Do any of you regret taking steroids?

[maglincer]

Hi guys, Im a 24 year old male from Australia considering taking steroids. The main thing that concerns me are the heart problems people have told me steroids can cause. What I would like to know is how has taking steroids changed your life for the better or worse and do any of you regret taking them because of the health problems that they may have caused. Thanks.

[Java Man]

What health problems? Steroids haven't caused any health problems for me that I'm aware of. If you know what youre doing and use them responsibly they have been shown to improve longevity and quality of life.

Abuse them for long periods of time and sure, they can cause some problems. Most are reversible with cessation. I haven't seen anything in the medical research I've been exposed to that proves without a doubt that aas specifically and solely caused a chronic, fatal problem in any human subject. Contributing factor? Lots of speculation there. Too many other variable factors involved. Its easy to conclude that a person who had an enlarged heart and has a history of aas use caused the enlargement but not only is that flawed logic, but also impossible to prove. Maybe he was genetically predisposed to the condition from birth and it would have happened even if he lived in a sterile clean room. Who knows.

No. no regrets here.

[maglincer]

What health problems? Steroids haven't caused any health problems for me that I'm aware of. If you know what youre doing and use them responsibly they have been shown to improve longevity and quality of life.

Abuse them for long periods of time and sure, they can cause some problems. Most are reversible with cessation. I haven't seen anything in the medical research I've been exposed to that proves without a doubt that aas specifically and solely caused a chronic, fatal problem in any human subject. Contributing factor? Lots of speculation there. Too many other variable factors involved. Its easy to conclude that a person who had an enlarged heart and has a history of aas use caused the enlargement but not only is that flawed logic, but also impossible to prove. Maybe he was genetically predisposed to the condition from birth and it would have happened even if he lived in a sterile clean room. Who knows.

No. no regrets here.

Thanks for the reply. The study that got me a bit worried was on this link https://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DO...s-2007-1024703 .

"The findings indicate that AS can induce an unfavourable enlargement and thickening of the left ventricle, which loses its diastolic properties with the mass increase. These modifications tend to persist following a short period of drug withdrawal."

[XxAndreaxX]

That’s always the same story. Vitamin C can cause you death by intoxication. So stop taking vitamin C. Protein can cause alzheimer and kidney failure, so stop eating proteins. And salt?? Wooow, it rises BP and you will die by a heart attack.
The heart hypertrophy is most common in everyone who does sport, you don’t have to take steroids to have that. With steroids you’ll worse that, off course, and the most deaths related with steroids, are heart attacks and cancers. So yes, if you abuse, you could get in trouble. If you don’t, and you do not practice extreme cardio, you won’t likely get that.
And I don’t regret, steroids cured some diseases I had previously and nobody knew how to handle them.

[MuscleInk]

Thanks for the reply. The study that got me a bit worried was on this link https://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DO...s-2007-1024703 .

"The findings indicate that AS can induce an unfavourable enlargement and thickening of the left ventricle, which loses its diastolic properties with the mass increase. These modifications tend to persist following a short period of drug withdrawal."

Did you read the entire article or just the abstract? Abstracts are summaries of published studies but don't tell the full story. Among the 14 body builders with pre-existing steroid use, how long we're they using? At what doses (most body builders use extreme doses on and off cycle)? What prior anabolics were used by the 14 subjects?

The abstract alone doesn't provide enough detail. Moreover, I can tell you from personal experience that not all studies based on a stratified cohort of subjects can be extrapolated or generalized to every population.

Having said that, as already indicated, steroids do carry risks and these risks increase with abuse and improper use - as with any drug.

That's why we insist every person considering anabolics, should educate before they medicate.

[Java Man]

Thanks for the reply. The study that got me a bit worried was on this link https://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DO...s-2007-1024703 .

"The findings indicate that AS can induce an unfavourable enlargement and thickening of the left ventricle, which loses its diastolic properties with the mass increase. These modifications tend to persist following a short period of drug withdrawal."

That's an old study, but not irrelevant. Published in 1991. There has been a lot more research since then. You also have to look at the compounds used in the studies.

Cardiac effects of anabolic steroids

Long but very informative.

I could post more but you can find them. Google "anabolic steroid ventricular hypertrophy" or similar and start surfing.

I'm not denying that aas has been shown to cause LVH in some strength training athletes but many studies also show it is reversible over time, at least to the point where its negligible. It is certainly something to consider. I have a slightly enlarged LV but my.doctor says its nothing to be concerned about. He knows I train hard and heavy and have for most of my life. LVH is evident in athletes who claim to have never used exogenous hormones. It is more.pronounced in those who have in some cases from.what I've seen.

We have some.doctors/medical professionals here. Perhaps they will chime in with their expertise on this subject. I've read a lot and take good care of my health but I'm more of a medical layman.

[Java Man]

Lol. speak of the devil

MuscleInk is one such medical expert I mentioned. Thanks MI.

[MuscleInk]

Lol. speak of the devil

MuscleInk is one such medical expert I mentioned. Thanks MI.

You got it under control buddy. Just adding my two cents. Great follow-up post with reference to more recent pubs. Quality responses brother!

[Java Man]

You got it under control buddy. Just adding my two cents. Great follow-up post with reference to more recent pubs. Quality responses brother!

That's quite an endorsement considering the source. Thanks doc

[MuscleInk]

That's quite an endorsement considering the source. Thanks doc

Lol.....naw you've earned that on your own. You're a great contributor. I learn from you as we'll.

Thanks JM. Respect.

[ghettoboyd]

I waited till I was 36yrs old before I tried aas after many years of training natty and living the bbing lifestyle...I waited till I was educated and physically ready to use them responsibly so I have absolutely no regrets...why would I?...it has enhanced my already awesome life...

[AD]

nope

[tarmyg]

This is an awesome thread, should be sticked. I am very interested to hear from as many users as possible.

Thanks
~T

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Follow my personal story here on this blog: An honest journey
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[raj1]

Hi guys, Im a 24 year old male from Australia considering taking steroids. The main thing that concerns me are the heart problems people have told me steroids can cause. What I would like to know is how has taking steroids changed your life for the better or worse and do any of you regret taking them because of the health problems that they may have caused. Thanks.

The thing with medical studies on AAS is that generally they lump all AAS together. You simply cannot compare something like testosterone to something like trenbolone. It's apples to oranges. My best advice... If you're already worried about the risks, whether unfounded or not, AAS may not be for you. If your training is your life and it's the only thing you got going for you, I say don't think twice about it and start. If it's just a hobby and you consider yourself just a casual gym rat, do not use them. Just my .02

[king6 II]

My only regret was stopping. But I plan on fixing that soon.

[kelkel]

Just adding my two cents.

I'd like some change.


To the op, no regrets really. Just back in my early days there really was no information available like there is today. Now self-education and expert guidance is simply a click away which is extremely advantageous to someone who cares about their health.

[bass]

no regrets here. like mentioned above if you know what you're doing you'll be fine, unless of course you have a pre-existing issue that you're not aware of like some kind of cancer then yes, steroids can make it progress faster.

[tarmyg]

bump as I would love to hear from more vets.

Thanks
~T

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Follow my personal story here on this blog: An honest journey
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[diesel101]

Absolutely no regrets at all,but I was 40 before I ran my first cycle.

[jimmyinkedup]

There was a time once i regretted it. I was in a hospital bed with rhabdomyolosis and renal failure after taking oral methyltren. I knew it was very toxic and took it anyway. It totally changed the way i view and use anabolics. It was prob the best thing that ever happened in retrospect. I was one jacked up mofo but to say I was being responsible is a lie. Now im much more responsible with my use. Notice I said use. There is a big diff between use and abuse man.

[Black]

None yet, but I'll let you know if something bad happens.

I didn't start using anabolic steroids until after I was diagnosed hypogonadal.

[BigBen86]

This is good stuff to hear from the Vets

[Oki-Des]

One negative is that anything that goes wrong health wise might be attributed to steroid use. Many people have various health problems through the years and when something happens you can certainly get down on yourself; especially if you may have caused it. It is no different than if you smoke and then get lung cancer. Once I got an infection and it made these nodes swell up in my lower abdominal region. It was like the lymph nodes under your jaw when you get a cold. A friend of mine had just been diagnosed with testicular cancer and he told me he had these same swollen nodes before he was diagnosed. I was fine, but they came out after I started taking a cycle so it scared the hell out of me. I swore I would never do them again if I turned out to be ok. But as it turned out, I got them from some type of infection in my lower body and I didn't have cancer. I could have gotten them from a needle or something, but it still scared the hell out of me and at the time I wished I had never touched roids before. But I still do them and am even on TRT, so I am actually always on them. But everyone loves them until something goes wrong. I obviously love them but you have to decide what you are willing to risk to take them and anything can happen. Like I said, bad things happen anyways, but when you are doing something that could cause a problem it is sometimes hard to distinguish between the two when/if something goes wrong.

[TestAce]

I'm about to start my 4th cycle soon, but I can already confidently say that steroids have changed my life for the better. They have altered my physique and have helped me get out of some dark times in my life; testosterone is as much of a mental drug as it is a physical one. But I have spent many hours educating myself and I knew exactly what I was getting myself into and what effects each individual drug has on the human body. If you go in blind you can be setting yourself up for disaster. Be responsible, smart, read, and diet and train effectively and they can have a profoundly positive effect on your life.

[Oki-Des]

Sorry, what I meant to say previously is that anything that goes wrong health wise, we might not know whether it was because of steroids or not, but can give you a sense of guilt for anything you have previously done.

[Sgt. Hartman]

I don't regret using steroids. There've been a couple cycles I regretted temporarily while I was on them just due to bad sides but in retrospect I don't even regret those.

Overall I'd say I'm better off for them than I would have been without them.

[DOSA]

im sorry i ever played with tren.

i cant stress enough to youngsters, it is a serious thing.
didnt have the info years ago that they have today...

[letshopethisworks]

I honestly haven't had anything bad happen to me while taking steroids and if you are smart about it I don't think there will be any issues. If you are healthy to begin with and will be keeping a healthy lifestyle there shouldn't be any issues. I do not compete or anything and just use to put on some size and look good and feel confident. If you know your body well you should be fine because you'll be able to tell if there are bad side effects. I would say go for it, be smart and work out hard man.

[Cuz]

my only regret? coming off!!!!! they're just that damn good.

[DexterMorgan]

Can't say that I regret it, but if I were to go back, I would not use them.

[kronz]

Sort of seems like you regret it.

[CaptainDwamn]

Great question! Really interesting to see what the vets are saying. Seems like a trend with most of the answers!

[marcus300]

It would take me a fair bit to write what I want to say and ive got legs in 5 mins so will have to come back to this one

[tarmyg]

Just keeps getting better! Keep it up vets :-)

Thanks
~T

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Follow my personal story here on this blog: An honest journey
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[anon99]

With a properly run cycle you can minimize side and adverse effects. There is an ever expanding fund of knowledge & research regarding steroid use.

Cardiac effects of AAS are particularly concerning, particularly irreversible LVH. However, studies are limited in the area - even the success of preventing MI despite massive dietary and pharmacological efforts has been limited, as Cardiologists will readily admit.

Also, note that one of the longest sections of the study was the part on confounding factors.

Additionally, how do they define a steroid user? 5 previous cycles? What is the length of each cycle? What doses were used? Which steroids were used? Is the cycle during the research project their first cycle? Consider steroid users as a population. How many of them are training for contests and are undergoing incredibly vigorous training, diet, and polypharmacy.

In other words: Does that population apply to you? Thus, does the study apply to you?

How many times do you read a headline on the internet or newspaper and after reading the article you notice the headline isn't exactly representative of the article. Believe it or not, scientific articles are the same way. That's why they are peer reviewed and often refuted. Even in clinical practice articles are heavily debated & criticized.

While on AAS make sure you do labs before during and after your cycle. Also a diet which lowers LDL would be your best bet to prevent future cardiac problems. Lastly, I do wonder why statin (med used to lower LDL) use is surprisingly absent from AAS cycles.

[fit2bOld]

No regrets on the AAS but like many tried the pro hormone route that got me the TRT.

[Kiki]

I regret starting them early (21)...i regret abusing them for a while.

I think in low dosages and in some cases, steroids can be beneficial.

Knowledge is power tho...

[jackjackson]

I do and I don't regret them honestly as of now, that may change 20 years from now


I've used them all across the board.
Bloodwork while on gear has shown the effects on heart, kidneys, Liver, RBC/WBC, blood pressure also some small heart issues.

I'd have to agree with the members here that it provides self confidence and great discipline to get to "Stage Ready, pre contest look".
All that dedication and mental discipline translate to my job or how bad I want something, If you can prep to make it to a show you can do anything.
The level of stress and mental discipline that comes into play is a tough battle, even for me at times and worse when you are on tren, halo.

I look it at like this.

I am trying to be responsible as I can and know down the road there will be some issues, but right now I am living my life enjoying it and consider it productive and not some 20 year old clubbing and bar hoping and doing nothing with his life.

So I rather live my life nice in my 20-40's for now and deal with what comes down the road vs living an unhappy or not as enriched life.
Its a choice one has to make for themselves and I've accepted the fact that issues will arise.

[DAAS]

I regret wasting thousands of dollars on body building supplements that don't work. I resent Jesus for making your nuts shrink when you inject.

[flenser]

I started when I was 50, barely a year ago. I regret not starting when I was 40. I think I would have regretted it had I started much earlier than 40, though. There were no reliable resources like this site available then, and I'm sure I would have done everything wrong.