Side Effects of Steroids

Through research I have found out the side effects of steroids are legendary. People who use steroids usually end up with many health problems such as, stunting growth, the appearance of masculine physical characteristics in women and of feminine ones in men, unfavorable change in sexual characteristics in both genders and psychiatric complications. Using steroids can also cause damage to the liver that cannot be cured. Plenty of athletes have ruined their careers due to abusing the use of steroids. Some athletes are addicted to steroids because it gives them an extra boost of adrenaline which makes their performance better when participating in sports. Steroids will give a person unusual physical strength and endurance for short periods. If a person uses steroids without the drug being prescribed are asking for trouble. In the United States it is illegal for someone to use anabolic steroids without a prescription. First, when a person uses steroids they will end up with stunt growth. “Anabolic steroids, when used in high doses and at an early age, destroy the liver and kidney, invite cancerous cells and stop the growth of an adolescent.”(quote#1) If you’re a developing teen I suggest that you do not use steroids because you will stunt your growth. Steroid users also risk the chance of receiving HIV from sharing needles. Steroids can be consumed in all kind of ways. For example, steroids can be swallowed, injected or applied to the skin through patches and gels. “The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that 325,000 teenage boys and 175,000 teenage girls use steroids.”(quote#2) A person who uses steroids can become addicted to steroids and take more and more. Then, the addictive steroid users produce a high sense of empowerment becoming uncontrollable. “Adding steroids to the naturally occurring testosterone in a teenage boy may lead to violence in the form of a testosterone-driven rage.”(quote) Next, women’s appearance can change to masculine physical characteristics. In contrast men’s physical characteristics can change into feminine ones. If a woman takes steroids she will develop male characteristics such as a deeper voice, acne, increased body hair, baldness and breast shrinkage. Due to steroids, women’s sexual organs can be affected with no cure available. “With the added testosterone, women may increase their likelihood of long term male problems, such as high cholesterol, heart attack and stroke”(qoute3) On the other hand, boys who take steroids testicles can shrink, cause breast development, high cholesterol or an increased risk of prostate cancer. So if you’re a teen and still going through puberty I suggest that you not use steroids or you’ll face the consequences. Then, there have been many professional athletes who have been caught using steroids. “The Russians provided the politics in the 1950s when they gave their athletes--both men and women--a male hormone called testosterone that apparently helped the competitors build muscle “ (quote). An American doctor invented a similar drug to even the score with the Russians. The American doctor created a drug that was similar to testosterone during the cold war. The drug was called anabolic steroid which was invented for weight lifters who wanted to build up muscle. “Today, anabolic steroids are widely used and abused by young athletes in search of bigger muscles. This drug abuse involves boys not yet in their teens; high school, college and professional athletes; and body builders of both sexes.”(qoute) Steroids were first developed in the 1930s to build body tissue and prevent the breakdown of tissue that occurs in some debilitating diseases. But, later doctors found out that the steroids really did not work for that purpose. After that,

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