In the Spirit of Full Disclosure

[puppetmaker]

And because I don't want the commissioner of Baseball knocking on my door. I here freely admit that I have taken steroids (hears horrified gasp from the audience) under a Doctor's supervision (hears the audience say a knowledgeable "Oh."). I took them when I had a very bad allergic reaction to penicillin which cause me to break out in itchy painful hives. I took them for a sinus complaint which the steroids helped ease the painful inflammation. And I think that is it.

I have known 'roid heads in the past. I can't think of a gym I haven't gone to that hasn't had a few gym rats with all the physical signs of 'roid use. The problem is that in the screams of how bad they are, people lose sight of the fact that in certain cases steroids are of great benefit. There are medical reasons to take them. Peter had a bad reaction to something and itched for over a week and looked miserable. His doctor didn't give him anything for it but said that he would "get over it". I took steroids per doctor's orders and I was back to normal in about 3 days. That was fewer days wishing that I could roll around on sandpaper to relief my body's reaction to another medication.

Yes, there are people who abuse steroids but there are people who abuse just about anything they can get their hands on from food to drugs to exercise (yes it is possible to abuse exercise) to the Internet.

The report that came out yesterday has a bunch of people shouting "what about the children?" and "How could you?" and another bunch saying, "Yeah? And tell me something I didn't know." I am in the latter bunch. I figured that any edge these guys could get away with they would use. They are in a very competitive profession that can have great rewards or great disasters. And because they want that chance to go to the big leagues, they will do what they can to get there. I think it holds for just about any professional sport. Yes, there are some who do it naturally and are gifted with the body to do what they want to do so well.

But even with pumping up, I couldn't hit a fastball pitched over the plate by a professional pitcher. That is a skill that most of these player have. The athletic abilities don't disappear when they are off the juice. They may not be as good but they can still play ball better than most of us out here.

I'm not advocating that we should allow the use of steroids for those who want an edge. Far from it, but I do think that the hue and cry of the evil of steroids is making people forget that steroids do have a place in medicine that can be used for healing and helping. It is a tool in the toolbox. It is how you use that tool that makes it good or bad.

I am grateful for my doctor prescribing me steroids when it was call for in my treatment.

Comments

[lupagreenwolf.livejournal.com]

IMO, there's a huge difference between taking steroids to get rid of itchies, and taking them to essentially cheat in sports.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I know. But the way that the media hounds are spinning it as are the sport radio jocks, it makes it sound like if you even think of taking a steroid then you are evil evil evil esp. if you are in sports. Where there are legitimate needs among the sports community for them.

[lupagreenwolf.livejournal.com]

Yeesh. I guess it was just a no-brainer for me having been on stop-the-itch steroids.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I so agree. I was going out of my mind since I was covered from the top of my head to the bottoms of my feet in hives. I looked like something Tom Savini would create for a horror film.

[lupagreenwolf.livejournal.com]

Now there's an argument for you--"If you had to choose between steroids and Savini, what would YOU do?"

[wolfsavard.livejournal.com]

It's true. They prescribed my dad steroids during some of the last stages of his cancer treatment and for the first time in forever he actually had an appetite and energy to live. I wish they could've kept him on them forever...

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

They do give you a serious case of the munchies.

[jeff-morris.livejournal.com]

Hey, I do steroids to handle my eczema; not only am I a user, but I also put some on my wife's back to handle a skin condition that some of her medication caused. I guess that makes me a supplier and an enabler as well.

What really pissed me off about this entire report is that the St. Louis media heard a rumor that Albert Pujols was named in the report; instead of waiting and verifying (he wasn't), they went nuts on the air about the rumor. They of course proclaim that "we didn't say he actually WAS in it, we just said it was rumored that he was", but you know people aren't going to take it that way.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

See that is what bothered me because some of the rumored names had used steroids under a doctor's supervision for various reasons but all are tarred with the same brush.

[paigemom.livejournal.com]

I remember getting them a couple of times as a kid -- when the poison ivy on my face got so bad my eyes swelled shut...

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

They do help inflammation a lot. I don't know what I would have done if I had itched much longer.

[bangdrum.livejournal.com]

Totally agree with your main point.

However, as a lifelong METS fan, I simply must say: HAHAHAHAHAHA THE YANKEES SUCK!!!!!

Andy Petitte's career is SO screwed now. :D

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Understand I married into a METS family so I am right with you but I wonder since there are so many if Petitte isn't going to get lost in the noise.

[bangdrum.livejournal.com]

There are a lot, but isn't Petitte one of the higher profile ones? (All Star Yankee dream pitcher award award etc)

I'm really, really glad none of the "old" METS were in trouble. (My biggest period of fandom was high school - 1997-2003ish. Al Leiter = best ever (even though he works for the damn Yanks now...))

[popfiend.livejournal.com]

My dad's on 'roids for sarcoidosis.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Another good use. They are a good thing but like painkillers the possibility for abuse is endless.

Putting on my medical/biology student hat: Steroids

[lyonessnyc.livejournal.com]

The only real similarity between the 'roids the athletes take and the ones we take for medicine is that they're both lipid-based hormones. And the name. :)

The kind of steroids we take for itching and asthma are corticosteroids. Those are normally synthesized in the adrenal cortex, and are naturally occurring in immune responses. They're prescribed to give the immune system a boost when fighting allergic reactions, for instance. Unfortunately, they can also depress the immune system when taken over long periods.

The kind of steroids athletes take to get better performance are anabolic steroids in combination with androgenic hormones. They're essentially synthetic testosterones, and work to build strength and muscle (hence the word "anabolic).

Very different (yet similar) chemicals. While one can be an excellent therapeutic medication (even with all the crappy side effects), the other's medical use is limited to kids who aren't developing properly

[prairie-dweller.livejournal.com]

Well that cinches it! You are soooo off my Hall of Fame ballot.