Hello, I'm Kotre I. and I like drugs.
Now, don't look surprised I've never made a secret of that and I decided to make a thread just so I can talk about them. Isn't that neat?
Today I'm going to talk about
Steroids
Now we've all heard of steroids, in fact Sin Cara just got suspended for using them. But it occurs to me that most people outside of medical professions know next to nothing about them, so I figured why not tell you a little bit about them.
As much as I'd love to, I'm not going to talk about their chemistry or how they work in the body. I'm going to stick to the basics, and if you want to know I'll answer any questions you have.
With that said, the first thing that you need to know about steroids is that there are more than one type of steroids. They aren't all anabolic, and in fact the vast majority of them aren't. The two broad groups are corticosteroids (which are made up of glucocorticoids and mineralcorticoids) and sex hormones. I'll talk about each in order.
Glucocorticoids
The image you see above is cortisol (or hydrocortisone, if you prefer), the glucocorticoid that your body produces. I'm sure you've used it for something or other in the past, and if you have, I'm sure most of you remember what it did. But either way, glucocorticoids have several effects in the body, but I'll mention just three. The first is that they increase blood sugar levels (hence the name), However they are primaraly used for their effects on imflammation and the immune system. This is because they have a potent anti-inflammatory effect (i.e. they make your rashes or swellings disappear). They also suppress your immune system, which makes them very useful in preventing organ rejection in transplant patients or for people with conditions such as Chron's Disease, where the body's immune system starts attacking itself. Within the body, cortisol is released at times of stress. Which is why you get coldsores or get ill when you're dealing when life's making you run the gauntlet.
Mineralcorticoids
The image above is aldosterone which, like cortisol is naturally found within the body. Unlike glucocorticoids, mineralcorticoids have only one effect. They act in the kidneys to reduce the of salt and water, and increase the loss of potassium. This, in turn increases blood pressure. In addition to the pharmaceutical uses of mineralcorticoids, suppressing them can be useful as well. Doing so increases the loss of water and salt in the blood, while retaining potassium. This effect makes them very useful in patients who are suffereing from heart failure.
Female sex hormones
The subtitle here is slightly misleading, as all sex hormones are to be found in both genders. However because oestrogen and progesterone (seen above) are responsible for pretty much everything for everything that makes a woman a woman from ovulation to lactation they are referred to as such. Clinically they are used as contraceptives and to treat menstrual disorders. And that's all the detail I'm going to get into because going further would result in me recapping sex education and I like chemicals, not coitus.
Androgens
Shown above is testosterone, which as I'm sure you know is responsible for masculine characteristics and have several clinical uses which range from treating hair loss to impotence. However, the most well known use of synthetic androgens is to build muscles. We've all heard of anabolic steroids and know why they're used, even if you don't admit to it (Just ask Luis Alvirde) . In short they aid muscle growth, and enable people to gain results in the gym that would otherwise require a lot more work. It should be noted that not everyone who does steroids ends up looking like this:
Again, just ask Luis Alvirde for confirmation. They simply make it possible to get better results with less work. This naturally means that if you do the same amount of work (or more, of course) you will end up getting bigger. However, if you do less work then you avoid looking like a "gashead".
It should also be noted that in responce to excess amounts of sex hormone, the body will produce less of its own and produce more opposite sex hormone. Which is why body builders take oestrogen blockers so they don't start developing breast tissue.
This concludes the first edition of Kotre's Kemical Korner. If you have any questions about steroids or any other drug, feel free to ask.
Now, don't look surprised I've never made a secret of that and I decided to make a thread just so I can talk about them. Isn't that neat?
Today I'm going to talk about
Steroids
Now we've all heard of steroids, in fact Sin Cara just got suspended for using them. But it occurs to me that most people outside of medical professions know next to nothing about them, so I figured why not tell you a little bit about them.
As much as I'd love to, I'm not going to talk about their chemistry or how they work in the body. I'm going to stick to the basics, and if you want to know I'll answer any questions you have.
With that said, the first thing that you need to know about steroids is that there are more than one type of steroids. They aren't all anabolic, and in fact the vast majority of them aren't. The two broad groups are corticosteroids (which are made up of glucocorticoids and mineralcorticoids) and sex hormones. I'll talk about each in order.
Glucocorticoids
The image you see above is cortisol (or hydrocortisone, if you prefer), the glucocorticoid that your body produces. I'm sure you've used it for something or other in the past, and if you have, I'm sure most of you remember what it did. But either way, glucocorticoids have several effects in the body, but I'll mention just three. The first is that they increase blood sugar levels (hence the name), However they are primaraly used for their effects on imflammation and the immune system. This is because they have a potent anti-inflammatory effect (i.e. they make your rashes or swellings disappear). They also suppress your immune system, which makes them very useful in preventing organ rejection in transplant patients or for people with conditions such as Chron's Disease, where the body's immune system starts attacking itself. Within the body, cortisol is released at times of stress. Which is why you get coldsores or get ill when you're dealing when life's making you run the gauntlet.
Mineralcorticoids
The image above is aldosterone which, like cortisol is naturally found within the body. Unlike glucocorticoids, mineralcorticoids have only one effect. They act in the kidneys to reduce the of salt and water, and increase the loss of potassium. This, in turn increases blood pressure. In addition to the pharmaceutical uses of mineralcorticoids, suppressing them can be useful as well. Doing so increases the loss of water and salt in the blood, while retaining potassium. This effect makes them very useful in patients who are suffereing from heart failure.
Female sex hormones
The subtitle here is slightly misleading, as all sex hormones are to be found in both genders. However because oestrogen and progesterone (seen above) are responsible for pretty much everything for everything that makes a woman a woman from ovulation to lactation they are referred to as such. Clinically they are used as contraceptives and to treat menstrual disorders. And that's all the detail I'm going to get into because going further would result in me recapping sex education and I like chemicals, not coitus.
Androgens
Shown above is testosterone, which as I'm sure you know is responsible for masculine characteristics and have several clinical uses which range from treating hair loss to impotence. However, the most well known use of synthetic androgens is to build muscles. We've all heard of anabolic steroids and know why they're used, even if you don't admit to it (Just ask Luis Alvirde) . In short they aid muscle growth, and enable people to gain results in the gym that would otherwise require a lot more work. It should be noted that not everyone who does steroids ends up looking like this:
Again, just ask Luis Alvirde for confirmation. They simply make it possible to get better results with less work. This naturally means that if you do the same amount of work (or more, of course) you will end up getting bigger. However, if you do less work then you avoid looking like a "gashead".
It should also be noted that in responce to excess amounts of sex hormone, the body will produce less of its own and produce more opposite sex hormone. Which is why body builders take oestrogen blockers so they don't start developing breast tissue.
This concludes the first edition of Kotre's Kemical Korner. If you have any questions about steroids or any other drug, feel free to ask.