on charges to imprisonment. Illegal use of steroids carries a risk of severe consequences, but unfortunately, some athletes consider the gains worth the risk. The only way steroids can be consumed legally is when they are prescribed by a health practitioner for a legitimate medical condition.