¿Qué pasa cuando dejas de tomar esteroides?

Recent data suggest that roughly half of the global fitness population may have used performance-enhancing drugs, such as steroids. It’s understandable why some people choose to use steroids. The results are far superior to any natural intervention, but this doesn’t mean we’re advocating their use.

But how many of these individuals will stop or have already stopped taking steroids? Due to the high demand, we’ve decided to develop a short article dedicated to the effects of stopping steroids.

As a first point, we’ll cover the reasons why someone might stop using steroids. We’ll then move on to the psychological and physical effects of discontinuing steroid use.

If you or someone you know could benefit from this information, please stay tuned and take note.

Reasons to stop using steroids

There are many reasons that would motivate someone to consider stopping taking steroids, which we share below.

Health concerns and side effects

Sometimes, steroid users fear the potential health problems and side effects of their use. You may have read in depth about the drawbacks or experienced them firsthand. Hair loss, acne, or even serious liver or heart problems are often the most common reasons. This may also drive your decision to quit steroids if you haven’t already.

Fear of sports ban

You already know that performance-enhancing drugs are considered illegal in competitive sports. Under anti-doping regulations, WADA can subject any athlete to various random tests.

Faced with the possibility of suspension and fines, athletes may experience fear, so they might stop taking steroids to eliminate these substances from their system. Let’s keep in mind that elite athletes shouldn’t be taking steroids in the first place, but it happens, and that’s the way it is.

Personal choice and lifestyle changes

It’s common for 18-year-olds to have different goals and perspectives on life than 35-year-olds. However, many make decisions they later regret, after realizing that the purpose of life may not be solely to become extremely strong and muscular.

At this point, a person may want to stop using steroids or any type of performance-enhancing drug. While this is just one scenario, there are many lifestyle changes that can minimize gym visits and performance-enhancing drugs. Those who have followed the “fitness” side of social media should be aware of the “dad bod,” which is eventually accepted by many.

Physical effects of stopping steroids

So, what happens if a person suddenly stops taking steroids? Once steroid use is discontinued, a chain of physical effects begins, which we’ll share with you below.

Hormonal imbalance

Anabolic steroids mimic the male sex hormone testosterone when injected or taken orally. This massive dose of testosterone and synthetic steroids in the body does not go unnoticed. In this way, the hypothalamus and pituitary gland in the brain send signals that suppress natural testosterone production in an attempt to preserve hormonal balance.

Believe it or not, there are cases in which steroids can cause permanent testosterone suppression, even when they are discontinued. This would lead to many of the physical side effects discussed so far.

But it’s not all bad, as someone who has lost their natural testosterone production can opt for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). TRT is typically recommended and administered by a licensed physician every one to two weeks. The dosage range could be between 50 and 400 ml, depending on the degree of atrophy of natural testosterone.

The primary goal is to maintain testosterone in a healthy physiological range, between 300 and 1000 ng/dL.

On the other hand, some may be successful and go through an adjustment period. It is estimated that during this time, hormone levels will return to their natural state. Clearly, the time this process takes will vary from person to person, but it is expected to take anywhere from a couple of weeks to four months. The individual will continue to feel the adverse effects of testosterone, at least until their hormone levels have partially normalized.

Decreased muscle and strength

Bodybuilders and weightlifters achieve enormous size by using steroids. Even high-level athletes can add over 11 pounds of muscle mass and a 20% increase in strength in a reasonable amount of time.

Now, imagine what happens when these users stop taking testosterone. First, they’ll no longer get the anabolic response from the massive amount of hormones coursing through the body. Second, the stimulation of performance and training will decrease significantly.

It’s no surprise to learn that there will be a noticeable loss of size and lifting strength within the first four weeks. This is likely due to a decrease in muscle mass and fluid retention. Real-world steroid users have reported losses of over 12% in bench press strength within the first few weeks of discontinuation. Therefore, it’s important to analyze steroids before and after a cycle.

In the next 4 to 6 months, most of the muscle and strength gains could be lost unless proper training and nutrition are maintained.

Anabolic steroids have also been shown to increase myonucleus counts (indicators of muscle growth) beyond natural capacity. For this reason, a former steroid user may still have more muscle and strength than “normal.”

Please note that all of this information is based on research and anecdotes. Rates of muscle and strength loss vary from person to person.

Increased body fat

You may not know it, but skeletal muscle is the most thermogenic tissue in the human body. This means that the more muscle a person has, the more calories they burn.

On average, you burn between 6 and 10 additional calories a day for every pound of muscle you maintain. It may not seem like much, but the truth is, it actually helps with long-term weight control.

To give you an idea, maintaining 20 pounds of muscle, at best, allows you to burn an additional 200 calories per day. Over the course of a year, this equates to 72,000 calories, which is equivalent to 20.5 pounds of body fat. How do you establish this rule? Well, there are about 3,500 calories in 1 pound of body fat.

Stopping steroids results in significant muscle loss and reduced training effort. Therefore, total energy expenditure (calories burned) would be much lower, which can be compared to a slow metabolism. Ultimately, body composition will deteriorate, and unless calories from food are reduced, fat gain will be almost inevitable.

Psychological effects

There are some psychological problems that can result from stopping steroids. The drastic drop in testosterone levels will have an effect on brain hormones. This, in turn, causes mood swings, depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.

These symptoms can be treated by waiting until testosterone levels “normalize” or by using TRT. Alternatively, there are other forms of help, such as CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) and other psychological therapies.

Final message

In short, stopping steroid use alters hormones, reduces muscle strength and volume, and subsequently increases body fat levels by slowing metabolism. We can’t overlook the psychological effects related to mood and emotional well-being.

Remember that this article is not medical advice, and we do not intend to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. Never replace any advice or treatment provided by your licensed physician.

If you have any questions about using or purchasing this product, please feel free to contact us directly.