What are steroids?

Question

i have a rash on my nipples and im planning on going to see the doctor about it, my mum said they will hopefully give ne a cream to make it go away. i've heard that most creams contain steroids, but what exactly are they?

Answer 1

There are several classes of steroids and the answer above only refers to anabolic steroids.

Steroids are a type of drugs which are based on squalene, a compound found in shark liver oil

The most frequently used class of steroids in medicine are the glucocortcoids of which the prototypes are cortisone and hydrocortisone. Hydrocortisone (cortisol) is a hormone that is released in the body to combat stress and one of its effects is to reduce inflammation by suppressing immune reactions (ie.rashes,etc..). It also elevates blood sugar to provide energy.

The anabolic steroids build muscle and are only used rarely in medicine, but have recently made it big with the body builders. they have lots of side effects as mentioned above.

The sex hormones are estrogen, progesterone and testosterone and analogs of these drugs are used as oral contraceptives. Testosterone is also anabolic naturally. That is why men have more muscle naturally and are more aggressive.

The mineralocorticoids are useful in the body by balancing salts such as sodium, potassium, and also affecting water balance as a result.

The standard treatment for a rash of the type that you refer to would include either a coticosteroid cream such as hydrocortisone and if necessary an antifungal which is not a steroid at all

Please see your doctor and don't take medical advice from the yahoos on yahoo

Answer 2

Anabolic-androgenic steroids are man-made substances related to male sex hormones. “Anabolic” refers to muscle-building, and “androgenic” refers to increased masculine characteristics. “Steroids” refers to the class of drugs. These drugs are available legally only by prescription, to treat conditions that occur when the body produces abnormally low amounts of testosterone, such as delayed puberty and some types of impotence. They are also prescribed to treat body wasting in patients with AIDS and other diseases that result in loss of lean muscle mass. Abuse of anabolic steroids, however, can lead to serious health problems, some irreversible.

Today, athletes and others abuse anabolic steroids to enhance performance and also to improve physical appearance. Anabolic steroids are taken orally or injected, typically in cycles of weeks or months (referred to as “cycling”), rather than continuously. Cycling involves taking multiple doses of steroids over a specific period of time, stopping for a period, and starting again. In addition, users often combine several different types of steroids to maximize their effectiveness while minimizing negative effects (referred to as “stacking”).

Health Hazards
The major side effects from abusing anabolic steroids can include liver tumors and cancer, jaundice (yellowish pigmentation of skin, tissues, and body fluids), fluid retention, high blood pressure, increases in LDL (bad cholesterol), and decreases in HDL (good cholesterol). Other side effects include kidney tumors, severe acne, and trembling. In addition, there are some gender-specific side effects:
For men — shrinking of the testicles, reduced sperm count, infertility, baldness, development of breasts, increased risk for prostate cancer.

For women — growth of facial hair, male-pattern baldness, changes in or cessation of the menstrual cycle, enlargement of the clitoris, deepened voice.

For adolescents — growth halted prematurely through premature skeletal maturation and accelerated puberty changes. This means that adolescents risk remaining short for the remainder of their lives if they take anabolic steroids before the typical adolescent growth spurt.