There are a ton of questions around steroids and even though it is kind of a taboo topic, it must be spoken about.
Why, you may ask? Well, because taking steroids is not like buying candy and it would be better if people were to properly educate themselves on the matter, before taking any actions.
There’s a ton of misinformation about performance enhancing drugs, so we figured we’d share some information with you.
One of the most common questions is “What happens when you STOP taking steroids?”
As you may or may not know, steroids are originally meant for people who have certain diseases or need an anti-aging therapy, also known as TRT (Testosterone replacement therapy).
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Now, before we move on to the negative side effects, let’s look at the POSITIVE ones first.
The only real positive effect of steroids, in HEALTHY men, who have no disease, is that you will reach and/or surpass your natural limit much faster.
Dr. Sam Robbins, who is a pharmacologist with a degree in endocrinology (the science of hormones), says the following:
“You’ll be able to get to your natural limit much faster and thus, after the cycle, you will keep SOME of the “newly grown” muscle. Let’s say you get 20 lbs of muscle on a 12 week cycle. You’ll end up losing 12 lbs when you stop and get to keep 8 lbs of muscle. This is NEW muscle that would’ve taken you YEARS to gain, which you fast-forwarded to in 3 months.”
-Dr. Sam Robbins
This however will only happen if you do everything CORRECTLY.
That means:
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- Doing the RIGHT cycle with the right amounts
- Doing the right workouts for your specific goal
- Paying close attention to your nutrition
- Last but most important- Proper post cycle therapy
This is the only real positive of performance enhancing drugs.
Short-term side effects
There are many annoying short-term side effects that are not really lethal or anything, but rather just decrease the quality of life.
1. Acne
Some people get it and some people don’t. It depends on your genetics, diet, hygiene and most importantly, the type of steroids that you’re using.
Usually, acne goes away after the cycle, but if you pick on the pimples, they will leave acne scars, which are the only permanent side effect in this specific case.
2. Liver stress
Your liver will be under extra stress because of steroids. Even with the injectables, but mainly with orals.
3. Fatigue
Many steroids will initially give you a boost of energy, but as time goes by, they can and will decrease your energy levels, especially oral steroids.
4. Cholesterol
Almost ALL steroids will cause negative effects on your lipid profile. Oral steroids are the worst in this case but so are most injectables that don’t convert to estrogen.
Now, your lipid profile will get back to normal after your cycle, if you exit correctly.
So, unless you’re abusing steroids for many years, your body will be able to heal itself post-cycle.
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5. High blood pressure
Just like cholesterol, your blood pressure will go back to normal after the steroid cycle.
HOWEVER! If your BP is too high for too long, you might actually get a stroke, and it could also cause rinal and kidney problems.
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Ultimately, that can result in kidney failure and dialysis.
So, if you’ve made the decision to enhance, keep an eye on your blood pressure.
Also, make sure to take natural herbs and supplements to help your lipid profile and blood pressure and last but not least, make sure your diet is on point.
Long term side effects
1. Hair loss
This is something that NOBODY wants. Now, even though hair loss is a matter of genetics and the types of steroids you take, even the people with the BEST genetics and the best quality steroids, will lose hair on high doses of steroids for long periods of time.
2. Testicular shrinkage
No. Steroids don’t make your penis shrink, contrary to popular belief. But fact of the matter is, they do make the testicles shrink.
Why? Well, because your testicles are what is responsible for your natural testosterone production.
And when you inject exogenous testosterone, you pretty much take away their work.
ALL steroids will cause this side effect. Now, your testicles will grow again after the cycle, but it is a very important mention here that they will NEVER be as big as they were before you took steroids.
3. Infertility
Did you know that male birth control is actually steroids?
This is because testosterone from the outside causes your balls to shrink and stop producing sperm.
Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, as some people may get a woman pregnant during a cycle.
However, that is not the case for the most part.
The real problem here is that this infertility continues even after the cycle for many men.
The longer you are on the sauce, the worse it gets.
4. Loss of sex drive
All steroids will decrease sex drive, except for pure testosterone. However, too much or too little testosterone will decrease your libido, due to conversion to other hormones, such as estrogen.
This is a no-no, as a low libido (sex drive) will negatively affect your relationship and mental plane.
Bad thing here is that low libido goes on even after the steroid cycle for most guys.
5. Mood
The biggest problem for most PED is the change in mood and personality.
Certain steroids will make you feel down, gloomy and depressed.
Even though you’re looking on the top of the mook juiced up, you’re actually dead inside.
Other steroids on the flipside, will make you aggressive and short-tempered.
Both of those side effects are bad for your relationships, be it intimate ones or just friends and family.
Lastly, the real problem is that these powerful steroids are VERY ADDICTIVE. Both physically and emotionally.
The mechanism of addiction is the same as with alcohol or any other recreational drug- You get addicted to the substance and the effects of it.
That’s why it is hard to get off steroids and stay off.
Bottom line
It is good to just remember that messing with the body’s natural hormone-producing systems is no good.
Anything that turns OFF your natural hormones will lead to an avalanche of side effects, both short and long-term.
Of course, genetics plays a big part in all of this, as does the type of steroids, dosage, duration and nutrition during cycle.
Needless to say however, no one was made for steroids, which is why 99,9% of users will experience side effects.
Ultimately, it is your body and you choose to decide what to do. Just make sure you properly educate and prepare yourself, if you were to ever take steroids.
Check out Dr. Sam Robbins’ video, to learn more about the effects and side effects of performance enhancing drugs
