Are Steroids Illegal?
Androgenic anabolic steroids are a class of drugs which are based on hormones available in the body. They underwent a process of research and development as also medical trials before being approved for use under prescription and for certain medical conditions. AAS used under a doctor’s supervision and for specified medical conditions is legal and warranted.
However, it is when AAS are used and abused by sports people, body builders and others, bought and used without medical supervision, bought from online pharmacies or from the grey/black market that they are illegal.
The legal use of steroids
Steroids occur naturally in the human body. When they are synthesized and used, they have a similar effect on the human body as the natural substances. And steroids which have their basis as hormones are necessary for a wide verity of reasons.
Testosterone, the male hormone, is required by the body for sexual development and reproduction. When it is in short supply, such as when a person suffers from hypogonadism, sexual growth is stunted as are other physical attributes like height. When tests show the presence of this disorder, AAS use is called for and prescribed.
For the same reason AAS is advised for people who are undersigning gender change surgeries and treatment.
As steroids help in muscle building, they are prescribed for people with muscle wasting diseases, included dreaded diseases like cancer and AIDS which can lead to muscle wasting.
Men suffering from testicular cancer who have their testes removed may be prescribed AAS so that their sexual health is not affected.
The illegal use of steroids
As steroids have muscle building effects, they are more likely to be abused and used illegally. They are used by athletes, sports persons, body builders and even those who just want to look good. Their use and abuse is so rampant that most professional and amateur gaming bodies and organizations have introduced tests to detect their presence. Sports people who fail the tests are routinely stripped of any medals and honors they may have won and even face bans from the sports.
This does not deter hard core users from using anabolic steroids. In fact research and development is ongoing on these banned drugs so that they have fewer side effects and may also possibly not be found in the tests. Apart from that AAS users need to take a combination of steroid drugs for the effects that they want. And steroids are not the only drugs that they have to take: they also have to take other drugs to counteract the many ill effects of the steroids. As a result they have to take many different substances, plus be on a high protein diet and also work out to get the body that they want.
As many of the side effects of steroid drugs are permanent, even when the person stops using AAS, he or she has still to live with the side effects. And it is because of the numerous negative side effects of steroids that the drugs are classified as illegal, except when prescribed for a medical reason by a licensed doctor.