Consequences of steroid use

Today I’m going to talk to you, from my point of view, about what I have observed as a self-taught person regarding the consequences of steroid use. Or rather, the effects of steroids.

It is very important that, when you ask yourself about the effects of steroids, you consider both the positive effects and the negative effects associated with using these substances. And you should always prioritize the negative effects over the positive ones.

Negative effects of steroids

The first negative effect that occurs in athletes, or rather, in steroid users, is inhibition of the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis. In other words, the hypothalamus and pituitary gland may stop producing hormones. This is especially apparent in blood tests, such as measurements of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone, FSH and LH, the former being the first precursor after gonadotropin. There is a belief that this inhibition reverses after taking a break. Many athletes believe this, and before starting another steroid cycle, they have another blood test and are surprised to see that the levels remain at 0.01 or 0.03—completely suppressed!

In these cases, people usually consult an endocrinologist or specialist to see whether it is reversible; the specialist will tell them, first of all, to stop using steroids and then to give the body a reasonable amount of time to recover. Depending on the country, the endocrinologist or specialist may even recommend medications such as clomiphene citrate, tamoxifen, or gonadotropin, always depending on the individual.

In my experience, I can say that even with these medications, 90% of athletes do not recover. This is true even when they notice a slight or small increase that leads them to believe that, with proper regulation and a little more time, complete recovery will take place.

The next negative effect is more of a side effect. It is caused by the first negative effect and results in the need for lifelong replacement therapies and/or medication.

The third consequence of steroid use is very well known in circles of athletes who use them. It is increased aggression or abnormal behavior caused by excessive androgen use. The greater the androgen consumption, the greater the strength, protein synthesis, muscle-mass production, alertness, and aggression.

In this case, I always like to use a very funny and simple example. The difference between someone who abuses steroids and someone who does not abuse them becomes very clear when they are driving a car. If, on arriving at an intersection, the driver in front honks at them for no reason, the person who abuses steroids will get out of the car and confront the driver who honked. Whereas if androgen levels are low, they may take it more calmly.

There is another clear example of this in the animal world, namely when an animal is castrated. What is intended, or usually sought, is for the animal to be more relaxed and calm. In the case of excessive steroid use, however, the opposite happens, and practically any problem is exacerbated.

How can you tell when steroid use is excessive?

For me, an excess of steroids, and therefore a consequence of steroid use, is anything more than double the body’s physiological amount. In other words, if genuine TRT or replacement therapy to maintain normal testosterone levels without an imbalance in the other hormones is 250 mg every 2 weeks, then obviously anything above that can cause problems.

Using the example of consuming 250 mg per week, that is already double the amount. It may depend on each person’s age, because late-onset hypogonadism—that is, a person’s natural hypogonadism—will eventually appear with age, just like menopause in women. Therefore, the way the body responds will vary depending on the exogenous testosterone. Returning to this example of consuming 250 mg per week, it may be possible to control it. But from 500 mg of androgen per week onward, behavior generally tends to change, especially when there is a problem, because you may no longer have the patience to discuss things or think.

Keep in mind that this can be viewed in many ways, and without generalizing, but this is what normally tends to happen.

The steroid has something to do with it, and it is very difficult to control because hormones are very difficult to control, both in men and women. When a woman is in a certain phase of her menstrual cycle and has an imbalance, whether high or low, she may feel like laughing or crying. All of this is determined by hormones; ultimately, hormones are messengers, and they cannot simply be ignored.

Conclusions about the consequences of steroid use

In summary, everyone is free to do whatever they want and whatever they please, but they should have knowledge of both the benefits and the drawbacks in order to use them properly.

As for the belief that steroids affect women more, I do not believe that is the case. It depends both on the steroid and on the amount. What is true is that in sports doping, there are no estrogenic pharmaceutical products for increasing muscle mass. There are androgens, and in that case a woman will ultimately have to take the least androgenic product, but it is still androgenic. Depending on the individual woman, it may or may not cause more adverse effects, but it is not a matter of affecting her more or less.

Remember that you can find more information about this topic in the following YouTube video from the MASmusculo channel