Ok, so lets say I want to bulk up. Can I use steroids for a short period of time to do this with no ill effects? All the people with problems seem to be the constant users. Will the effects go away after a short period of time if I don’t keep up the use?
CandyMan
Steroids are very powerful drugs used in a multitude of ways. I have some recent experience with them. My 16 year old son had a near fatal run in with Mono and strep last spring. To counteract the swelling in his neck from the Mono (which combined with the swelling INSIDE his throat from the strep nearly closed off his airway), they had him on IV steroids for the 4 days he was in the hospital. They released him on a Saturday, we went to our Family Dr. on Monday who was not happy that they’d cut him off abruptly from the steroids, and immediately placed him on a diminishing regime of steroids.
Please consult a physician before playing around with them. Maybe, two physicians???
wring, there are two kinds of steroids.
One is anabolic steroids, which is the kind bodybuilders and weight lifters use to get bulky. They are illegal in the US. One short term cycle (4 - 6 weeks) MAY not have any long term bad effects. Or it may. It is most likely to cause acne, water retention, and increase aggression. It interferes with nitrogen catabolism, meaning the way your body breaks down proteins (nitrogen is a major component of protein).
A short term cycle is unlikely to produce any long term positive effects either. You tend to lose whatever bulk or increased power as rapidly as you gained it. People vary as much in their reaction to anabolic steroids as they do to exercise in general. People who perceive themselves as gaining when they are on steroids tend to think if a little is good, more is better, and use more steroids for longer periods. This is where you start running into trouble. By trouble I mean things like testicular atrophy, breast enlargement (“bitch tits”), heart problems, high blood pressure, etc.
Anabolic steroids are illegal without a doctor’s prescription in the US. This means if you buy them on the black market, you are very likely to get ripped off. If you use dirty needles, AIDS, hepatitis, and so forth may be in your future. Anyone who wants to sell you human growth hormone is ripping you off, if you run into that.
The other steroids are cortical steroids, the best known of which is cortisone. This is an anti-inflammatory drug, which is possibly what it was being used for in the case of the previous poster’s son and his neck swelling.
Anabolic steroids are about as likely to help you as they are to hurt you, and the effects don’t last.
There are no magic pills to turn you into Arnold Schwarzenegger.
You two are talking about completely different types of steroids. CandyMan, don’t do it. Steroids have a few short term effects and a lot of long term effects. I personally don’t think it’s worth the risk to my health, though you may feel differently. I’m sure an expert will come along shortly, but my reading on the subject has convinced me not to even attempt to use them for even a short amount of time. If you’re looking to bulk up, do it safely. Protein shakes, creatine, whatever. Talk to a trainer. I figure I’ll be better off in the long run even if it takes longer to get where I’m going. Make sense? Hope this helps a little.
Damn. Shoulda waited. What Shodan said.
[Emily Latille voice on] ohhhhhhh Anabolic steroids! that’s very different. Nevermind [/Emily Latille voice off]
Anabolic steroids still bad idea for all reasons listed above.
Ok, I do not think if I take a few weeks of shots that I will look like Arnold.
If I work out, eat right, drink the shakes (blech) AND do the shots will I bulk up more and faster with minimul side effects.
If I think KEEP working out and eating right will the extra bulk added by the shots stay there?
CandyMan
I was talking to a guy at lunch about this. I don’t know his credentials, but he told me that if you take them for say, 6 weeks, you will notice a difference, but your risking side effects, and when you quit using the steroids, you’ll lose a lot of the initial effects. Wow, that awas one sentence. Anyway, he said it was kind of the same thing that happens with creatine. You take it and bulk up pretty quick, but when you quit using it, your strength is still there, but your water retention, etc. drops. You’re stronger in the end, but not much bigger than you would have been anyway. Make sense? Basically, it’s this. Steroids may or may not have long term effects if taken for a short time. After the initial use, you will lose a lot of what you gained most likely making you a) wish you hadn’t bothered in the first place or b) continue to take the steroids because you like the way you look and don’t want it to end. Either way, I’d say, you’ve been screwed? And, not in a good way. A lot of the big steroid users probably started out saying they’d only take them for a little while. I have nothing to back that up, but it would make sense to me. Anyway, how important is your health to you? Is it worth risking? It’s not for me, but I’m not everybody.
Ignore the question mark after screwed. The SDMB Posting Gnomes placed it there.
You should never use steroids if you have not yet worked (yes, worked) your way to your body’s natural potential first.
From a practical standpoint, steroids can help your bodybuilding efforts. They can also hamper them - you never keep all of the gains you make while on the “juice”. If you decide to use steroids before you have reached a plateau in your muscular development, you are purely wasting time, since you would have made those gains anyway had you followed a plan of proper diet and exercise.
As you take steroids, you realize fewer and fewer gains from them. Your first steroid cycle is always your most productive one (if you know what you are doing) and you will never see that kind of reaction with your tender receptors again. Why be impatient and waste that potential?
More information from serious, intelligent bodybuilders can be found at http://www.testosterone.net - if you’d really like to see results, however, there’s no pill that can replace hard (intelligent!) work in the gym and a good diet.
lovelee
ObDisclaimer: I am not a doctor and don’t endorse purchasing black-market items or livestock drugs under false pretenses. =)
I used to work out with a guy who was always wanting to get on the “juice”. I wasn’t interested. He finally went on alone. He took them for 6 weeks then stopped for good (this was several years ago). In 6 weeks his bench press went up 60 lbs and his body size accordingly. When he ‘went off’ of them he lost some of his gains, but was still a big guy. Still is.
However, we (he) worked out very hard and had a couple of years under our (lifting) belt. Let’s not kid ourselves, steriods work. If they didn’t they would fall from favor. But they are very dangerous. The ONLY time I would even consider taking them would be if it meant the difference between winning the “O” or not. My advise: Don’t do it. If you’re hell bent on it, at least have a solid couple of yrs of training behind you. If you were going to be another Arnold you would know it by now. Face it, genetics makes Arnolds, not steroids.
And my friend says he spent 6 weeks with a limp noodle. I didn’t ask him about the LT effects.