I was given a series of Testosterone shots when I was in my thirties. I had no reaction to them positive or negative.
Assuming I wasn’t being given a placebo, which is a possibility since the doctor lost his license shortly thereafter, I have to guess that the reactions vary considerably.
msean: It’s helpful, when you start a thread about one of Cecil’s columns, to provide a link to the column in question: Is ‘roid rage real? - The Straight Dope
Yes, it’s on the front page now, but in a week or so it will fall into the vast Archives. So, providing the link helps other readers save search time, and helps keep us all on the same page. So, you’ll know for next time, OK?
I wonder about all the claims of the damage that steroid do to the human body. Have the effects been exaggerated in order to put fear into athletes who might be able to gain an edge in billion dollar sports leagues?
I read a story on the guy with the world’s largest biceps:
This isn’t the story, but in it, they had doctors give him a once over and they found minimal lasting health effects from his rampant steroid use.
And despite all the claims or confessions of steroid use by athletes, it seems like very few have the awful outcomes that so many doctors claim could occur. I wonder what the straight dope is on the health effects of regular steroid use.
I have played Football at both the high school and University level (in Canada) and have been close friends with a number of people (and one cat) that were steroid users… The general observation that I noticed was that the people on roids that raged were the ones who had bad tempers even before they began to take the drug… The few people that I have meet that were even keeled people before taking the steroids pretty much stayed that way… however, there was a drastic change with the ones that were aggressive to begin with… Their anger and outbursts were much more acute than before, but you could usually tell them how they were acting and they would tone it down… the few times that I saw some really “lose it” and have to be restrained always involved alcohol as well…
IMO the physical effects of roids is similar to the psychological effects… If you are living a super healthy lifestyles with good diet and exercise the roids probably wont be too bad on your liver… but throw in regular alcohol use, smoking, caffeine and other drug use, your liver probably wont love you in the morning…
The “studies” Cecil researched for this article at least seem to be fairly shoddy. Were any of them double-blind (and thus free of confirmation bias on the side of the researchers)? Also, NONE seem to have been Placebo-controlled, so the “Outliers” could have easily been people on a strong Placebo effect.
Plus, every casual reader of PubMed or MuscleAdvice colums knows that you can “stack” Testosterone-based Steroids with Aromatase-Blockers to avoid Gynectomastia (Breast Enlargement). Any breast cancer drug (Nolvadex, Arimidex…) will do.
So yeah, Roids ARE dangerous - the same way wine and cigarettes are. No reason to fan the flames of hysteria, though… mmmkay?
I don’t think Cecil was doing any fanning. He was saying that there are risks, he was not saying that there were certainties.
Wow, that’s a bit of an understatement.
I’d say the whole 'roid rage angle, in this specific case, is completely media driven sensationalism. He scrambled his brains with too many diving headbutts and suicide dives (no pun intended, that’s the name of a move he often performed, that would’ve generally caused great impact to his head).
I’ve been around the body building and athletic community my whole life. There are so many myths with steroids I’d like to set the record straight.
While steroids are typically blamed for ills, further investigation will show other factors, such as poor diet, other drugs, or obsessive tendencies are also present.
Steroids are only more of what is inside you. Irritation, not aggression is what most people experience and it isn’t from the hormone, it’s from the change in hormone or the “ramp up”. High levels return the mental state to normal after the ramp up.
Increased sex drive, and faster recovery from exercise are the only “enhancements” they provide. Testosterone does not increase strength, and it does not increase muscle volume. Read that again.
Those benefits come from hard core exercise and diet. Testosterone only increases the recovery time and lowers the fatigue thresh hold. That’s boringly…it.
There is no mysterious freak chemistry taking place unless the user is introducing freak chemicals other than steroids into play.
People who show aggression on them that is out of control, have other problems than steroids. Again, they are reacting to the “change” and not the hormone.
I’ve used steroids for the last 6 years as part of a low hormone condition. I’ve ramped them up, and I’ve ramped them down. The mood swings are not much different than what a woman experiences monthly. High doses, and it’s more like menopause or what teenage boys feel like during puberty.
Even with my steroid use, I cannot hit a home run, I cannot win a body building competition, I cannot win the tour de france, and I cannot overpower my opponents physically…that would all require talent, practice, intense years of training, and predetermined genetics. Steroids provide none of that.
All steroids do is help with what’s already there if the user puts the work in.
Sorry to be the one to tell everyone that there is no Santa Clause.
On what basis are you saying the studies are “shoddy?” On what basis do you say “NONE seem to have been Placebo-controlled?” Given that the sources haven’t been added to the online column yet, on what factual basis do you make those claims? (Answer: none whatsoever)
I’ll give you a hint, at least one of the studies Cecil looked at states in its methods section “In a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial…” so you’re entering “epic fail” country here.
Saltshaker said it pretty well. I’ve been an amateur bodybuilder for over twenty-five years. I’ve used AAS’s most of my adult life. So have a great many of my close friends over the years. In my younger days I was a bartender. From this I can tell you, in my observations over the years, neither anabolic steroids, nor alcohol (which I do not use) make anyone mean. They may, at times however, amplify stupidity in an individual who is already an insecure jerk, by endowing them with temporary animosity. I personally am known for being an altruistic, caring, congenial person, as well as almost never being cruel, in voice or action (thought maybe), even during heavy cycles. The bottom line is: You’re either mean and nasty or you’re not. Don’t blame your actions on something extraneous. Adults don’t make excuses, they take responsibility for their actions. Real men are kind and considerate. Those who vent their frustrations and inadequacies on others, particularly women, children and animals are little boys, in an adult body. Grow up. Don’t judge us all by the actions of a few assholes, just as you (hopefully) wouldn’t stereotype any group of individuals, based on afew bad apples. God bless.
Way to welcome newcomers to the boards, Una.
My parents called it tough love. 
Since when did it became S.O.P. to just let people who post blatant inaccuracies or falsehoods get a pass? On the Straight Dope message board, no less? :dubious:
After reading it twice, it may not become twice as wrong, but it’s still contradicted overwhelmingly by medical research.
In fact, the entire post seems to be an attempt to draw sweeping conclusions from one person’s anecdotal experience. Reading it again only reinforces the point.
My friend and I were in HS, I am 6’6" and he 6’4". I worked at a local marina and got to know a mechanic who was on the juice. This guy was a scrawny dude who in a short year became a big muscular dude. At the time I wanted to be like Arnold Schwarzenegger so I talked with the dude. For 6 weeks we took Winstrol, one a day the first week, then two then three, up to 7 then back down 6 a day, 5 a day etc. We also injected, at tfirst 1 c.c. of bull sperm in our thigh, which increased to 2 but was usually 1.5 c.c.s. The stuff is the nectar of the gods and I have no regret doing it. I finished bench pressing 405 pounds, I had 22# arms, little fat on me and I could MAX OUT all the machines they had in the circuit training portion. It was awesome. I had no problems sexually, my crank didn’t shrink and I did not get bitch tits although I have seen a guy that did - he started leaking milk. I wasn’t any more aggressive but much more confident. As usual, this was something I wanted to experience and that was the only time I did it. Eventually, the dude who gave us the steriods ended up going to jail for attempted murder. In a fit of peak, he was angry with his girlfriend and attempted to run her over with his car. I do not remember the sentence but I know it was long enough where he no longer got his steriods and conseqeuently ended up being a flabby, skinny dude. He had come full circle. He was quit to temper but he could seem to hold it, when things would go wrong he would say ok lets stop and have a cigarette. But, in the end I do think he got the roid rage. He was just too calm and easy going to finally ended up doing that with a car.
It isn’t. But we do have the “Don’t be a jerk” rule. Your post can easily be seen as confrontational, rather than informative. Especially the last paragraph. There’s a hostile undertone in the choice of phrasing. There’s no way I’d believe you weren’t mad when you wrote that.
And it doesn’t do any good to get mad at someone who spreads misinformation. Especially when you don’t know if it is intentional. All you are doing is giving the other person reason to dislike you. And even we intellectuals will ignore someone who apparently doesn’t like us. It’s one of the reasons we don’t allow personal attacks.
You could have just pointed out the relevant sources, without the attitude.
OK, let’s calm down here. Moderator intervention.
First, Blackpriester, welcome to the Straight Dope Message Boards, we’re glad to have you here, and sorry that your first post has evoked a bit of… well, emotions.
Second, Big T, it’s not up to you to decide whether someone else’s post is confrontational, or hostile, or getting mad. If you think someone is violating the “don’t be a jerk” rule, then please REPORT it (for those who don’t know, that’s the li’l exclamation point ! in the red triangle in the upper right corner of each post) and let the Mods decide. That’s our job.
Finally, Una, I know that you provide invaluable help to Ed and Cecil with your research. You’ve probably got more “thanks” and acknowledgement from Cecil in the columns than anyone (including Ed) over the years. That’s not at issue, not all. My reading here is that it’s the age-old problem of not being able to read tone of voice on the internet. It appears to me that you’re reading Blackpriest’s tone as snarky, and you’re responding curtly. However, I’m reading his tone as inquiring about data, not asserting inaccuracies. He’s a new poster here, asking about sources, and deserving reasonable and factual answers rather than anger.
So, let’s all cooooool it, please.
The guys I knew who were on 'roids were also on speed (amphetamines), ie illegal diet pills. They did this because the look is not just muscles, but stripped, no fat covering the muscles, you can see the shape.
Increased aggression is a well known side effect of amphetamine use: the tiny penis is an occasional side effect (due to vasoconstriction). Paranoia and rage are side effects of amphetamine withdrawal. Psychosis can be an effect either of overdose or withdrawal.
Apart from the research, which I can’t comment on, lots of guys get 'roid rage. It’s just not from the roids.