# Convince me not to take steroids. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 10, 2007, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359 "2007-01-10T01:52:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/21 "2007-01-10T07:16:50Z")
And of course, in the case of Me vs. Stupid Coding Buttons, we all know who wins. ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/22 "2007-01-10T07:32:19Z")
> **[Lyle Alzado](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyle_Alzado)** > > Lyle Martin Alzado (April 3, 1949 – May 14, 1992) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end of the National Football League (NFL), famous for his intense and intimidating style of play. > Alzado played 15 seasons, splitting his time among the Denver Broncos, the Cleveland Browns, and finally the Los Angeles Raiders with whom he won a championship in Super Bowl XVIII. He was a three-time All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowl selection. > Alzado was born in Brownsville, Brooklyn... ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/23 "2007-01-10T08:54:57Z")
I’ve been on steroids, as prescribed by a physician or physician’s assistant. I have breathing problems, and when I get pneumonia or bronchitis or whatever, sometimes the only way I can breathe is by using steroids. When I asked why I wasn’t prescribed steroids more often, I was told that they can eat away at my bones and that they also play hell with my blood sugar. In fact, one doctor told me that the reason I had to go on insulin was because I’d had to have too many steroid treatments, and they damaged my islets’ ability to produce insulin. I am all right with having had the treatments, though…being able to breathe is very pleasant. I now take preventive measures (inhaled steroid treatments, which don’t have so many bad side effects) so I don’t need to have injected or oral steroids. I don’t know about other people, but when I had injected or oral steroid treatments, I really had feeding frenzies. I think I was eating about 5000 calories a day, and still wanted more, more, MORE. I was also very active, physically, I couldn’t be still. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/24 "2007-01-10T09:40:23Z")
Almost any kind of medication puts additional load on your liver (steroids do). This will not lead to direct problems immediately unless you already have some kind of liver deficiency, but it’s putting additional stress on the organ that does a lot of your complex chemical reactions. Every cell in your body strings aminoacids up into proteins, but the ability to change one aminoacid into another, as far as we know, is highly centered on the liver. The liver can turn fats into sugars, sugars into fats; it’s where your body stores sugars for when you need a lot of energy real fast. You want to screw with it, go ahead, but my mother (admittedly female) couldn’t take replacement estrogens because they made her try to puke up her guts. It was not fun. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/25 "2007-01-10T13:21:59Z")
So shrinking testicles, turning into an asshole, liver failure, kidney failure and cancer aren’t quite convincing deterrents then? I don’t know what else to tell you. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/26 "2007-01-10T13:57:03Z")
[QUOTE=The Chao Goes Mu] So shrinking testicles, turning into an asshole, liver failure, kidney failure and cancer aren’t quite convincing deterrents then? I don’t know what else to tell you. [/QUOTE] Again, there is NO evidence of serious complications that you mention above assuming you are a healthy male. None. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/27 "2007-01-10T14:04:05Z")
[QUOTE=Lynn Bodoni] I’ve been on steroids, as prescribed by a physician or physician’s assistant. I have breathing problems, and when I get pneumonia or bronchitis or whatever, sometimes the only way I can breathe is by using steroids. When I asked why I wasn’t prescribed steroids more often, I was told that they can eat away at my bones and that they also play hell with my blood sugar. In fact, one doctor told me that the reason I had to go on insulin was because I’d had to have too many steroid treatments, and they damaged my islets’ ability to produce insulin. I am all right with having had the treatments, though…being able to breathe is very pleasant. I now take preventive measures (inhaled steroid treatments, which don’t have so many bad side effects) so I don’t need to have injected or oral steroids. I don’t know about other people, but when I had injected or oral steroid treatments, I really had feeding frenzies. I think I was eating about 5000 calories a day, and still wanted more, more, MORE. I was also very active, physically, I couldn’t be still. [/QUOTE] That sounds like prednisone or a similar drug. While it is a steroid, it’s not an anabolic/androgenic steroid, which is what is under discussion here. Steroids are a very wide class of compounds that includes cholesterol and anything chemically similar to cholesterol in particular ways. > [@The Chao Goes Mu](#): > > So shrinking testicles, turning into an asshole, liver failure, kidney failure and cancer aren’t quite convincing deterrents then? So far I haven’t seen any cites to medical journals showing that there is such a risk. Got one? > [@FiveYearLurker](#): > > You’re probably right, but realistically, I’m not going to quit my job and spend five hours a day in the gym. I’m essentially at a realistic limit. I’ve already shown the dedication to a healthy lifestyle by spending a bit more than ten years consistently (I’ve had a bad week here and there, but never a bad month) hitting the gym almost daily. Yeah, that’s my point. Intelligent training for strength and size involves spending no more than three to four hours a week lifting, and maybe half that for some form of aerobic exercise. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/28 "2007-01-10T14:12:26Z")
[QUOTE=Lynn Bodoni] I’ve been on steroids, as prescribed by a physician or physician’s assistant. I have breathing problems, and when I get pneumonia or bronchitis or whatever, sometimes the only way I can breathe is by using steroids. When I asked why I wasn’t prescribed steroids more often, I was told that they can eat away at my bones and that they also play hell with my blood sugar. In fact, one doctor told me that the reason I had to go on insulin was because I’d had to have too many steroid treatments, and they damaged my islets’ ability to produce insulin. I am all right with having had the treatments, though…being able to breathe is very pleasant. I now take preventive measures (inhaled steroid treatments, which don’t have so many bad side effects) so I don’t need to have injected or oral steroids. I don’t know about other people, but when I had injected or oral steroid treatments, I really had feeding frenzies. I think I was eating about 5000 calories a day, and still wanted more, more, MORE. I was also very active, physically, I couldn’t be still. [/QUOTE] I think the kind they generally give people for breathing problems are corticosteroids, which are different than the anabolic steroids used by athletes. But boy, I know what you’re talking about. When I was on a course of corticosteroids, I accidentally ate an entire cow and then was up for 36 hours doing all sorts of home improvement projects. I thought “Wow, I should take these ALL THE TIME.” Only at the end of it did I realize “Whoa, I think I’m ON DRUGS.” It was really surprising to me how much of an impact they had. I guess I assumed that drugs that doctors prescribe are supposed to make you feel “normal.” I was _way_ beyond normal (although in a sense, better. I installed an _excellent_ crown molding in our dining room.) I’ve always wondered if anabolic steroid use makes people feel as different from their normal selves – it was kind of freaky, I have to say. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/29 "2007-01-10T15:15:29Z")
I’m sorry, I didn’t really read all of this thread. Too many responses based on common perceptions about drugs, and too few based on knowledge about molecular biology. **shagnasty** , you seem to have some knowledge. Could you look at the following? Let’s say we talk about boosting the system with 25% extra testosterone. That would give a lot of advantages, similar to people who are born with this higher level. I’m not sure if it will affect your own production. Indeed your own level fluctuates by far more than that each day. Does anybody have any sort of cite or something that indicates that this boosting would be a problem? ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/30 "2007-01-10T15:25:25Z")
[QUOTE=Nava] Almost any kind of medication puts additional load on your liver (steroids do). [/QUOTE] I think this is only true of ingested drugs or Steroids. Injected Steroids/drugs do not get processed in the liver. Been awhile since I’ve had a physiology class though. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/31 "2007-01-10T15:36:10Z")
I have been close to two two people who were taking steroids. One was taking the illegal kind to boost his muscle mass. One was taking a medically-prescribed, legal kind on a short term basis for a medical problem. Both of them were difficult to live with while on the steroids. It affected their relationships and cin a few cases aused some damage and mistrust that endures years later. To say they were quick to anger and unfair in their judgments is putting it nicely. These were not flattering personality changes, and I can’t imagine why any person would want to alter themselves in that way if it weren’t medically necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/32 "2007-01-10T15:39:52Z")
Funny, I’ve known a few people that have taken steriods (only one the illegal kind), and all of them have talked about how it made them feel good, and happy, and on top of the world. None of them ever seemed cranky or pissy. I think it is just like alcohol. The real person comes out under the influence. Some people get angry and abusive when they drink. Others get euphoric and happy (like me), and goofy (also me). I’ve never seen (other than movies), a true case of roid-rage, and I’ve spent some time in the gym and hung around friends I made there. (Never done steroids myself, not interested either, I simply HATE needles, and don’t want to screw up my liver by taking the ingested kind- also I am a poor college student and cannot afford 400-600 dollars a month) ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/33 "2007-01-10T15:42:39Z")
[QUOTE=CrankyAsAnOldMan] To say they were quick to anger and unfair in their judgments is putting it nicely. These were not flattering personality changes, and I can’t imagine why any person would want to alter themselves in that way if it weren’t medically necessary. [/QUOTE] The [evidence](http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/81/10/3754?ijkey=719afd785eeda7585ddc14780b0f47877f722b42&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha) suggests that your friend’s behavior had nothing to do with the steroids. There is no evidence that roid rage is anything more than a myth, at least at the moderate doses that we’re talking about (not that there is evidence of it at the higher doses, but at these moderate doses the evidence indicates that there isn’t a such thing as roid rage). ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/34 "2007-01-10T15:43:43Z")
[QUOTE=mr. jp] Let’s say we talk about boosting the system with 25% extra testosterone. That would give a lot of advantages, similar to people who are born with this higher level. I’m not sure if it will affect your own production. Indeed your own level fluctuates by far more than that each day. Does anybody have any sort of cite or something that indicates that this boosting would be a problem? [/QUOTE] Thanks **mr. jp** that’s kind of what I’m getting at here. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/35 "2007-01-10T15:48:15Z")
**Epimetheus** , steroids go to your liver in any case. Injected, ingested, inspired or naturally generated. **mr. jp** , just from a point of view of general and very basic chemistry, any reaction can be said to be in the form Reagents \<----\> Products and you _always_ get an equilibrium, with a mixture of reagents and products (the reaction can be very skewed one way or the other, though; it’s easy to dissolve NaCl in water until no solid NaCl can be seen). If you add more Reagents to a reaction in equilibrium, the reaction will try to reestablish its natural equilibrium by creating more Products (which also consumes Reagents); if you add more Products, the reaction will try to reestablich its natural equilibrium by creating more Reagents (consuming Products; add enough NaOH and HCl to a glass of saltwater and you’ll manage to get get solid NaCl - of course mining it or drying seawater is a lot easier and cheaper). So I would expect that having more testosterone will push _all reactions involving testosterone_ towards the side that doesn’t include testosterone; this would include “lessened testosterone production”. ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/36 "2007-01-10T15:56:55Z")
[QUOTE=Nava] **Epimetheus** , steroids go to your liver in any case. Injected, ingested, inspired or naturally generated. [/quote] Oops, your right, but what I Orally ingested steroids cause more damage to the liver, while injected steroids (in moderation here), don’t cause any significant damage (why would a moderate dose of steroids cause any damage if your liver produces peaks and troughs of levels of natural testosterone and other steroids). > [@](#): > > **mr. jp** , just from a point of view of general and very basic chemistry, any reaction can be said to be in the form > > Reagents \<----\> Products > > and you _always_ get an equilibrium, with a mixture of reagents and products (the reaction can be very skewed one way or the other, though; it’s easy to dissolve NaCl in water until no solid NaCl can be seen). If you add more Reagents to a reaction in equilibrium, the reaction will try to reestablish its natural equilibrium by creating more Products (which also consumes Reagents); if you add more Products, the reaction will try to reestablich its natural equilibrium by creating more Reagents (consuming Products; add enough NaOH and HCl to a glass of saltwater and you’ll manage to get get solid NaCl - of course mining it or drying seawater is a lot easier and cheaper). > > So I would expect that having more testosterone will push _all reactions involving testosterone_ towards the side that doesn’t include testosterone; this would include “lessened testosterone production”. Yeah, but biochemical reactions aren’t simple chemical reactions, and while all chemical reactions do equalize, biochemical reactions tend to be much slower and or complex. Many reactions in the human body are effectively one way. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/37 "2007-01-10T16:01:05Z")
I can tell you that a guy friend of mine who used them for a while developed a huge abcess that could’ve had really serious consequences - he was pretty lucky. I know that abcesses are not uncommon with steriod use either, something to think about. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/38 "2007-01-10T16:16:45Z")
I was deer hunting a couple of months back with five friends who all played college and NFL ball. What started the conversation was a comment by one that when juicing and driving home from the gym, he’d be hoping, praying that someone on the road would fuck with him and whoever he was with. He, and then the rest in the group that participated (not all) would recount with amazement these feelings of overt aggression they’d have. Frankly, I was a tad drop-jawed at the tales. These are pretty docile, amicable guys. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/39 "2007-01-10T17:15:47Z")
[QUOTE=Nava] **Epimetheus** , steroids go to your liver in any case. Injected, ingested, inspired or naturally generated. **mr. jp** , just from a point of view of general and very basic chemistry, any reaction can be said to be in the form Reagents \<----\> Products and you _always_ get an equilibrium, with a mixture of reagents and products (the reaction can be very skewed one way or the other, though; it’s easy to dissolve NaCl in water until no solid NaCl can be seen). If you add more Reagents to a reaction in equilibrium, the reaction will try to reestablish its natural equilibrium by creating more Products (which also consumes Reagents); if you add more Products, the reaction will try to reestablich its natural equilibrium by creating more Reagents (consuming Products; add enough NaOH and HCl to a glass of saltwater and you’ll manage to get get solid NaCl - of course mining it or drying seawater is a lot easier and cheaper). So I would expect that having more testosterone will push _all reactions involving testosterone_ towards the side that doesn’t include testosterone; this would include “lessened testosterone production”. [/QUOTE] Most reactions in the body are completely dependant on the availability of the relevant enzymes, since the reactions would otherwise be way too slow to have an impact. The availability of these enzymes is again controlled by different signal molecules, in this case gonadotropin-releasing hormone and leutenizing hormone, among others. It is really the amount of those signal molecules that is relevant, not the equilibrium of the specific reaction. ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359/40 "2007-01-10T17:22:35Z")
Speaking solely as a female (and in my own opinion with no scientific schtuff) - steroid-y looking men are a total turn-off. Anyone remember how Lyle Alzado looked before he died? :eek: VCNJ~ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-not-to-take-steroids/387359.md?page=3)