What’s a steroid cycle?

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Anabolic steroids, or anabolic androgenic steroids, are man-made hormones that cause the development of male sexual characteristics and body tissues to grow and develop faster, mimicking the effects of the male hormone testosterone. Typically, athletes will use steroids for a while and then take a break to minimize negative side effects and allow the body to recover and natural hormone levels to return to normal. This is called a steroid cycle, and it usually has athletes using the drug for 7-14 weeks with a break of about 10-12 weeks.

If the use is continuous, the body stops responding to the steroid. Instead of increasing doses and seeing more side effects, the cycle brings tissues and hormone levels back to normal and makes the body receptive to the steroid again. Often a steroid cycle will be stacked, meaning two or more steroids will be taken simultaneously, to maximize results.

Sometimes a steroid cycle will include one type of steroid at the beginning with other types taken in the middle and at the end of the steroid cycle. This is done to get the benefits of multiple steroids during a single cycle. Cycling often follows a pyramid pattern, meaning the dose is constantly increasing, peaking, and decreasing. During an off-cycle, other medications may be used to increase testosterone levels to normal, counteract other side effects of the steroid, and keep muscle loss to a minimum. Many professional athletes also take different substances during their off period to mask their steroid use in attempts to pass the drug test that their specific sport may require.

Despite negative physical and psychological side effects, steroid use continues to be popular, including among some amateur, high school, and college athletes. Many athletes feel pressured to take steroids in order to remain competitive with others who are taking them. Steroids are legally available on prescription for medical use; any other use, by athletes or others, is illegal. Anabolic steroids are used medically to treat patients with low testosterone levels or tissue-wasting diseases, such as cancer or AIDS.

Side effects can be permanent, dangerous, and even deadly if steroid use is not carefully monitored by a medical professional. Some of these side effects include premature heart disease, acne, male pattern baldness, gynecomastia or development of breast tissue in men, testicular shrinkage, decreased sperm count, aggressive behavior, or liver cancer. Women who take steroids may develop masculine characteristics that may be irreversible, such as deepening of the voice, increased body hair, and loss of scalp hair.

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