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Difference between misuse of steroids and HRT

The reality that our bodies age, there's no way around. For men, normal testosterone development in the body continues to slow down by around one to two percent each year as we get closer to the middle age level, but this can vary greatly. Around half of males will undergo what is known as "andropause," at age 50 or so, which is the result of decreasing androgen levels in the body. Most men resort to either steroids or hormone replacement therapy to counteract the effects of andropause (HRT).

The signs of andropause may vary from one person to another but may include reduced energy (lethargy), decreased libido or decreased sexual desire, erectile dysfunction (ED), muscle fatigue, sleeping problems, hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings or depression, and more. Andropause is often referred to as "male menopause," because of the similarities of the symptoms to what women feel in menopause, while the digestive system does not shut down fully in males as it does in females-it only slows down.

Steroids are no stranger to the world of fitness/bodybuilding, but now more and more "regular guys" take steroids to prevent and reduce the symptoms of andropause. While legal steroids for sale have a position and serve valuable functions that are medically legitimate, they are often exploited. Most of this comes from their extensive access to gyms, fitness clubs, internet pharmacies, families, and more.

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Apart from being illegal without a prescription, steroids are considered to cause a number of health issues when used without adequate medical care. The short-term adverse physical effects of misuse of anabolic steroids are reasonably well known, but not well studied are the results of their long-term use.

The real concerns emerge as consumers of steroids become perpetrators of steroids. At the gym or from a friend, they procure their steroids, self-administer them and control their dosage themselves, rather than under the supervision of a qualified medical professional. It's a blueprint for a tragedy. The risk for dangerous consequences is astronomical when someone buys steroids on the black market.

First of all, you never really know what you are going to get when purchasing steroids from the black market. Many steroids sold on the markets of the U.S. come from other nations where at best, consistency controls can be very lax. Taking steroids prepared for animals rather than for humans is often very popular because they are typically cheaper, but also potentially very harmful. On the U.S. black market, there is also a proliferation of false or synthetic steroids. Not only can they be toxic, but they can also be lethal.

The list of possible side effects of self-regulated/self-administered steroid therapy (abuse) is lengthy without going into the issue in detail-entire books have been written about it-suffice to say. A few of the complications are mood swings, fluid accumulation, thinning or hair loss, cancers, testicular atrophy and the possibility of blood-borne diseases.

However many medical experts say that all medications have adverse effects and that the future benefit should still be linked to the risk. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is a medically controlled regimen that attempts to duplicate the body's normal hormone development processes, in comparison to self-regulated/self-administered steroid misuse. Properly prescribed, without the major side effects or safety risks associated with self-regulated/self-administered steroid regimens or misuse, HRT will offer the benefits of returning testosterone to its former level.