Before we continue any further, let us first know what steroids are and why are their used so that all of us are on the same knowledge platform.
Steroids are synthetically produced variants or derivatives of male sex hormones. The word ‘steroid’ can be used to describe a group of naturally occurring organic compounds used to stimulate male sexual characteristics. They are medically used for treating health conditions such as asthma, lupus, cancer, delayed puberty, hormone deficiency, and AIDS wasting. While use of steroids or steroid use is all about legal usage of steroids under medical guidance and as per recommendations of a qualified medical practitioner, illegal use of steroids or steroid abuse is about abuse of steroids for purposes other than medical. These non-medical purposes may include bodybuilding, performance improvement, and development of muscle mass.
Now that we have read about steroids and their uses, let us now move our focus to types of steroids.
Steroids may be classified into three types:
Androgenic Steroids
Corticosteroids
Anabolic Steroids
Let us read about each of these steroid types to create a complete and clear understanding about the concept.
Androgenic Steroids
Androgenic steroids are steroids that lead to effects such as growth and development of the male reproductive tract and male secondary sexual characteristics. These steroids are used for treat medical complications such as breast cancer, deficiency of testosterone, muscle growth, and production of red blood cells. They are even used for treating aplastic anemia and hereditary angioedema.
Corticosteroids
These are steroids associated with the adrenal cortex, which plays an important role in stimulating body processes such as water balance, electrolyte, and metabolism. Corticosteroids are used to treat varying health conditions such as asthma, prostate cancer, bronchilitis, eczema, allergies, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and Kawasaki’s disease.
Anabolic Steroids
Anabolic steroids, commonly known as anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), are drugs that have the ability to mimic effects of male steroids such as DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) and Testosterone. These are steroids that are used by sportsmen to enhance the levels of performance, stamina, body strength, and muscle definition.
In addition to the above classification, steroids can also be divided into two categories, on the basis of their availability
Oral Steroids
Injectable Steroids
Let us read about these steroid types.
Oral Steroids
Oral steroids are steroids that need to be administered in the form of pills, capsules, or tablets. Some of the popular examples of oral steroids are Anadrol, Winstrol, Dianabol, and Oxandrin.
Injectable Steroids
Injectable steroids are steroids that need to be administered in the form of subcutaneous or intravenous injections. Some of the popular examples of injectable steroids are Equipoise, Testosterone cypionate, Deca Durabolin and Nandrolone phenpropionate.
It is worth noting here that this classification does not exist in its entirety today as many steroid pharmacies have developed oral versions of the injectable versions and vice-versa so that every steroid user can make use of every steroid of his choice in a form comfortable to him or her. You may even experience more categories of steroids on the basis of their availability such as gels, powder, cream, and lotion etc.
We hope that this information on the types of steroids was useful to you in developing a complete understanding of the subject.
This page may reference and depict doctor prescribed medications, steroids, or steroid-like substances that might not be accessible without a prescription from an authorized doctor, or in some cases, illicit in the United States. We are not under any conditions supporting or suggesting you take such substances. We reference such substances for illustrative purposes or just to contrast them with legitimate dietary enhancements. You can find out about negative consequences of taking steroids here
