The synthesis of the first anabolic steroids was successfully produced in 1935, but at first even the creators failed to fully realize the possibilities that these drugs opened up in the future. Therefore, for the first time, it was only in 1954, when steroids began to be used among weightlifters, that the use of anabolic steroids was associated with the effect on muscle mass growth. The oral tablet steroids Dianabol and Methandrostenolone were especially popular, which have already managed to earn unquestioned authority among athletes and sportsmen.

Until 1964, the use of steroid drugs was so spontaneous and unscientific that it gave rise to a complete lack of control in matters of quantity, acquisition and distribution of the drug. However, at the same time, it turned out that not always huge doses of steroids led to supposedly scientifically based terrible medical side effects. In some athletes, contrary to the recommendations of doctors, significantly limit the dosage, and there were no visible deviations at all. Following this, the medical elite made a statement that there are no scientifically proven facts that anabolic steroids in the form in which they are used by athletes lead to muscle growth.

In reality, everything was completely different: athletes grew and developed rapidly, no one complained about health problems, and thus all scientific information about drugs was not perceived by athletes as a guide to action, but rather quite the opposite. Medical advice and research in the field of anabolic steroid drugs has completely discredited itself among the Olympians. This gave an unprecedented increase in the authority and positive reputation of steroids, which prompted the use and use of drugs in other sports and even among amateur athletes.

For medical purposes, steroid drugs have been used for a long time and legally. In malignant oncology, the testicles (testicles) are removed. As a result of the operation, the body of a man begins to lose the amount of testosterone he needs, which is compensated by the use of anabolic steroids. Such hormone replacement therapy successfully replaces the work of the glands of the endocrine system and supports male sex characteristics. Injectable anabolic steroids are used to treat individuals with impaired pituitary function.

Steroids are also used in areas not associated with endocrine disorders. After lengthy surgical interventions and a long recovery period, patients in surgical clinics experience a significant loss of muscle mass. In combination with a high-calorie diet, steroid drugs are again trusted to make up for this loss. Such a property of anabolic steroid drugs as an effect on sperm quality has been noticed. Oral and injectable preparations can be used by men as contraceptives. True, in medicine for this purpose, they are not used.

The usual dosage of steroid drugs used in medical practice ranges from 2 mg per day to 250 mg per month. As a rule, only a single steroid drug is used. Strength training athletes and bodybuilders can use from 2 to 10 different types of steroids in one course, dosages in such cases are from 50 mg to 5000 mg (5 g) of testosterone per day. Steroid loading lasts from 3 to 12 weeks, sometimes even up to 20 weeks, and then stops for a period of 1-2 months to a year. This period is called the “steroid cycle”. Depending on the goals and capabilities of the athlete, the timing of steroid cycles and dosages of drugs are very different from one another. However, one rule is unshakable – the higher the dose of a steroid drug, the higher the likelihood of side effects and medical problems associated with them.

To neutralize side effects and prevent their occurrence, a number of drugs of a different non-hormonal spectrum are used: diuretics (diuretics), antiestrogens (tamoxifen), prolactin blockers (bromocriptine), betasympathomimetics (clenbuterol). In addition to everything, chorionic gonadotropin is used, which softens the process of testicular atrophy, and growth hormone to increase the number of muscle cell nuclei (hyperplasia). The action of anabolic steroids is aimed only at stimulating and accelerating such a process as hypertrophy of muscle fibers (increase in mass and volume). With hyperplasia, not only mass and volume increase, but also the number of muscle cells.
Formation of side effects

Strength training enthusiasts semi-professionals also use anabolic steroids, and the problem is that the age of those who do this is steadily getting younger. Now steroids are taken even by teenagers of 15-16 years old. Characteristically, the younger the person, the more risky the use of steroid drugs seems to be. The risk of side effects is very high.

I would like to note that the most risky and dangerous time period for taking steroids is the transitional adolescence, when the endocrine system is just beginning to fully stimulate and regulate the formation of a person by sex. The epiphyseal (cartilaginous) parts of the bones are abruptly closed and their growth stops forever, and it remains so throughout life. A teenager is literally attacked by such a problem as aggressive acne (acne). The rash looks like heaped blackheads, which constantly become inflamed and fester. Stopping steroids does not solve the problem, acne continues to progress. It is not uncommon to see young people with literally wounded faces, shoulders and backs. All these are consequences of steroid therapy.

By the age of 25, such a young man is still at risk of going bald. And since all testosterone preparations are easily converted to estradiol (aromatization), both local (gynecomastia) and general signs of changes in the female type are possible. All of the above symptoms and complications are equally inherent in adult athletes. In the body of a man taking steroid hormones, testosterone is converted into female sex hormones. This is also the reason for the development of glandular tissue and the formation of the female breast. This effect of anabolic steroids, unfortunately for users, is irreversible and requires surgical intervention. As a result of taking hormones in an adult male, endogenous testosterone production is disrupted, since the amount of hormones in the blood is monitored by the hypothalamus and pituitary gland.

With an excess amount of testosterone in the blood, the testicles stop receiving luteinizing hormone, which stimulates the production of testosterone by Leydig cells and testosterone secretion stops. Along with this, the quality of male sperm is disturbed, the number of live spermatozoa is reduced. After 8 weeks of steroid use, normal sizes decrease testicles (atrophy). In future articles, we will continue to consider the side effects resulting from taking steroids and their effect on the body and internal organs.