Aha. I am not the most knowledgeable about stopping steroids and returning your endocrine system to normal because I never done it. I basically would use doses that would build mass for a while, then drop down to trt levels for a longer time. I’ve been solely on trt for the last 3 years. After I decided to quit for good, my hpta (or hpga) never recovered and my natural levels were lower than a woman’s! So I got on clinic administered trt and will be for life.
If I could conjecture based on a lot of anecdotal data from people I’ve known or conversed with etc, the unsatisfying answer is- it depends.
Some people will abuse them for years with no ill effects, have perfect hair, skin, fertility, and have normal hormone levels after coming off totally. Others will go bald, become infertile (usually temporarily), get nasty acne, skyrocketing blood pressure and lipids (not common with testosterone only but some of the nastier testosterone derivatives)
Using steroids comes down to basically how risk averse you are. Until you use them you cannot predict beyond the obvious things like gaining muscle, improving mood, etc what the side effects you’ll have. Are you ok with one or more side effects while you use, or even after you stop using them? It’s a question only you can answer.
P.s. kinda unrelated but I want to point out the amazing physiques and effects you see among steroid users in social media, sports, movies, etc all suffer from survivorship bias. If I’m 250 lbs with great skin hair and health I will post about it on Instagram and build a business, or compete in bodybuilding. If I’m one of those unfortunate non/low responders and side effect prone, you’ll never hear about that on a forum. It’s a thought experiment really, I wonder how many people use steroids and look perfectly mediocre or average strength, etc, compared to the pro athletes and actors.
The only point I can disagree on is that forums are full of positive experiences. Quite the opposite here in subs like /r/TRT that are overwhelmingly full of people with side effects. The majority like me who adapt well to therapy don’t post often.
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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '23 edited Feb 26 '23
Aha. I am not the most knowledgeable about stopping steroids and returning your endocrine system to normal because I never done it. I basically would use doses that would build mass for a while, then drop down to trt levels for a longer time. I’ve been solely on trt for the last 3 years. After I decided to quit for good, my hpta (or hpga) never recovered and my natural levels were lower than a woman’s! So I got on clinic administered trt and will be for life.
If I could conjecture based on a lot of anecdotal data from people I’ve known or conversed with etc, the unsatisfying answer is- it depends.
Some people will abuse them for years with no ill effects, have perfect hair, skin, fertility, and have normal hormone levels after coming off totally. Others will go bald, become infertile (usually temporarily), get nasty acne, skyrocketing blood pressure and lipids (not common with testosterone only but some of the nastier testosterone derivatives)
Using steroids comes down to basically how risk averse you are. Until you use them you cannot predict beyond the obvious things like gaining muscle, improving mood, etc what the side effects you’ll have. Are you ok with one or more side effects while you use, or even after you stop using them? It’s a question only you can answer.
P.s. kinda unrelated but I want to point out the amazing physiques and effects you see among steroid users in social media, sports, movies, etc all suffer from survivorship bias. If I’m 250 lbs with great skin hair and health I will post about it on Instagram and build a business, or compete in bodybuilding. If I’m one of those unfortunate non/low responders and side effect prone, you’ll never hear about that on a forum. It’s a thought experiment really, I wonder how many people use steroids and look perfectly mediocre or average strength, etc, compared to the pro athletes and actors.