Posted by alan2102 on October 13, 2007, at 13:56:23 [reposted on October 14, 2007, at 17:17:09 | original URL]
In reply to Re: Anabolic steroids superior to antidepressants, posted by Squiggles on October 12, 2007, at 8:17:46
> Here is a good article on anabolic
> steroids:ecreational drugs.
> Psychiatric Complications of Anabolic
> Steroiod Abuse, Ryan C. W. Hall, M.D.,
> Richard C. W. Hall, M.D., and Marcia
> J. Chapman
>
> in PSYCHOSOMATICS
> ...............
>
> "Current data suggest that AAS abuse can
> increase aggression and cause rage, delirium,
> depression, mania, psychosis, and withdrawal
> symptoms.So they say. Only problem is, those things are
rare, and infrequent even in guys who are taking
ridiculously huge doses of them.There was a great steroid hysteria that took
hold in the late 1980s, and throughout the
90s. Side effects (which there are, sometimes)
became wildly exaggerated, groundless fears
were repeated and re-repeated ad nauseum, etc.
A lot of these hyper-cautious medical papers
are based on attitudes (and even falsehoods)
that came up during that era.Recall that prevailing medical opinion denied,
for decades, that anabolic steroids enhance
athletic performance! That was repeated by many,
many top figures. It was embarrasing. Everyone
knew it was a lie -- especially the guys who
were actually taking the stuff.Likewise, the scares about steroid toxicity
and side effects were blown up wildly. If
anything, the infrequency of serious (or even
any) side effects in bodybuilders dosing
themselves with this stuff -- even in the
largest doses imaginable, of multiple
steroids at once -- stands as evidence of
their relative safety. I've read a lot about
the "stacking" schedules that these guys
undertake, and it is hard to believe that
they do not have more side effects than they
do, given the extreme, intemperate doses
that they use.Yes, anabolic steroids CAN cause problems. I am
not suggesting otherwise, and I am not
encouraging anyone to embark on strange,
potentially risky pharmacologic ventures,
as do the competitive bodybuilders. It is
just a matter of keeping things in perspective,
and paying attention to realities rather than
(sometimes hysterical) claims.In contrast to the bodybuilders and their
extreme dosing and combination schedules,
the use of **physiologic** (low) doses of
testosterone, as replacement or supplemental
therapy, is attended with almost no risk.Alan
poster:alan2102
thread:789228
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20070923/msgs/789242.html