Steroids are synthetics drugs that look like natural hormones made in the body. The use of steroids has made athletes and bodybuilders gain an advantage on the playing field. Nowadays, anabolic steroids USA
are common to augment sports performance. The aim to take steroids is to gain muscle-building capability. Here, you can get information about steroids and the types of steroids.
What are Steroids?
Steroids are man-made drugs that closely resemble cortisol, a hormone that your adrenal produces naturally. People use Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) to build muscle and increase strength. These steroids can be injected or swallowed.
Why are steroids injected?
Steroids are injected to treat infected or damaged areas of the body. It is injected in one or two local areas of inflammation which allows doctors to deliver high doses of medication to the specific area.
When the doctor gives steroids by mouth or intravenously they are not sure whether the adequate amount of steroid will affect the specific area.
When should steroids injections not be used?
You should avoid taking steroids if you have any infection in the area to be injected or anywhere else in the body. If your joint is severely damaged then, injections are not likely to help.
Prior the joint is injected with a steroid then, the joint fluid may be removed for testing. Before injecting steroids testing the joint fluid is essential. Steroid injections reduce joint inflammation and aids to preserve the joint structure.
In a scenario, if a patient has a potential bleeding problem, steroid injections may cause bleeding at the site. For this kind of patient, injections are given with great caution.
Types of Steroids
Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids are produced above the kidney in the adrenal gland. These hormones incorporate aldosterone which assists to regulate sodium concentration in the body. It plays a crucial role in the body which serves as part of the body’s stress response system to decrease inflammation.
It is commonly prescribed corticosteroid medications such as prednisone, prednisolone, and dexamethasone which are available to be taken by mouth or by intramuscular injection. Which may be used to treat diseases like asthma, inflammatory bowel diseases, systemic lupus erythematosus, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Androgenic/Anabolic Steroids
Androgenic/Anabolic Steriods are the hormones made in the body to regulate the making of testosterone on the testicles and ovaries. The androgenic part of testosterone helps to develop male characteristics. And, the anabolic part is involved in augmenting the amount of body tissue by increasing protein production.
Other than this, the pituitary gland is located in the brain which helps to regulate testosterone production and hormone secretion.
Both anabolic and androgenic steroids are used when the body does not make enough hormones. Some supplements include growth in hormones and testosterone. These supplements are legally provided by the health-care providers, but using these drugs without any proper medication is abused to increase athletic performance and body performance.
Anabolic steroids have beneficial effects on the body when it is taken under medical supervision.
Here are the more commonly used oral and injectable anabolic steroids are listed below:
Oral
- Danazol
- Winstrol
- Anadrol
- Dianabol
Injectable
- Testosterone
- Boldenone
- Dihydrotestosterone
- Nortestosterone
Steroid Nasal Spray
Steroid nasal sprays are medicines that are commonly used to treat stuffiness or congestion in the nose. It is used often for allergies of the nose such as hay fever.
Topical Steroids
Topical steroids include those used for skin, nasal sprays, and inhalers. It is used to treat skin and is available as creams, ointments, and lotions.
Topical steroids can be given as follows:
- Available in eye drops to reduce inflammation on the surface of the eye
- Rectal foam to treat ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.
