1.Anabolic Steroids

Anabolic steroids are variants of natural male testosterone hormones that are produced synthetically. Testosterones are produced naturally in both females and males. In males, they are generated in the testes while in females; they are produced in the ovaries as well as other tissues. The full name for this drug class is anabolic which means tissue building, androgenic meaning enhancing masculine attributes and steroids implying the drug class.

2.Androgenic and Anabolic Effects

The two key effects that testosterone hormones have can be classified into androgenic and anabolic effects. Androgenic implies physical changes that males experience during puberty as they develop into manhood. Androgenic effects are experienced by females in a similar way and are associated with the major side effects associated with steroid use. Anabolic implies enhancing anabolism, which is the actual development of tissues, particularly muscles that is achieved through enhanced synthesis of proteins.

3.Reasons for steroid abuse

Anabolic steroids are basically used by athletes, bodybuilders and fitness buffs seeking to improve physical performance or gain competitive advantage. They are also used by persons in occupations that require advanced physical capabilities such as construction workers, bodyguards, and officers in law enforcement.  Steroids are perceived to add lean body muscle, aggressiveness and strength. They are believed to lower recovery periods in between workouts making it possible to endure long workout times.

4.Enhancing Personal Appearance

People who are not necessarily athletes take steroids in order to increase their muscle strength, size and lower their body fat which results to enhanced personal appearance. They also use steroids to increase muscle strength and endurance.

5.Conditions for Medical Use

Doctors prescribe steroids for medical reasons such as loss off testicle functionality, low counts of red blood cells, breast cancer, debilitating states due to sickness or surgery or delayed puberty. Steroids are administered to animals such as dogs, cattle, cats and horses to increase their feeding efficiency, improving vigor, weight and hair coat. They also treat anemia and counter tissue breakage during trauma and illness.

6.Illegal Steroid Sources

The common source of illegal steroids is smuggling into the U.S from European countries and Mexico. Smuggling of steroids from these countries is much easier as no prescription is needed to purchase them. Only rare cases steroids in illegal markets are acquired from legal sources through inappropriate prescriptions or thefts or generated in clandestine labs.

7.Administration of Steroids

Legal anabolic steroids are administered in various ways. These include subcutaneous or intramuscular injection, pallet implantation beneath the skin, by mouth and topical application on skin in the form of patches or gels. Administration of illegal steroids takes similar approaches with oral and intramuscular administration being most prevalent.

8.Stacking Steroids

People who abuse steroids take between one and 100 times of the normal recommended doses of therapeutic anabolic steroids. This includes consuming 2 or more doses at a go in a practice known as stacking. Often, abusers alternate between periods of six to sixteen weeks of high dosage with low dosage or no drug periods.

9.Pyramiding Steroids

This method of steroid use involves slow escalation of steroid use. It has to do with increasing the quantity of drugs used at a particular time, dosage as well as frequency of a single or more steroids to reach peak.

10.Commonly Abused Steroids

Some commonly abused steroids are Durabolin, Deca-Durabolin, Winstrol, Methyltestosterone and Equipoise. Common slang used to refer to anabolic steroids on the streets are arnolds, pumpers, gym candy, roids, weight trainers, stackers and juice. Some steroids found in the illegal market without approval in the U.S include Methandriol, Methandrostenolone, Ethylestrenol and Methenolone.