October 8, 2014


farnese-hercules

Steroids are a very taboo subject in our culture. They are Schedule III controlled substances, meaning they are illegal to own without a prescription, and illegal to distribute unless you are an MD. Furthermore, they are banned in almost all athletic competitions (with the exceptions being some untested strength sports). This is not meant to be read as an article condoning steroid use. They carry numerous short-term risks (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, liver toxicity, etc.), with the potential for long-term risks (atherosclerosis, infertility, hypogonadism, etc.) dependent on the particular compounds used, the dosages, and the duration you take them. Anyone who knows anything about steroids has probably heard about the risks they carry, so I’m not going to beat you over the head with that.

With that standard disclaimer out of the way, I still think steroids are worth having frank, open discussions about, for two main reasons.
  • They’re really interesting.
  • People are going to use anyway, so they may as well be informed.