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Are one million people in the UK using anabolic steroids? (2022)

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Re: Are one million people in the UK using anabolic steroids? (2022)

#121
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure you can put this on women - since not only can men can be into men, but women can take steroids (and of course be into both men and women). Plus it's not necessarily the case that people use these steroids to become more attractive to a prospective partner - while I don't take anything like this I do work out, play sports and run - and this is more for my person health and satisfaction than to make mysel…

Human behavior lies on a normal distribution, so the fact that some women take steroids doesn't detract from the motivations of the substantially larger portion of men who use them. > Plus it's not necessarily the case that people use these steroids to become more attractive to a prospective partner The word "necessary" is one you uttered. > while I don't take anything like this I do work out, play sports and run - a…

I'll state it more clearly here because you seem resistant to really think about what I have said - there are men and women of all sexual orientations using steroids. Are you certain that a disproportionate number of straight men, out of the group of those who lift, are users of steroids? Or are you really just projecting your own feelings and insecurities onto a group of people you don't know, and asserting it as fact? Because it sounds like there's a touch of resentment towards women (implying they're really to blame for this) in your comment, and that's what I was primarily taking issue with.

> the push to normalize something that would otherwise be classified as a mental disorder

This is the kind of thing people said about being gay, bi or lesbian back in the day, and only the most hateful and bigoted say that now. In ten years time you'll either look back at comments like this and cringe with embarrassment, or you'll be one of those miserable, hate-filled bigots. I hope for your sake it's the former.

Re: Are one million people in the UK using anabolic steroids? (2022)

#122
post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is the whole feeling younger, stronger, healthier aspect that people really like.

Taking exogenous steroids is usually contraindicated. Some people will take steroids for other reasons, but a key reason many people work out the gym is for the physique . Speaking as if nobody is going to the gym to look good to other people is a form of denial.

Wait now it's "other people" - before you were pretty certain the problem was women

Re: Are one million people in the UK using anabolic steroids? (2022)

#123
Anabolic steroids and growth hormones should be legal, and their dosing programs be easily-obtainable by endocrinologists (though not reimbursable through health insurance)

As it stands, if you've just started bodybuilding and want to get growth hormones, unless you're rich and well-connected enough, a pro or ex-Pro athlete or an A/B-list actor, your best bet is testosterone.

Most PCPs won't prescribe it unless your levels are seriously low, and most endos won't do it either unless you go to one of those weird T clinics like this one: https://testosteroneclinicpro.com/testosterone-treatment-for...

This means going to the black/gray-markets or to forums to:

1. get your supply, which is almost always imported from Eastern Europe or Asia and has variable quality control, and

2. your programming, which is highly dependent on your body (and everyone's body is different!)

Bad programming is what kills/seriously injures people!

Then again, the folks that would rather make this and other hard drugs illegal and horrifically addicting and fatal would probably consider that a feature, not a bug.

Re: Are one million people in the UK using anabolic steroids? (2022)

#124
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is of interest to me as I saw an Endocrinologist last Monday as I had a blood test a few weeks ago and my testosterone level was "quite low" at 257 (bottom of the range being 249). Anything under 300 along with symptoms (of which I have several hence the blood test in the first place) means further investigation so I am now waiting for the results of a whole host of blood tests that I did last Tuesday that the E…

Do your own research on that. Even endocrinologists oversee obvious reasons for low testosterone. Usually, low testosterone is more a symptom. Better fix the underlying issue. Get somebody with expertise to look at your tests (i.e. not a government-paid doctor). Look also into thyroid etc

Yes the recent blood work has all the diabetes, cortisol, thyroid and some other stuff being tested. Plus a brain/pituitary gland MRI in a few days.

Thankfully here I get all my results directly in accessible formats (so like a normal video for my MRI results) so I can easily research myself or go for a second opinion without the hassle of having to get my results like back in the UK.

Having said that the Endocrinologist I saw was highly recommended by a close Doctor friend so I have confidence in them.

Re: Are one million people in the UK using anabolic steroids? (2022)

#125
post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. Apparently men using anabolic steroids only outnumber women by a factor of 10:1, which strikes me as kind of low!

Where did you get 10:1 from?

A PDF that I found earlier and then bloomin' lost because I was accidentally in a private browsing window while testing an app logged out... This one I think.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/...

Can't copy and paste from it. Section 6.5. I may have misinterpreted it though to be honest, and I don't have time to get back into it in depth.

Re: Are one million people in the UK using anabolic steroids? (2022)

#126
post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I cant believe how much seemingly casual use it is getting for people to be a little better at their hobbies. From my general observations, insecurity is rife in bodybuilding but generally nonexistent in powerlifting and strongman. Powerlifters/strongmen will use steroids for sport performance reasons and they’re generally in the sport because they just like lifting heavy shit. They’re not really comparing themselv…

> This is only made worse when they scan the gym and compare the weight they can lift with that of a power lifter who’s often times no where near as big yet capable of lifting more No one in a gym is made insecure by someone who is clinically obese, irrespective of how much they can lift. It's even more ridiculous when you realize how many of these people are obese, and on steroids.

Not all power lifters are clinically obese. You will quite often see a smaller scrawny powerlifter out lift a bodybuilder, purely because they’ve been following strength specific programs rather than focussing on hypertrophy.

Re: Are one million people in the UK using anabolic steroids? (2022)

#127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When people's body stop producing testosterone on their own and they are forced to spend money on weekly injections for the rest of their life people will learn :) When you can't go anywhere or travel without your testosterone injections people will see how overkill it was to get on HRT. Hope these people are comfortable freezing their sperm. Now if you are over the age of 60-65 blast away

> HRT Whoa, it's not HRT, it's TRT . Completely different. HRT is for people with gender dysphoria, whereas TRT is for normal, well-adjusted, no-dysphoric men to maintain healthy testosterone levels (or as high as they can convince their PCP, or more likely, a telemedicine mill, to prescribe), regardless of how healthy they eat, how much alcohol they drink, and how consistent they are with exercise and sleep. Totally…

I think you are the one confused. "HRT is for people with gender dysphoria". Nope. Its for all different types of people with all different types of conditions. Lacking testosterone being one of them. TRT is a form of HRT treatment. Im not sure why you stood to correct me and bring up gender dysphoria when it is not even the most common form of HRT.

"whereas TRT is for normal, well-adjusted, no-dysphoric men to maintain healthy testosterone levels". Not sure why you are so persistent on alluding to gender. These discussions have nothing to do with gender dsyphoria.

Re: Are one million people in the UK using anabolic steroids? (2022)

#128
post #52
post #4

TRT is now a fully embedded thing in the United States so this isn't totally surprising. I've talked to way too many 20 year olds who get cypionate from a doc in the box who manages to find "low T" It's just so easy now. And if you need it, great. But for a lot of people it's just a way to boost T for athletic/aesthetic reasons without a ton of attention to the health side of it. The risks are generally low, but boos…

This is of interest to me as I saw an Endocrinologist last Monday as I had a blood test a few weeks ago and my testosterone level was "quite low" at 257 (bottom of the range being 249). Anything under 300 along with symptoms (of which I have several hence the blood test in the first place) means further investigation so I am now waiting for the results of a whole host of blood tests that I did last Tuesday that the E…

I am in nearly the same boat as you. I'm 38, and 1 year ago, I had my testosterone levels checked. The results came back at 273ng/dL, which is considered deficient. When I asked about TRT, My doctor refused to prescribe it, but, couldn't provide any valid reasons or research to backup his one justification that "it makes your blood thicker, and increases the risk of heart attack" (see below).

After doing tons of reading, I decided TRT is something I want. I went to a very questionable "doctor" who will prescribe effectively anything you ask for—(Just Google 'Mens Health Clinic '). Below, I've listed some of the more compelling videos and articles I went through [0]

The main reason I wanted to try TRT is that I've suffered from severe depression for a long-time; literally, suicide was a daily thought. I tried all the other things people say to do; I ate right, and I religiously tracked my diet. I got sleep-tracking apps and devices and fixed my sleep to get 8+ hours of sleep. After all that didn't help, I went to my normal family doctor, who prescribed escitalopram which "fixed" my depression by making me unable to feel anything, which was a terrible way to live. So I stopped taking that.

I started TRT back in July of 2022.

After being on TRT for about five months, the depression just disappeared. I've had other benefits, too, such as significantly improved musical tone (though this isn't why I started TRT, but it's a nice side-effect).

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBhfP3MBYLU [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j232kdcnSQ [0] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32081788/ [0] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3897047/ [0] https://www.eu-focus.europeanurology.com/article/S2405-4569(...

Re: Are one million people in the UK using anabolic steroids? (2022)

#129

This is gender affirming care.

"Eschew flamebait. Avoid generic tangents."

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Edit: we already asked you once to stop posting unsubstantive comments and flamebait, and your account has unfortunately continued to do this. We end up having to ban such accounts because this is not what this site is for and destroys what it is for. I don't want to ban you, so if you'd please review the guidelines and stick to them, we'd appreciate it.

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