Increased Muscle Strength
It is well known, both scientifically and anecdotally, that steroid use increases muscle strength.
Increased Body Size
The Rogerston and associates study also showed that steroid use increased body size. In fact, a large amount of research supports that finding.
Increased Healing Rate
Another documented effect of steroids is their positive impact on healing rate. The recent steroid scandals involving professional athletes such as Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, and Roger Clemens contained repeated references to the use of performance-enhancing drugs for hastening recovery.
Reduce your risk of corticosteroid side effects
- Try lower doses or intermittent dosing. Newer forms of corticosteroids come in varying strengths and lengths of action. Ask your doctor about using low-dose, short-term medications or taking oral corticosteroids every other day instead of daily.
- Switch to nonoral forms of corticosteroids. Inhaled corticosteroids for asthma, for example, reach lung surfaces directly, reducing the rest of your body's exposure to them and leading to fewer side effects.
- Make healthy choices during therapy. When you're taking corticosteroid medications for a long time, talk with your doctor about ways to minimize side effects. Eat a healthy diet and participate in activities that help you maintain a healthy weight and strengthen bones and muscles.
- Take care when discontinuing therapy. If you take oral corticosteroids for a long time, your adrenal glands may produce less of their natural steroid hormones. To give your adrenal glands time to recover this function, your doctor may reduce your dosage gradually. If the dosage is reduced too quickly, you may experience fatigue, body aches and lightheadedness.
- Wear a medical alert bracelet. This or similar identification is recommended if you've been using corticosteroids for a long time.
- Get regular checkups. If you're taking long-term corticosteroid therapy, see your doctor regularly to check for side effects.
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