Tag Archives: dopamine

Straight, No Chaser: Steroid Abuse

anabolicsteroids

In the conversation about drugs of abuse, anabolic steroids hold a unique position. They work very differently from other drugs of abuse, and they do not have the same acute effects on the brain. These are not drugs of pleasure but are drugs of function. Much has been said and is known about steroids, and most of your questions about them involve the consequences of abuse. The use and abuse of anabolic steroids are the topics of this Straight, No Chaser post.

steroids hulk

What are anabolic steroids?
Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are synthetic compounds taken to approximate the effects of the male sex hormone testosterone. Once you understand that anabolic refers to muscle-building and androgenic refers to increased male sexual characteristics, you can infer a lot about why people take steroids and what effects they have.

steroids a rod

Why are steroids normally taken?
There are conditions of male hormonal deficiency, such as delayed puberty, that benefit from AAS. Similarly, diseases that cause loss of lean muscle mass can be treated with AAS. Such conditions include AIDS and cancer.

steroids in asthma

What does this have to do with asthma?
Nothing. The steroids you may take to treat asthma are a completely different class of steroids with different effects. It is more appropriate to describe the drugs we’re discussing here as anabolic steroids or AAS.

steroids Arnold-Schwarzenegger-1-Copy

How do steroids work for weightlifters? 
Several types of athletes in many different sports understand that the testosterone-like effects of steroids enhance physical performance and can improve one’s physical appearance – to a limit. These abusers are taking doses sometimes between 10 and 100 times the doses used to treat medical conditions.

steroids barry-bonds-1

How are anabolic steroids taken?

  • AAS are usually either taken orally or injected into the muscles. Additional preparations exist that allow them to be applied to the skin as a cream or gel.

steroids lance-armstrong-6_2318734b

What are “cycling” and “stacking”?
Ignoring the irony of professional cyclists being associated with illegal AAS use, if you’ve ever heard and understand the terms, you’ll know more about how steroids are taken.

  • An intermittently pattern of usage helps avoid side effects and gives the body a chance to recover. Continuous use of steroids can cause the body to stop producing its own testosterone. It can also decrease the body’s responsiveness to the drugs, a phenomenon known as tolerance. Cycling in an on again, off-again pattern for weeks or months at a time helps the body avoid these consequences of use.
  • Stacking refers to the use of various steroids and other pharmacological supplements to maximize effectiveness. This can work in between or in conjunction with cycling.

steroids female_20athete

How Do Anabolic Steroids Affect the Brain?
The most important difference between AAS and other drugs of abuse is that AAS do not produce a “high” (i.e., it doesn’t increase the neurologically active chemical dopamine that is responsible for that feeling). Ironically, long-term use negatively affects some of the same pathways as other drugs. This results in the cranky moods, aggression (e.g. “roid rage”), and other psychiatric problems seen in some AAS abusers, without their having received the benefit of “getting high” along the way. Other symptoms in steroid abusers may include paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility.

steroid harmlessness graph

Are steroids addictive?
Yes. This fact has been demonstrated in animals as well as humans. In addition to addictive pursuit of the drug, destruction of one’s social structure to obtain the drug is often seen. Further evidence of addiction is shown in the withdrawal symptoms experienced. These can include mood swings, cravings, reduced sex drive, insomnia, restlessness, fatigue and loss of appetite. The mood swings are particularly concerning because they can involve depression and lead to suicide.

steroids sylvester-stallone-then-now

What are the other health effects of anabolic steroids?
Anabolic steroid abuse is a serious condition and involves more than acne, fluid retention (resulting in weight gain), balding and shrunken testicles. There are serious and irreversible health issues that result from steroid abuse including the following:

  • Cardiovascular problems – abnormal enlargement of the heart, high blood pressure, and increased blood cholesterol leading to an increased risk of stroke and heart attack, even in young people.
  • Kidney damage and/or failure
  • Liver damage
  • It’s important to note an increased risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and/or hepatitis associated with steroid use and improper use of needles.

steroid teen girls

Anabolic steroid also is notable for certain gender and age-specific effects:

  • Adolescents may experience stunted growth due to premature maturation of the skeleton. Combined with accelerated puberty changes, kids can run the risk of not reaching expected height if steroid use precedes their adolescent growth spurt.
  • Men may experience shrinkage of the testicles (testicular atrophy), reduced sperm count or infertility, baldness, development of breasts (gynecomastia) and an increased risk for prostate cancer.
  • Women may experience growth of facial hair (hirsutism), male-pattern baldness, changes in or cessation of the menstrual cycle, enlargement of the clitoris and a deepened voice.

steroid-abuse female effects

The decision to start taking anabolic steroids is a serious one, fraught with danger and complications. There are many other safe and effective ways to achieve your physical and performance objectives. Think twice.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you for being a valued subscriber to Straight, No Chaser, we’d like to offer you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!
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Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2017 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress
 

Straight, No Chaser: Steroid Abuse

anabolicsteroids

In the conversation about drugs of abuse, anabolic steroids hold a unique position. They work very differently from other drugs of abuse, and they do not have the same acute effects on the brain. These are not drugs of pleasure but are drugs of function. Much has been said and is known about steroids, and most of your questions about them involve the consequences of abuse. The use and abuse of anabolic steroids are the topics of this Straight, No Chaser post.

steroids hulk

What are anabolic steroids?
Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are synthetic compounds taken to approximate the effects of the male sex hormone testosterone. Once you understand that anabolic refers to muscle-building and androgenic refers to increased male sexual characteristics, you can infer a lot about why people take steroids and what effects they have.

steroids a rod

Why are steroids normally taken?
There are conditions of male hormonal deficiency, such as delayed puberty, that benefit from AAS. Similarly, diseases that cause loss of lean muscle mass can be treated with AAS. Such conditions include AIDS and cancer.

steroids in asthma

What does this have to do with asthma?
Nothing. The steroids you may take to treat asthma are a completely different class of steroids with different effects. It is more appropriate to describe the drugs we’re discussing here as anabolic steroids or AAS.

steroids Arnold-Schwarzenegger-1-Copy

How do steroids work for weightlifters? 
Several types of athletes in many different sports understand that the testosterone-like effects of steroids enhance physical performance and can improve one’s physical appearance – to a limit. These abusers are taking doses sometimes between 10 and 100 times the doses used to treat medical conditions.

steroids barry-bonds-1

How are anabolic steroids taken?

  • AAS are usually either taken orally or injected into the muscles. Additional preparations exist that allow them to be applied to the skin as a cream or gel.

steroids lance-armstrong-6_2318734b

What are “cycling” and “stacking”?
Ignoring the irony of professional cyclists being associated with illegal AAS use, if you’ve ever heard and understand the terms, you’ll know more about how steroids are taken.

  • An intermittently pattern of usage helps avoid side effects and gives the body a chance to recover. Continuous use of steroids can cause the body to stop producing its own testosterone. It can also decrease the body’s responsiveness to the drugs, a phenomenon known as tolerance. Cycling in an on again, off-again pattern for weeks or months at a time helps the body avoid these consequences of use.
  • Stacking refers to the use of various steroids and other pharmacological supplements to maximize effectiveness. This can work in between or in conjunction with cycling.

steroids female_20athete

How Do Anabolic Steroids Affect the Brain?
The most important difference between AAS and other drugs of abuse is that AAS do not produce a “high” (i.e., it doesn’t increase the neurologically active chemical dopamine that is responsible for that feeling). Ironically, long-term use negatively affects some of the same pathways as other drugs. This results in the cranky moods, aggression (e.g. “roid rage”), and other psychiatric problems seen in some AAS abusers, without their having received the benefit of “getting high” along the way. Other symptoms in steroid abusers may include paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility.

steroid harmlessness graph

Are steroids addictive?
Yes. This fact has been demonstrated in animals as well as humans. In addition to addictive pursuit of the drug, destruction of one’s social structure to obtain the drug is often seen. Further evidence of addiction is shown in the withdrawal symptoms experienced. These can include mood swings, cravings, reduced sex drive, insomnia, restlessness, fatigue and loss of appetite. The mood swings are particularly concerning because they can involve depression and lead to suicide.

steroids sylvester-stallone-then-now

What are the other health effects of anabolic steroids?
Anabolic steroid abuse is a serious condition and involves more than acne, fluid retention (resulting in weight gain), balding and shrunken testicles. There are serious and irreversible health issues that result from steroid abuse including the following:

  • Cardiovascular problems – abnormal enlargement of the heart, high blood pressure, and increased blood cholesterol leading to an increased risk of stroke and heart attack, even in young people.
  • Kidney damage and/or failure
  • Liver damage
  • It’s important to note an increased risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and/or hepatitis associated with steroid use and improper use of needles.

steroid teen girls

Anabolic steroid also is notable for certain gender and age-specific effects:

  • Adolescents may experience stunted growth due to premature maturation of the skeleton. Combined with accelerated puberty changes, kids can run the risk of not reaching expected height if steroid use precedes their adolescent growth spurt.
  • Men may experience shrinkage of the testicles (testicular atrophy), reduced sperm count or infertility, baldness, development of breasts (gynecomastia) and an increased risk for prostate cancer.
  • Women may experience growth of facial hair (hirsutism), male-pattern baldness, changes in or cessation of the menstrual cycle, enlargement of the clitoris and a deepened voice.

steroid-abuse female effects

The decision to start taking anabolic steroids is a serious one, fraught with danger and complications. There are many other safe and effective ways to achieve your physical and performance objectives. Think twice.
Feel free to ask any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2016 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser In the News: Muhammad Ali and Parkinson's Disease

parkinsonsali

We all mourn the passing and celebrate the life of Muhammad Ali, once the most famous athlete on the planet and certainly the most beloved. He died from complications of Parkinson’s disease, which you’ve surely heard many, many times. That which you likely know about Parkinson’s disease came from seeing its effects in Ali and/or Michael J. Fox. We honor his memory in this space by providing an understanding of the illness that defined the latter part of his life.
What is Parkinson’s?

  • Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a one of a few diseases called movement disorders based on the symptoms produced. It is the result of nerve cells in the brain not producing enough of a brain chemical called dopamine.

parkinsonstats

What causes PD? Who is likely to get it?

  • Sometimes PD is genetic, but most cases don’t run in families. It seems that any of a variety of conditions that damage the brain’s nerve cells can result in PD. For example, exposure to chemicals in the environment might play a role. Similarly, brain trauma such as occur to boxers at the end of their careers also seems to play a role.
  • PD is more common in men than in women. Symptoms usually begin around age 60.

parkinson

What are the symptoms of PD?

  • Remember that PD is a movement disorder, and it is progressive. Oddly, symptoms often begin on one side of the body and then slowly progress to affect both sides. The four primary symptoms of PD are tremor (trembling in one’s hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face); rigidity (stiffness of the limbs and trunk); bradykinesia (slowness of movement); and postural instability (impaired balance and coordination). The net result of these symptoms over time often is difficulty walking, talking, or completing other simple tasks, such as sleeping, chewing, swallowing or speaking.

parkinsonsnotest

How is PD diagnosed?

  • PD is diagnosed largely via a medical history and physical examination. No lab test exists for diagnosis.

How is PD treated?

  • There is no cure for PD, and medicines used to increase dopamine levels in the brain fluctuate in effectiveness, largely reflecting the variation in damage to the brain. Some medicines are highly effective in some patients. In severe cases, sometimes surgery and deep brain stimulation via the delivery of electrical pulses to parts of the brain controlling movement can help.

parkinsonsalifox

What is the prognosis?

  • As mentioned, PD has no cure and is a chronic, progressive disorder. Left untreated, symptom will persist and get worse over time. The variety in expression of symptoms is matched with a variety in the intensity and progression. Obviously, one’s best bet is early identification and continual treatment.

What is the link with boxing?

  • It is more accurate to say boxing increases the risk of PD than to say it causes it. However, PD is directly linked to head injury and acute head trauma, and individuals who have suffered head injury are four times more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than those who have never suffered head trauma.

aliolympics

RIP to The Greatest. If you or a loved one develop tremors or other symptoms as described above, please get promptly evaluated.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2016 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser: Steroid Abuse

anabolicsteroids

In the conversation about drugs of abuse, anabolic steroids hold a unique position. They work very differently from other drugs of abuse, and they do not have the same acute effects on the brain. These are not drugs of pleasure but are drugs of function. Much has been said and is known about steroids, and most of your questions about them involve the consequences of abuse. The use and abuse of anabolic steroids are the topics of this Straight, No Chaser post.

steroids hulk

What are anabolic steroids?
Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are synthetic compounds taken to approximate the effects of the male sex hormone testosterone. Once you understand that anabolic refers to muscle-building and androgenic refers to increased male sexual characteristics, you can infer a lot about why people take steroids and what effects they have.

steroids a rod

Why are steroids normally taken?
There are conditions of male hormonal deficiency, such as delayed puberty, that benefit from AAS. Similarly, diseases that cause loss of lean muscle mass can be treated with AAS. Such conditions include AIDS and cancer.

steroids in asthma

What does this have to do with asthma?
Nothing. The steroids you may take to treat asthma are a completely different class of steroids with different effects. It is more appropriate to describe the drugs we’re discussing here as anabolic steroids or AAS.

steroids Arnold-Schwarzenegger-1-Copy

How do steroids work for weightlifters?
Several types of athletes in many different sports understand that the testosterone-like effects of steroids enhance physical performance and can improve one’s physical appearance – to a limit. These abusers are taking doses sometimes between 10 and 100 times the doses used to treat medical conditions.

steroids barry-bonds-1

How are anabolic steroids taken?

  • AAS are usually either taken orally or injected into the muscles. Additional preparations exist that allow them to be applied to the skin as a cream or gel.

steroids lance-armstrong-6_2318734b

What are “cycling” and “stacking”?
Ignoring the irony of professional cyclists being associated with illegal AAS use, if you’ve ever heard and understand the terms, you’ll know more about how steroids are taken.

  • An intermittently pattern of usage helps avoid side effects and gives the body a chance to recover. Continuous use of steroids can cause the body to stop producing its own testosterone. It can also decrease the body’s responsiveness to the drugs, a phenomenon known as tolerance. Cycling in an on again, off-again pattern for weeks or months at a time helps the body avoid these consequences of use.
  • Stacking refers to the use of various steroids and other pharmacological supplements to maximize effectiveness. This can work in between or in conjunction with cycling.

steroids female_20athete

How Do Anabolic Steroids Affect the Brain?
The most important difference between AAS and other drugs of abuse is that AAS do not produce a “high” (i.e., it doesn’t increase the neurologically active chemical dopamine that is responsible for that feeling). Ironically, long-term use negatively affects some of the same pathways as other drugs. This results in the cranky moods, aggression (e.g. “roid rage”), and other psychiatric problems seen in some AAS abusers, without their having received the benefit of “getting high” along the way. Other symptoms in steroid abusers may include paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility.

steroid harmlessness graph

Are steroids addictive?
Yes. This fact has been demonstrated in animals as well as humans. In addition to addictive pursuit of the drug, destruction of one’s social structure to obtain the drug is often seen. Further evidence of addiction is shown in the withdrawal symptoms experienced. These can include mood swings, cravings, reduced sex drive, insomnia, restlessness, fatigue and loss of appetite. The mood swings are particularly concerning because they can involve depression and lead to suicide.

steroids sylvester-stallone-then-now

What are the other health effects of anabolic steroids?
Anabolic steroid abuse is a serious condition and involves more than acne, fluid retention (resulting in weight gain), balding and shrunken testicles. There are serious and irreversible health issues that result from steroid abuse including the following:

  • Cardiovascular problems – abnormal enlargement of the heart, high blood pressure, and increased blood cholesterol leading to an increased risk of stroke and heart attack, even in young people.
  • Kidney damage and/or failure
  • Liver damage
  • It’s important to note an increased risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and/or hepatitis associated with steroid use and improper use of needles.

steroid teen girls

Anabolic steroid also is notable for certain gender and age-specific effects:

  • Adolescents may experience stunted growth due to premature maturation of the skeleton. Combined with accelerated puberty changes, kids can run the risk of not reaching expected height if steroid use precedes their adolescent growth spurt.
  • Men may experience shrinkage of the testicles (testicular atrophy), reduced sperm count or infertility, baldness, development of breasts (gynecomastia) and an increased risk for prostate cancer.
  • Women may experience growth of facial hair (hirsutism), male-pattern baldness, changes in or cessation of the menstrual cycle, enlargement of the clitoris and a deepened voice.

steroid-abuse female effects

The decision to start taking anabolic steroids is a serious one, fraught with danger and complications. There are many other safe and effective ways to achieve your physical and performance objectives. Think twice.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what 844-SMA-TALK and http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2014 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress.