One of the biggest misconceptions about steroids is that it is a magic pill. A magic pill that will transform a 130 pound weakling into the hulk in a month. Steroids alone do not make muscles grow. They only aid in muscle growth. Steroids basically speed up muscle repair and slow down the body's natural tendency to break down muscle. Popular media has insinuated to the public about horror stories and the dangers. If they are so dangerous then why do doctors prescribe them? Why do pharmacies all over the planet still make them and sell them?

To have an opinion on whether steroids are safe are not, it would help to know how they work and what responsibilities are needed when choosing to take the

Most of the side effects that are experienced during use also happens during puberty. The more dangerous ones come from careless use. If some one takes steroids in safe doses in a limited amount of time, doesn't evidence show this is safe? Does the mild negative effects outweigh the positive for steroid use even though we use them for cosmetic reasons. I that steroids should be administered by a doctor who can monitor your health during use. This would give no body a reason to smuggle them. If informed about the risks and side effects of these drugs, why can't a person make a decision to use them cosmetically? Should we outlaw breast implants and other cosmetic procedures that involve risk? I guess all of the other countries are wrong for legalizing steroids and we, the United States, are right.

Sterility must be practice as with anything coming into contact with the bloodstream. The injection site should be cleaned with rubbing alcohol. Always use a new syringe and needle. Make sure whatever you are injecting is clean.

Once steroids are introduced into the bloodstream, they circulate throughout the body and are gradually collected at the receptor sites in the body designed to recognize and absorb them. These sites include muscle, hair, sebaceous glands, endocrine gland, and the brain.

There are a couple of ways to administer steroids into the body. Even though there are oral pills, injection seems to be preferred. Injection steroids are the safer and more potent steroids. Injecting is safe as long as responsibility is taken. Things like syringe selection, injection site, technique and sterilization are all factors to consider.

Knowing how to inject intramuscularly is relatively easy if you know what you are doing. You should always be well informed and educated before attempting this.

So are they safe? The approval and use of any drug is a matter of deciding whether the therapeutic benefits from its use are worth the adverse effects. No drug is safe. Acetaminophen(Tylenol) and Aspirin has shown to cause some poisonings and rare cases of devastating skin reactions. However the consensus is that they save enough lives and alleviate enough problems to more than compensate for the bad effects. Just like these drugs, in therapeutic doses, steroids result in few side effects. Benefits clearly outweigh the risks. Otherwise doctors wouldn't prescribe them at all. Does everyone think that an AIDS patient is given steroids because he is dying and it doesn't matter what happens to him. No it is because they are beneficial.

Fluctuation in sex drive happens because of the change in testosterone levels. The increase in hormones causes the dramatic increase in sex drive during the first couple of weeks of use until the pituitary gland realizes sexual hormones are high and suppresses them. This is what causes impotence during use. This too is temporary.

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Approximate Word count = 2117
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)