A buddy of mine just had a heart attack at 27 - this is a warning to you all!!

[Atomini]

Not sure if I should post this in Q&A or the lounge since this sort of pertains to both, and it's an important message for everyone both new guys and the vets as well. A buddy of mine i've known since highschool just had a heart attack at 3am last night, and he's 27. I just received word from him now as he just got released from the hospital. He IS an AAS user and has been for years, and he's a big mother. As I said, he's out of the hospital now and doing OK.

Now I just want to note that this is no attack on AAS use being the sole cause, but it is likely the icing on the cake. My friend has knowingly had anxiety and high blood pressure issues his whole life, and he's had A LOT of high stress personal issues lately, the 8000 calories a day he is ingesting, he didn't sleep since Saturday (it is Monday night as of the writing of this post), and so he was doing cardio at 3am last night when BANG. You combine AAS with all of that and that's the slipperiest slope you can go down.

If you're someone here who knowingly has any of the following: anxiety, high blood pressure, hypertension, obesity, bad cholesterol profiles, or any other medical condition - LISTEN TO THE VETS ON HERE when we tell you that cycling AAS is not for you at this time. If you're obese (20% bodyfat or higher), stay away from AAS and even things like Clenbuterol . Make improvements that will stabilize your vital signs FIRST before taking any 'super supplements'.

Make sure that you've got a stable life and environment before you start to juice. If you're leading a very stressful life at the moment, things are hectic, you aren't getting solid sleep each night, and so on and so forth... then maybe it's time to lay off the AAS cycling at the moment until things settle down and the dust clears. And ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS have bloodwork done before and after cycles. Otherwise you're just shooting in the dark blind. I know this isn't an option for everyone here, but you don't always need to tell your doc that you're using AAS - you can request simple basic bloodwork that will at the very least dictate your lipid profiles, your liver and kidney function, and a vast amount of other things that is important to know where your body is at whether or not you are doing AAS. EVERYONE benefits from this.

There's nothing like a heart attack at 27 years old to put things into perspective for you!

And my buddy wasn't some huge fat obese guy. Here he is,



I'm just going to copy and paste a post here I frequently repeat to a lot of the younger guys looking to start AAS in the Q&A section, as I cannot repeat this enough and I feel that it pertains perfectly to this situation i've just described:

The truth is, the potential side effects of steroid use are MOSTLY dose and duration related. Unfortunately, it's that very fact that prompts a lot of these guys here (mostly the new guys, but it even plagues experienced vets as well) to consider this particular drug use an almost benign endeavor. No one thinks they take too much. Everyone believes they have things under control. Problems only happen to the "other guy." And it's very very easy to go down that very slippery slope of thinking, and think that what you're doing is okay or that you're never taking too much just because you 'haven't had any problems so far'.

Attempting to set a guideline for responsible use of steroids isn't unlike setting boundaries for responsible alcohol use - it's too ambiguous and open to interpretation. No one ever wakes up one morning and says; "I'm going to be an alcoholic!" But it happens to millions of people each year. The same can be said for steroid use . Thousands upon thousands of men and women have sworn "I want to do just ONE cycle !" or "i'll never do more than X mg per week or stack more than X amount of compounds". Nice try. But once you've dipped into that bag of tricks, it's difficult to resist its allure and subsequent cycles are almost sure to follow. The better the gains, the greater the temptation to push the envelope further. And once you get used to feeling like Superman, it's tough to go back to being David Spade. That's when you've got a problem, whether you're willing to admit it or not. The only sane approach to steroid use, for those of us who've already decided to take the plunge, is to use them in a judicious fashion following certain stipulations. An example of those stipulations being: stack no more than 2 compounds at any given time, no more than one oral run in any one given cycle, and if you can't make gains off of less than 1000mg/week of total steroids then its time to call it quits!

Once again, parameters become blurred by the individual's ability to rationalize. A tweak here and an alteration there won't make much of a difference, will it? Maybe. Maybe not. But only by staying within the boundaries can you be sure to avoid contraindications.

I get PMs from people every day asking me to help them with their cycles and what not, and i'm always more than happy to help. But I have had the odd person who proposes some absolutely preposterous cycle plan to me... I had one guy PM me a long while ago asking me how his cycle looked, and if I can remember correctly it was 5 compounds (yes, FIVE) consisting of Test, Tren , EQ, Winstrol and some other oral, I can't remember which he mentioned. And this was only the guy's second ever cycle!! THREE compounds in my opinion is still even too much, but 3 is what I would put the absolute limit on. Especially if you are running an oral anabolic . I don't think a lot of people realize the amount of damage on the body that these things cause when you end up abusing this stuff. AAS use for physique/performance enhancement is NOT A SAFE PRACTICE.

At the end of the day, just be as safe as you possibly can and please use common sense. If it crosses your mind that you might be using too much, or running too many compounds, then you probably are! Listen to what your body is telling you, and what your subconscious is telling you. Don't end up like my buddy.

[kelkel]

Very good post. Sorry to hear about your friend and hope he recovers well!

kel

[lovbyts]

Sorry to hear about your friend. That's why I think anyone who is going to do any strenuous training or activities should have a full treadmill stress test done with ultrasound to check out the heart especially if they have a history of high blood pressure or any type of anxiety such as your friend. Look at all the kids that have heart attach each year in high school football because of a weak valve. Lots of genetic anomalies out there like that. It was just bad luck.

I have a co worker who had a heart attach at 49 but it was due to rapid weight loss and gain again. He learned nothing and is still doing the same stupid stuff as before, trying to loose weight 1 month before reunions and such and will work out hard for 1 week then nothing for 4+ months. Drinks a lot of starbucks and energy drinks just putting more stress on his heart. I gave up on him, even yesterday he is showing me his new energy drink that is HEALTHY because it has zero calories. lol

[Atomini]

I hear you on that coworker comment, I think we all know at least 1 guy like that in our daily lives. What gets me are the guys who train at the gym but are regular smokers too. That's just nuts! I know one guy at my gym, an AAS user, and also a heavy cigarette smoker. Great way to set yourself up with a premature heart attack or stroke... the way some people think is crazy.

As far as it goes with what we do here as AAS users, I can definitely make the following two statements:

- AAS use is not as benign as many people claim
- AAS use is not as dangerous as many people claim

It's a sensible and rational approach that makes the choice to do AAS a 'safer' one. But what a lot of people don't look at when choosing how to go about things is OUTSIDE the realm of immediate steroid use . What I mean is not things like dosages, compounds, and cycle lengths. I'm talking about things like underlying health conditions that you may or may not be aware of that you could have, which may be exacerbated by AAS use. It's important to know these things.

[Vettester]

That guy is too young, and in too good of shape for a heart attack!! I hope others pay close attention to this thread and take this seriously! Hoping your friend gets well soon ...

[warmouth]

Thanks for this Atomini. This was a definite wake up call for me, as it makes me even more nervous about getting back on. I have my annual appointment with my cardiologist next week, and I have tried to move the date closer the past month. I have done everything but beg them to see me earlier. What scares me is that all of the signs you listed are exactly what I experience. I have had hypertension for 15 years, suffer anxiety, under the most stress I have ever been in, heart has been racing like on clen , B***** arent controlling my BP, shortness of breath, and as everyone here knows, my lipids and tryglycerides are through the roof! I am really looking forward to my cardiologist appointment, and that is not a god thing to look forward too. I hope all goes well for your friend. If you dont mind me asking, how did he know he was having a heart attack? I have heard of many people not even knowing they had one. I was just curious. I keep asprin on hand at all times.

[stocky121]

My farther as had 3 heart attacks a few years ago now. This is why i havent cycled for just over 4 years now. And at this moment in time i have no intention if cycling again.

[warmouth]

My farther as had 3 heart attacks a few years ago now. This is why i havent cycled for just over 4 years now. And at this moment in time i have no intention if cycling again.

I hate to hear this. And coming from you, make me even more cautious to say the least.

[stocky121]

I hate to hear this. And coming from you, make me even more cautious to say the least.

Just so you know his heart attacks were totaly un related to aas. But just seem him the way he was made me have a long good think about everything.

[warmouth]

I understand. It runs in your family and you dont want to do anything to aggrevate any underlying condition that might be ther.

[Atomini]

Thanks for this Atomini. This was a definite wake up call for me, as it makes me even more nervous about getting back on. I have my annual appointment with my cardiologist next week, and I have tried to move the date closer the past month. I have done everything but beg them to see me earlier. What scares me is that all of the signs you listed are exactly what I experience. I have had hypertension for 15 years, suffer anxiety, under the most stress I have ever been in, heart has been racing like on clen, B***** arent controlling my BP, shortness of breath, and as everyone here knows, my lipids and tryglycerides are through the roof! I am really looking forward to my cardiologist appointment, and that is not a god thing to look forward too. I hope all goes well for your friend. If you dont mind me asking, how did he know he was having a heart attack? I have heard of many people not even knowing they had one. I was just curious. I keep asprin on hand at all times.

I have no clue as to how he knew he was having a heart attack, we didn't discuss that when we talked briefly. I was in shock just hearing about the news in general. Next chance I get i'll ask him. All I know so far is that it happened to him during cardio of all times!

[stpete]

Sorry to hear about your friend and hope that never happens again!

Keep us posted on his progress.

[austinite]

Sorry to hear this. Eye opening.

[--->>405<<---]

sorry atomini to hear about ur friend but glad he is still alive!

just curious as to the correlation between anxiety (which i have) and risk factors for heart attack? everything i have read states anxiety, while it may mimick certain symptoms of heart attack, is not dangerous???

[Euroholic]

Sorry to here mate but im sure this will change nothing. I would bet money that your mate will not stop juicing. i sure wont and im sure everyone on this site wont reconsider. Hope he is ok tho.

[auswest]

Thanks for sharing bud

[Honkey_Kong]

Some anxiety attacks will completely mimic a heart attack. My grandfather told me before that you can't tell the difference sometimes and he's had more heart attacks than anyone (he died last year at 93).

I take it this heart attack your friend had was a mild one? Ask him to come on and share the details with us.

[ROBOCOP]

Makes me think about my mortality more and more when I hear stories like this! Whilst we can't all go around living life constantly thinking of the "what ifs" it's def worth thinking about the abuse we give our bodies to achieve what we believe is acceptable, and the possible negative effects we might experience.
Give your buddy my best and I hope he fully recovers soon

[Atomini]

Sorry to here mate but im sure this will change nothing. I would bet money that your mate will not stop juicing. i sure wont and im sure everyone on this site wont reconsider. Hope he is ok tho.

I'm not using this as an example that we should all drop our AAS use completely. Of course we will continue to use AAS, and i'm sure he will to if he doesn't have anything more than a short hiatus from AAS use following his heart attack. However, what i'm saying is that once in a while we all need to step back for a second and assess what we are doing to ourselves and make sure we are not crossing that line into gross abuse, ultra high doses, overuse of stacking compounds, too frequent cycling, and cycling during the wrong times when we know we really shouldn't be. And if you feel that gross abuse is the path you WANT to take, then you really need to weigh whether or not the risks are really worth the reward, and you need to be aware and content with the fact that you are raising the probability (often into the stratosphere when it comes to AAS abuse) of causing problems later on in life.

I chose to cycle AAS, and in doing so I made the decision to do so as safely as I possibly can but I am still aware that what I am doing and have chose to do will likely have SOME sort of impact later on in life. More people need to realize these things.

My buddy is aware of this forum, he has browsed on it before and knows i'm a member on here, but he isn't a member here. I'll try to get him to come on here and post as i'm sure you can all gain a lot of knowledge from his insight on what happened to him. I don't know if he'll post though, but i'll talk to him about it.

[cherrydrpepper]

Im sorry to hear about your friend and wish him the best

[cherrydrpepper]

Can you tell me if your friend consumes pre workouts like NO explode or Superpump or if he consumes Energy drinks on a regular basis? I am guessing a lot of factors led to this I am just looking to see what could have contributed.

[cherrydrpepper]

Not to get up in his shit but is he doing coca cola?

"On the morning of August 6, 2004, Rick James was found dead in his Los Angeles, California, home at the Oakwood apartment complex on Barham Boulevard by his caretaker. James had died from pulmonary failure and cardiac failure with his various health conditions of diabetes, stroke, a pacemaker, and a heart attack. Through his autopsy, alprazolam, diazepam, bupropion, citalopram, hydrocodone, digoxin, chlorpheniramine, methamphetamine and cocaine were found in his blood.[4] However the coroner also stated, "None of the drugs or drug combinations were found to be at levels that were life-threatening in and of themselves."[5] He was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York."

[stevey_6t9]

Good post, defiently a real serious issue because once your health goes your worth nothing.

[Atomini]

Not to get up in his shit but is he doing coca cola?

To my knowledge, he wasn't doing the old coca cola or taking preworkout supplements. Of course it is a combination of factors that likely lead to what happened, with no blame placed solely on one thing. But guess what - these things shouldn't be happening to a guy who is in the shape he is in. To me, things like these are more of a reality check. All too often I find people downplaying the risks of AAS use and making it out to be such a benign endeavor. No, AAS is not a death sentence nor is it extremely dangerous. But like anything, it can be when you don't respect it.

[zaggahamma]

glad your friend is ok

hopefully the scare will give him some perspective ad alleviate some of the stress

[CL3TUS]

Wow deffinatly an eye opener. AAS is to use not abuse. Scary stuff glad he is ok.

[kronik420]

this guy i knew had a heart attack about a month ago and hes the same age as me (24) i think he was running clen ...

[fit2bOld]

Sorry about your buddy a quick recovery.

[JWP806]

To my knowledge, he wasn't doing the old coca cola or taking preworkout supplements. Of course it is a combination of factors that likely lead to what happened, with no blame placed solely on one thing. But guess what - these things shouldn't be happening to a guy who is in the shape he is in. To me, things like these are more of a reality check. All too often I find people downplaying the risks of AAS use and making it out to be such a benign endeavor. No, AAS is not a death sentence nor is it extremely dangerous. But like anything, it can be when you don't respect it.

First off, I am sorry about your friend and I wish him a speedy recovery.

Do you think the fact that he hadn't slept since Saturday and here he was on a Monday at 3am doing cardio had anything to do with it? Why was he up for so long? Back when I was in college, I would pull all-nighters with the help of various stimulants and if I would have tried to do cardio just after one night of not sleeping I feel like my heart would have popped.

I have a hard time linking this to AAS at all. It seems like he is living an unhealthy lifestyle.

[< <Samson> >]

No matter what the cause of the strain, it is still strain.

The juice, the coca, pre-workouts and other uppers are all similar. Juice is not a direct upper of course, but. . . . What do we do when we get juiced? Workout, and workout hard.


Hope he's good. . . . Good, real life outlook to us all.

[Atomini]

Samson is right. I'm not linking it solely to AAS, i'm linking it to everything - including the AAS. AAS places strain on the body, but it can become amplified by a great deal if the person is not at optimal health during the period which he chooses to use AAS. This is why in my post I made the point that it is imperative that one be in acceptable health prior to use.

[Brazijitz07416]

sorry atomini to hear about ur friend but glad he is still alive!

just curious as to the correlation between anxiety (which i have) and risk factors for heart attack? everything i have read states anxiety, while it may mimick certain symptoms of heart attack, is not dangerous???

I have anxiety also, and my doctor said that in a heart that is structurally healthy (no plaques, no valve disease, no enlargement of LV, etc.) that stress is harmless and that even numerous PVCs (skipped beats) are nothing to worry about. When I have PVCs I still freak out despite having been told this. When an organ as vital as the heart starts flopping around erratically it's hard to remain calm even if the cardiologists says there's no danger, at least it's hard for me.

[ngtmarpete]

Very sorry to hear about your friend. Unfortunately this will not change a lot of minds out there that are dead set on running a cycle under good conditions, but it will help someone! That's all you can ask for.

[Euroholic]

First post!!!!!

[Bert]

Horrible, sorry.

[GirlyGymRat]

Horrible, sorry.

Horrible the story or horrible that noob bumped an ancient post. LoL