Either man or woman, the human body produce testosterone. The synthetic replacement of the testosterone are the anabolic steroids. Actually, this class of drugs is called scientific androgenic anabolic steroids, known on the street as “arnolds”, “gym candy”, “pumpers”, “roids”, “stackers”, “weight trainers”, “juice”, etc.

With more than 100 existing types, the anabolic steroids can be taken orally, injected intramuscular, or rubbed on the skin in form of gels or creams.

Some people use these drugs in cycles, which involves taking multiple doses of steroids over a specific period of time, stopping for a period, and starting again.

Some users also combine several types of anabolic steroids, hoping that the different steroids will interact to produce an effect on muscle size that is greater than the effects of using each drug individually. The process is known as “stacking”.

Another method is known as “pyramiding”. The users slowly increase the number of drugs used at one time and/or the dose and frequency of one or more steroids, reach a peak amount at mid-cycle and gradually taper the dose toward the end of the cycle.

All these methods are differently applied by different classes of athletes. Body builders and weight lifters tend to escalate their dose to a much higher level than do long distance runners or swimmers, for instance.

The problem with the anabolic steroids is that they have a wide range of adverse side effects, from acne and breast development in men to life threatening effects. Most of the effects are reversible if the abuser stops taking the drug, but some can be permanent. In addition to the physical effects, anabolic steroids can also cause increased irritability and aggression.

The use of anabolic steroids is associated with cardiovascular diseases, heart attacks and strokes, even in athletes younger than 30. The oral types steroids increase the level of low-density lipoprotein and decrease the level of high-density lipoprotein, which increase the risk of atherosclerosis. Steroids also increase the risk that blood clots will form in blood vessels, potentially disrupting blood flow and damaging the heart muscle so that it does not pump blood effectively.

We strongly recommend to everyone reading this article to stay out of anabolic steroids use, however, if you or someone close to you have problems with drug addiction, we suggest you to visit Drug Rehab Treatment in Canada.