Different Types of Steroids and Their Affect on Your Body

Steroids have been talked about a lot, especially anabolic steroids, and this is mainly because of the damaging effect that these drugs can have on your body. Steroids can be broken down into three basic classes, and these classes are corticosteroids, female sex hormones, called estrogen amd progesterone, and male sex hormones called androgens, and this includes testosterone. What is the difference between these types of steroids, and how does each type affect the human body?

Corticosteroids are steroids that are prescribed by a doctor to treat inflammation in a specific part of your body or a specific system. Sometimes these are prescribed for lupus or for asthma, to reduce swelling and ease the symptoms which are happening. These steroids are not the dangerous type which bodybuilders and athletes use to bulk up, which are called anabolic steroids. Corticosteroids include cortisone, which can be used as a topical agent to soothe and help heal your skin while stopping and preventing itching.

The female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone are also steroids, and these hormones are used in birth control pills and other forms of hormonal contraceptive medications. These steroids control the reproductive organs and menstrual cycles for women. These hormones affect the body in every aspect concerning the reproductive organs and processes.

The third type of steroids are androgens, and this is the class that anabolic steroids belongs in. Testosterone is one androgen, but there are also others. These steroids may be legally prescribed for certain medical circumstances or conditions, including female breast cancer, growth stimulation, weight gain, red blood cell production, and for natural deficiencies in this steroid. Treatments for cancer and certain surgeries may cause muscle loss, and anabolic steroids can help reverse this condition by causing rapid muscle growth. Even when they are medically indicated, caution must be used with anabolic steroids because of the serious side effects and damage these drugs can do.

Anabolic steroids have become a popular drug for athletes and others in high school and college, as well as with professional bodybuilders, because they are not aware of the high risk level and the dangers. Anabolic steroids increase the amount of testosterone in the blood, and this will stimulate the muscle tissue in the body to grow bigger and more powerful. Steroid abuse can cause too much of this substance to flow into the bloodstream, and can cause damage that may not appear for years. Teenagers can experience stunted growth patterns, and all users may develop liver tumors, an increase in aggression, frustration, and violence, acne, heart muscles that become too large, hair loss, muscle aches, heart disease and more. In some cases, anabolic steroid use can cause your muscles to grow too fast, and this can lead to a weakened muscle, tendon, and bone structure. Another common side effect of steroids is infertility in both men and women, as well as impotence in men.

The serious dangers that anabolic steroids pose have prompted many schools and athletic teams and associations to start drug testing specifically for these substances, and this includes the olympic teams. Steroids are dangerous and illegal unless prescribed by a physician, and even then these drugs should only be prescribed for a short period of time to prevent any harmful medical effects and results. All of the steroid types have uses, but anabolic steroids must be used very cautiously, and only for good medical reasons.

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.