heart problems and AS

[zathers]

hi, this is my first post and i hope i am doin it right.

here is my long story, shorted to tell you, the basics,

i was a teenage competitive bodybuilder in the mid 80's, i moved away from my hometown and my whole suport structure, and my body went to hell.

at 33 years old and at a bodyweight of 240, I had a heart attack. bad living, and bad genetics were to blame. It has been 2 + years and i an feeling great, i even started lifting again (agaist doctors orders)

A year a go i was strugling to do a set in the flat bench with 70 lbs, now my training weight in the bench is 300 lbs, and in the last year i have put on 22 lbs of muscle.

my doctor is pissed abut the weight gain, no matter wether it is fat or muscle,.she asked if i was on the juice, i told her no but i was thinking about it. she said that if i juiced, my heart would grow, and i don't have suficiant coranary arterys to handle any more mass to my heart.

i know that heart is made up of a diffrent type of muscle that skeletal muscle. Does AS effect both kinds of muscle?, and are there any kind of AS that are even a option for me?

thanks for your time.

john

[email protected]

 

[jstrong20]

I've seen studies that say steroid users have bigger hearts but so do most serious natural weight lifters so the study was incunclusive and the debate still continues. Also as a sidenote squating will increase the size of the left ventricle.

 

[Lao Tzu]

she could be referring to cardiomyopathy, which is a rare side effect (but one some people get. someone on the boards got it a few weeks ago) of juice.

higher cholesterol, higher blood pressure are sides too.

and i found this

http://www.sportsci.org/encyc/anabstereff/anabstereff.html


There is evidence that the use of anabolic steroids does elicit structural changes in the heart and that the ischemic tolerance is decreased after steroid use. Echocardiographic studies in bodybuilders, using anabolic steroids, reported a mild hypertrophy of the left ventricle, with a decreased diastolic relaxation, resulting in a decreased diastolic filling. Some investigators have associated cardiomyopathy, myocardial infarction, and cerebro-vascular accidents with abuse of anabolic steroids. However, a possible causal relationship could not been proved, because longitudinal studies that are necessary to prove such a relationship, have not been conducted yet. There is convincing evidence that oral administration of anabolic steroids has stronger adverse effects on the mentioned variables than parenteral administration.

Although the effects of anabolic steroids have an unfavorable influence on the risk factors for cardiovascular disease, no data are available about the long term effects. Most of the mentioned effects appear to reverse within 6-8 weeks after abstention. It is unknown, however, whether the structural changes as reported in the heart, are reversible as well.

 

[zathers]

thanks for the info

thanks for all the information. You have told me more in 2 posts that my cardiologist could tell me in 6 months.

oh well i guess i'll have to stay natural

thanks.

 

[HansNZ]

I don't think nordstrom is saying you have to stay natural. He is pointing out possible risk factors.

The enlarged heart as a result of AAS use is an unproven theory.

I think many of the effects mentioned in nordtrom's post are not necessary likely to occur in everyone to a degree that would pose concern.

Most negative effects on the heart from AAS use are from high LDL and low HDL cholesterol. There are plenty of measures you can take to treat this side-effect.

I do think you need to investigate this further though. Don't bother trying to get any useful advice out of your doctor as he/she will likely be anti-anything to do with AAS, and probably knows nothing about steroids anyway.

There are several doctors who post on here so hopefully they can offer you some advice.

 

[ItalianSta]

I don't think nordstrom is saying you have to stay natural. He is pointing out possible risk factors.

The enlarged heart as a result of AAS use is an unproven theory.

I think many of the effects mentioned in nordtrom's post are not necessary likely to occur in everyone to a degree that would pose concern.

Most negative effects on the heart from AAS use are from high LDL and low HDL cholesterol. There are plenty of measures you can take to treat this side-effect.

I do think you need to investigate this further though. Don't bother trying to get any useful advice out of your doctor as he/she will likely be anti-anything to do with AAS, and probably knows nothing about steroids anyway.

There are several doctors who post on here so hopefully they can offer you some advice.

What are some of the measures you can take to help cholesterol other than diet ?

 

[HansNZ]

Well you should be able to control cholesterol totally through dietary supplements.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are crucial.

You can take an OTC supplement like Red Rice Yeast which inhibits cholesterol synthesis in the liver.

Soy protein also soaks up blood cholesterol.

If you want you can try some of the prescription statin drugs which are given to people by doctors for high blood cholesterol. These can be quite harmful so I recommend these other methods instead.

I am sure there are more supplements which help, but these are the ones I can remember off the top of my head. Someone else may be able to add to the list.