What exactly are Steroids?
In: Biology
“Steroids” are a general category of chemicals. There are a number of steroids that serve various functions in the human body. When someone talks about steroids, they commonly mean one of two things:
1) **Anabolic steroids**: When a layperson says “steroids”, this is usually what they mean. These are the chemicals people take to increase muscle mass. They’re generally testosterone or testosterone analogs. They work by signaling your cells, especially muscle cells, to build more proteins. They also have a wide range of side effects including heart disease, elevated cholesterol with increased risk of heart attack and stroke, acne, and, in males, they’ll make your balls shrink and make you grow bitch-tits.
2) **Corticosteroids**: When a healthcare provider says “steroids”, this is usually what they mean. These are generally analogs of hormones that the adrenal glands produce, such as cortisol. Common steroids include prednisone and dexamethasone (usually given orally), inhaled steroids such as fluticasone, and topical steroids such as hydrocortisone cream. In general, this type of steroid is broadly anti-inflammatory. They work by a number of different mechanisms to reduce inflammation, either throughout the body if given systemically, or on a specific part of the body if given locally. These steroids also have a number of side effects, and for the most part you want to avoid using them for prolonged periods of time (in consultation with your doctor of course).
People do sometimes confuse these basically unrelated classes of drugs with each other, which can lead to some confusion.
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