al size. Fluctuation in sex drive happens because of the change in testosterone levels. The increase in hormones causes the dramatic increase in sex drive during the first couple of weeks of use until the pituitary gland realizes sexual hormones are high and suppresses them. This is what causes impotence during use. This too is temporary. Water retention is also a possibility. Some steroids cause water to retain under the skin, which gives you a bloated look. This increases size and strength, but can also cause hypertension. Hypertension is high blood pressure. Acne is another common problem. This happens when the hormone levels are high causing more bacteria on the skin's surface. This happens commonly in puberty, as are all of these side effects. Balding is also common with increase in hormone levels, but this can be prevented by taking medication that prevents DHT breakdown. DHT stands for dihydrotestosterone. The more serious and rare side effects are things like heart attacks and cancer. You do too much of anything and it is going to kill you. Take cigarette smoking and drinking. These things are legal and definitely deadly with continued use. Steroids are meant to be taken in 10 to 12 week cycles with a 12 week off cycle. A cycle is the period that a person is using steroids. The off cycle allows the body to recover from any stress put on it by the steroids and allows the natural occurring testosterone to be produced again. Many uneducated and egotistical bodybuilders and athletes do not take these breaks. This is the kind of ignorance that leads to serious problems. Some of the milder anabolic steroids cause almost none of these side effects. Therefore it is a mistake to state that all steroid users will come down with these side effects. In 1996 Boston University conducted an experiment involving 43 young normal men. They randomly divided them into four groups. The groups were categorized by a placebo w...
