There are legions of stories, always clouded in controversy, about athletes who reach superhuman levels of performance because they are using drugs. These drugs invariably include steroids - which is really just a catch all for synthetic testosterone.
Lance Armstrong used such drugs and he went from a cancer patient to a record setting cyclist.
Lots of lots of celebrities are using them to get in tremendous shape for roles.
What seems to be missing from these stories is the obvious fact that steroids work. They improve a man’s vitality and physical condition. They help them revert back to a quality of life akin to their younger years.
Increasingly, we are even seeing clinics engaged in “TRT” (testosterone replacement therapy) which is just a fancy term for prescribing anabolic steroids to men in their middle age years.
Is this ok? Is it more than ok, is it an elixir for getting old?
To be fair, there are undoubtedly side effects, especially if a person experiments with high doses. I believe that an older person using the drugs, even at lower therapeutic doses, is increasing their risk of some cancers.
But from a quality of life standpoint, is that so bad? If you feel like you are in your 20s when you are in your 60s, is it worth the risks?
What’s your take? Do you think steroids are an elixir for older men (similar to hormone replacement therapy for women)? Should more men embrace it? Or is it a recipe for disaster?
Just an aside, Armstrong was a short course triathlon national champion when he was still a teen. (18-19) Drugs alone won’t take you to the top unless you’re already near the summit.
For these reasons alone I think it’s a bad idea for men to use steroids on their own, however, under a doctor’s supervision, and using a low dosage, there might be some benefit. It’s not a magic pill, and I would think serious exercise would be required to see some of the effects of the steroids.
My understanding is that long term significant testosterone supplementation leads to significantly increased risk of heart disease and heart attacks.
Testosterone does nothing for Erectile Dysfunction. Which is the most common sexual problem of over-50 males. I’m 64 and do not do steroids, and I find libido is NOT my limiting factor; instead it’s finding sufficiently libidinous 60+ yo women.
IMO steroids are great for growing muscles and for little else. Oh yeah, in high doses they’re good for causing 'roid rage. I’m not sure that’s all that useful at any age.
You may find the increased muscles in your 60s valuable. Or you may find the increased chance of living into your 80s to be more valuable. IMO (and vicarious IME) the claims of increased “vitality” are mostly snake oil & placebo effect.
Agreed. But it can bring your to your own personal peak.
That’s absolutely true! These drugs don’t create muscles. But they do create feelings of energy and well being that might lead somebody to want to build muscle (or just be more active).
From what I read, you don’t need high testosterone to have a high libido, but having a low libido is one symptom of low testosterone levels.
I’ve always heard that this is a misnomer. There is a culture that sometimes permeates gyms that encourages hyper aggressive behavior, but testosterone itself does not necessarily lead to bouts of anger. A person on steroids is not predisposed to going into fits of rage.
This is very true. I have a prolactinoma, a benign pituitary tumour, which causes very high levels of prolactin. Medication controls it, but has left a damaged pituitary that no longer produces Follicle Stimulating Hormone or Leutinizing Hormone which tell the testes to make Testosterone. My pre-treatment T was essentially zero, post-treatment was extremely low.
Supplemental testosterone therapy has brought me back into the normal range and all the low T symptoms are gone
Well, I had steroid prescribed for a herniated disc a few years ago. I was snapping at my wife and filled with unexplainable rage for about a week. And I’m usually very laid back. So, just one example.
It should be noted that there are legitimate medical reasons for testosterone therapy in older men. Low testosterone can cause decrease in bone density.
No opinion on elective treatment, don’t know enough about it.
So here’s what I wonder: are those risks offset if the person maintains a healthy diet and engages in vigorous exercise?
As noted upthread, steroids in and of themselves do not create muscles. A roided up couch potato will still look like a couch potato. And, so, by themselves steroids would be a long term health risk.
But steroid use is associated with being more active, doing more exercise, and feeling motivated to eat well. Perhaps that lifestyle would counteract the increased risk factor.
Meaning, you don’t have to choose between quality and quantity of life.
Somebody seeking to retain a healthy active life into increasingly older age would probably be far more successful than somebody who is simply having their second midlife crisis and wants a pharmaceutical fountain of youth.
You can Google and easily find articles talking about the destructive effects of steroids on the heart, but here’s at least one that indicates that exercise can stave off some of the problems.
I have been on bi-yearly insertions of very extended release “bio-identical” testosterone for 3 years. My testosterone level was about 150 units when normal is 300-1100 units. I definitely had ED, as well as depression, low energy etc. It’s not a panacea but I am much improved. I’m under the care of a naturopathic doctor since my regular PCP seemed to have no idea about the issue, and I’ve heard that is often the case. I get a lot of exercise. I’ll let you know if I die of a heart attack…
Conventional wisdom would suggest that Jeff Bezos has embraced testosterone supplementation. A person generally doesn’t put on noticeable amounts of muscle beginning in middle age. Yet there are memes and pictures online that love to note his transition from the late 90s.
