The Danger Zone: Are steriods worth the risk?

Step into the gym and you’re transported into a world of self-improvement. It’s a place where men and women sculpt their bodies by following strict regimens of physical activities and disciplined eating practices. It’s where you are likely to find focused individuals who have never broke a resolution, and have dedicated their lives to being fit and happy.

So what about everybody else? You can always recognize the ones that are destined to fail, as they step onto the gym floor and are immediately lost. They have brand new neon shoes, basketball shorts from a decade ago and are draped in their favorite slogan t-shirt with false confidence slapped on their face.

The machines are contraptions that seem to puzzle these individuals as they inspect them, all while pulling at knobs and levers, and then sit down backwards and embarrassingly act like it was on purpose. You have to feel empathy for those people for after a brief and complicated 20 minutes, they have wasted precious moments of their life and see no results — so they decide to return to their unhealthy lifestyle.

Now what if that same person discovers he or she can have results by just taking a few pills every day?

Typing “I want to buy steroids” into Google yields almost 11 million results, so this is a head’s up as to what your getting into if you take that leap.

Welcome to the world of anabolic steroids. Whether you’re into getting jacked, ripped or bulked up — there is a substance that can do that. I want to explore the ever-expanding industry of anabolic steroids, chemical concoctions and hormones that can turn the average person into a mini-Hulk, a trim lean machine or an acne-covered, hairy, shrivel-sacked rage-aholic. Here is an look at three very common oral steroids in use today and their possible side effects.

Anavar or Oxandralone

According to Steroid.com — Anavar or Oxandralone is very popular amongst both body builders looking to cut down pre-competition, and the average gym junkie who wants to look good on the beach. Anavar enthusiasts use the steroid to produce solid muscle tissue, not to bulk up. Var can reduce the amount of body fat on your body and preserve muscle tissue: ideally more muscle means more metabolic activity and utilization of fat for energy.

Saying that, the side effects are a bit intimidating. First off, with any oral steroid you are putting your liver through hell. This is because your liver (which filters toxins) has to process the steroid. Once the liver has become overwhelmed and toxic, any buff, bulky user will deflate and lose 20-30 pounds of muscle on the way to a hospital bed. Some users attempt to counteract or “cleanse” these effects with liver supplements such as milk thistle however, without strictly regulated dosage — damage could be permanent.

Another dangerous side effect is for the weekend warriors; oral steroids mixed with alcohol are pretty much pure poison for the precious liver.

For the ladies, the side effects are even scarier. Anavar is sometimes referred to as “The Girl Steroid” because of its “low risk” to women. However, there is a process called virilization that female anabolic steroid users experience, — which has a range of side effects including deepening vocal cords, shrinking breasts, hair growth and clitoral enlargement.

Winstrol or Stanozolol

Another choice for the cutting cycle is the oral anabolic Winstrol. Again not for bulking — this steroid is able to lower your levels of the sex hormone binding globulin or SHBG.

This turns up the body’s production of testosterone, as is the goal with most steroids. Winstrol or Stanozolol has a range of side effects that are pretty gruesome and its hepatoxiticy (chemical driven liver damage) is among the worst of any steroid. Along with the possibility of sexual dysfunction, it also negatively impacts cholesterol and the risk of cardiac hypertrophy — which is the thickening of the heart muscle.

This steroid is considered so toxic that cycles only run a maximum of six weeks. Women can take Stanozolol as well in smaller doses but still run the standard side effects of steroid virilization.

Dinabol (D-bol) or Methandrostenolone

D-bol sounds like a kid’s sport you would see in a phys-ed class. But this old-school anabolic was produced in the 1900’s and experimented with by the Nazis during the Second World War, in an attempt to produce a better soldier. D-bol was used in the ‘50s by the U.S weightlifting team and could be ordered via mail by anyone. Arnie also took this steroid until the early ‘70s, so D-bol has been around the block. It is used primarily as a muscle builder and to achieve significant gains.

Again, the side effects are due to its hepatoxic properties. It will also raise your blood pressure so taking this steroid would be Russian roulette for anyone with hypertension.

Well, there you have it: a look at three oral anabolic steroids, what they do to the body and the potential side effects. In my opinion, unless you’re a budding fitness athlete, I would say stay natural. Having a healthy life and body image is paramount and achieved through a disciplined diet and physical regime. Work on getting healthy, not huge.