Bodybuilding is much like any other sport. To be successful, you must dedicate yourself 100% to your training, diet and mental approach…(and steroids). I added that part. Hehe Arnold Schwarzenegger!
The use of steroids and other image enhancing drugs has been on the rise in Queensland over the last few years. More and more people are accessing Needle and Syringe Programs to obtain “Steroid Kits”. When I talk with people who inject steroids, I often hear about all the positive benefits that they experience including increased muscle mass, speedy tissue repair, greater endurance, and fat loss. Some people who use steroids will find that they experience greatly exaggerated benefits from their workouts and can quickly increase the size of their biceps by inches.
Now I don’t mean to sound like a party pooper here but, believe it or not, there can be some potential down sides to using these drugs. These can include mood swings, acne, low immunity, muscle pain, shrinking of the testicles in men or enlargement of the clitoris in women. It is recommended that if you do choose to give steroids a go, then it is a good idea to research the topic so that you are well informed about the positive and the negative aspects. Remember…knowledge is power.
I don’t think it’s a secret that the use of steroids and other related substances are a real growth area (pardon the pun) in many parts of Australia. With increase in the use of injectable substances comes the need for more education about possible harms for these kinds of injections. Some things to watch out for when injecting any substance including steroids, pep-tides and Human Growth Hormone (HGH) include:
- Blood Borne Virus (BBV) Transmission
- Blood-borne means able to be spread in the blood. Several types of Hepatitis are caused by bloodborne viruses such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C as well as HIV. This means that you can be exposed to these viruses (and the infections they cause) if you come into direct contact with infected blood.
The transmission of BBV (e.g. HIV, Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B) while doing any kind of injection, is something that should be considered for your health because blood is involved in intramuscular and subcutaneous injections. Often these viruses can have no or minimal symptoms making it impossible to tell when you have been infected without getting blood tests.
Some methods of administering substances have higher risks of transmission than others. One thing that increases the risk is to have someone else do your injection. For a blood-borne virus to transmit it needs to exit an infected person’s body, survive during the in-between time and then enter another person’s body. A piece of injecting equipment (including barrels, vials, bladders, towels) with only tiny amounts of blood on it can act as a method of transmission if that blood then enters another person’s body. This includes accidental pricks. Even unnoticeable traces of blood with a high viral load on a table for instance, could end up on a new needle placed on the unwashed table.
The way to greatly reduce or eliminate the risk is to learn how to inject yourself and thoroughly clean everything your equipment is going to touch, including hands and sites.
HEALTH MONITORING
Monitoring your health with your doctor is very important while taking steroids or other substances which have an artificial effect on your body or alter your natural levels of chemicals or hormones. Not all doctors are willing to talk about non-prescribed usage of these substances, but many will monitor you. It’s important not only for the duration of a cycle but at the end of a cycle as well. For example, you will need a plan for the end of your cycle in case you get extreme or unwanted side effects.
Things to get monitored include liver function, testosterone, and cholesterol levels with full blood tests. Keep an eye on blood pressure as well. Also talk about how much, how long, and how many combinations of substances you are using.
TISSUE DAMAGE
Injecting can lead to tissue damage if the sites aren’t regularly rotated. Your subcutaneous tissue and muscle cells need time to heal. If they don’t, they will become harder over time and struggle to absorb the substances. Rotating is just a matter of moving the injection away from the past site (even by an inch) or changing muscles or areas altogether. If you were injecting steroids intramuscularly into your bum and thighs, there are four potential injection areas and each one of those areas have plenty of room to move the injections around. If using your stomach for subcutaneous injections, move the site across the stomach to give your body a chance to repair itself.
BACTERIAL INFECTIONS
A bacterial infection is any type of infection that is caused by bacteria (rather than a virus). For example, a contaminated needle can introduce bacteria into the blood causing a bacterial infection.
Infections can be very serious when it comes to injecting. The skin is one of the main protective barriers we have from the bacteria and microbes all around us getting inside and causing damage. Injecting penetrates that barrier, creating a potential entrance for the tiny microbes. The microbes can come from a variety of sources. One major one is the outside surface of the skin itself. This is why the washing of hands and injection sites is so important. Assuming that you are using sterile injecting equipment straight out of a sealed packet, microbes can still get onto the equipment if you put it down while making final preparations for the injection. This makes it important to clean every surface that may come into contact with the syringe, like a table. Another source of infection can come from the substance itself. Depending on the hygiene standards adopted during the production process or later if and when the substance is cut down with something else.
SIDE EFFECTS FOR MEN
- Heart problems
- High cholesterol
- Permanent liver damage and tumours
- Aggressiveness
- Baldness
- Acne
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin)
- Development of breast tissue
- Diabetes
- Infertility
Most of the side effects normally stop – if you stop using the drugs.
SIDE EFFECTS FOR WOMEN
- Heart problems
- High cholesterol
- Permanent liver damage and tumours
- Permanent deep voice
- Facial hair
- Acne
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin)
- Enlarged clitoris
- Diabetes
- Effects on child (if taken during pregnancy)
- Problems with periods
Most of the side effects normally stop – if you stop using the drugs.
For more information on minimising the risks with steroid use, call your local QuIHN office, or find more information at www.quihn.org and www.anex.org.au