Steroid Abuse
After reading about steroids, I just can't believe why anyone would even risk their health or life taking them. There are soooooooo many side effects and health risks, why would anyone want to take the chance of messing up their life???

Here are some adverse effects and long term health risks of steroid abuse. Some are very serious, and some are potentially life threatening:

Both Males and Females:
Steroid use can shorten a users life.

Steroid use can cause liver damage and kidney failure, and liver and kidney tumors or even cancer may develop.

Steroids can cause high blood pressure.

Steroids can cause and jaundice - yellowing of the skin.

Steroids can cause fluid retention

Steroid abuse has been associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart attack and stroke, even in athletes younger than 30. Steroids contribute to the development of CVD, partly by changing the levels of lipoproteins that carry cholesterol in the blood. Steroids, particularly the oral types, can cause increases in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) - bad cholesterol, and decreases in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) - good cholesterol. High LDL and low HDL levels increase the risk of atherosclerosis, a condition in which fatty substances are deposited inside arteries and disrupt blood flow. If blood is prevented from reaching the heart, the result can be a heart attack. If blood is prevented from reaching the brain, the result can be a stroke. Steroids also increase the risk that blood clots will form in blood vessels, potentially disrupting blood flow and damaging the heart muscle so that it does not pump blood effectively.

Steroids increase your risk of infection. Sharing needles or using dirty needles to inject steroids puts you at risk for diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.

Steroids can affect a users mood and behavior. Steroids can make a user angry and hostile for no reason, such as increased irritability and aggression, even sending a user on a violent, angry rampage. There are recorded cases of murder attributed to intense anger from steroid use. Users may suffer from paranoid jealousy, delusions, and impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility.

Steroids can cause severe acne, cysts.

Steroids can make hair fall out.

Steroids can cause oily hair and skin.

Steroids can cause swelling of feet or ankles.

Steroids can cause aching joints.

Steroids can cause bad breath.

Steroids can cause nervousness.

Steroids can cause trembling.

Some users turn to other drugs to alleviate some of the negative effects of anabolic steroids.

Steroids used by adolescents, both male and female, are at risk of permanently halting their bone growth, which could result in shorter stature than nature had intended. This means that adolescents risk remaining short for the remainder of their lives if they take anabolic steroids before the typical adolescent growth spurt.

Males
Steroids can make guys grow breasts, a condition called gynecomastia.

Steroids can make guys experience a shrinking of their testicles, reduced sperm count, cause impotence or infertility.

Steroids use by guys increases the risk for prostate cancer.

Females
Steroids can make females become more masculine.

Steroids can make females voices deepen.

Steroids can make females breast size decreases.

Steroids use by females can cause menstrual abnormalities.

Steroids can make females grow beards and excessive body hair.

Steroids use by females can cause an increase in sex drive, and enlargement of the clitoris.

Steroids can be addictive. Withdrawal symptoms include:
Mood swings.
Fatigue.
Restlessness.
Loss of appetite.
Insomnia.
Reduced sex drive.
Steroid cravings.
Depression - One of the most dangerous withdrawal symptoms is depression, because, when persistent, it can sometimes lead to suicide attempts, and if left untreated, can persist for a year or more after the abuser stops taking the drugs.

It is illegal in the United States to use steroids without a valid prescription from a doctor.

I just want to say that I understand the impact steroids have on you and the people around you and nothing I am about to say should be taken seriously.
I can't help but make fun of a few of the side effects in an attempt to "look on the bright side" though. (I'm bored)


If your life sucks enough that you feel you need steroids, this might not be such a bad thing.


Well in California that could get you a perscription for marijuana, which would help fight that pesky roid-rage.


And we don't have a reality TV show dedicated to a house full of people on steroids because ?
Oh wait, I forgot about that UFC show on Spike.


If you're a garden variety geek, nobody would ever notice anyway.


So they can sport the Mr. Clean musclehead look without all of that pesky shaving.


Save on hair gel and, uh, wetsuit lube.


If your job entails being on your feel behind a register or podium all day, this would be a great excuse to get that stool you've been forbidden to have.


The Icy-Hot people always need new muscleheads to star in commercials.


When you're famous, you can get free gum by doing an Orbitz commercial.


So can blind dates.


Well if I'm spending all my money on those drugs, I wont have any left to buy steroids with.


That's just less bones to worry about when I get old and brittle.
I can save on milk.


You've never heard a guy say if he had a pair of those he'd never leave the house ?


Save money on condoms.


The AIDS will kill me long before that becomes a problem anyway.


Thus, less emotional ?


Where do they go, to the guy who's taking steroids ?


I've seen this menstral stuff first hand, there's nothing normal about that to begin with.


Maybe they wont be cold all the time then.


This is supposed to be a list of reasons why not to take steroids right ?

I saw a show on TV once about a guy that was addicted to steroids. His muscles were humongous. I forget the actual details, but I remember something about his bicep getting infected and swollen and it looked like it was about to pop. It looked extremely painful. Even before the guy's muscle got infected, his muscles looked so huge that it was just gross looking. I'm not sure why people want their muscles to be that big, when it doesn't look attractive at all!!! I'd rather look away, then look at them.

Joebert... that was funny... I laughed inside even though it is a serious subject.

I also think I saw the show you were talking about Tammy. The guy had muscles on top of muscles... it did not look normal... it didn't even look human. It all turns to fat when the guy gets old and stops taking the roids... and that's the best case scenario... It showed a recap show with him on it... he had to get half his muscle removed and it looks like a big lump cut out right in the middle of his arm...

While I was in baseball, I knew of a bunch of guys doing them... I thought about it, but then I thought steriods don't make muscles appear by magic and I didn't lift that many muscles so... I never did! I am glad I didn't take them, not worth it.