Stanozolol Addiction And The Best Rehab Centers For Treatment
Medically reviewed by
John Schaffer, LPCCFebruary 15, 2019
Stanozolol, an anabolic steroid, is used to treat hereditary angioedema and to increase red blood cell formation for those suffering from anemia. Because stanozolol is derived from the male growth hormone testosterone, the drug is often illegally used to build lean muscle mass in athletes and bodybuilders. Stanozolol can be taken via intramuscular injection or orally in tablet form.
How Stanozolol Works
Stanozolol works by improving a natural function of the body in building muscle fiber. During strenuous activity, tiny tears form in muscle tissue. The body responds to this tearing, or microtrauma, by building more muscle tissue around the damaged area, avoiding future injury. This process of muscle repair is known as muscle protein synthesis.
When an anabolic steroid like stanozolol is introduced to the bloodstream, it is taken up by androgen receptors where it stimulates muscle protein synthesis.
Stanozolol is sought after for its ability to help an athlete build lean muscle without gaining water weight. When a person utilizes stanozolol, nitrogen is retained, which is then converted to amino acids. Amino acids are key in generating available proteins from which muscle can be grown.
In addition, drugs like stanozolol block the release of cortisol, or the stress hormone that typically relates to soreness following physical exertion. Athletes or bodybuilders who are pushing their bodies to extremes rely on this aspect of the drug to allow them to push harder or perform longer without the consequence of muscle pain and fatigue.
What Is Stanozolol Abuse?
Stanozolol is the drug at the center of many sports related steroid scandals. Many relate abuse of the drug with the high demands from organizations expecting top performance out of players being paid millions of dollars each year. The drug is effective at helping achieve greater lean muscle mass, which aids in endurance for these athletes.
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Addiction to the drug can be physical, when a person develops tolerance to stanozolol and has to use more to achieve the same result, or psychological. If a person feels they can only perform and only look good when using the drug, this feeds into a cycle of abuse relating to or initiated by low self esteem and poor body image.
Stanozolol addiction often correlates with a mental disorder known as muscle dysmorphia. Those suffering from the disorder see themselves as small, weak, ineffective, flabby, or overweight. They’re expectation of muscle tone and body weight is so far skewed from normal, they cannot achieve the desired result, but continue to push themselves and exert their bodies to unhealthy extremes.
Withdrawal From Stanozolol
Withdrawal symptoms can be severe and include shakiness, fatigue, and depression. In some cases, depression can last a year and has been identified as a cause of suicide in those going through unassisted withdrawals from the drug.
People going through withdrawal from stanozolol may also experience a reduced sex drive, loss of appetite, insomnia, and mood fluctuations. These withdrawal symptoms may also perpetuate use of the drug.
Dangers Of Illegal Stanozolol Abuse
In addition to the dangers of some of the side effects associated with stanozolol abuse, is that those supplying anabolic steroids illegally may be selling drugs normally used on livestock. This may lead to higher doses being sold unlawfully to humans when the drug was meant instead for horses.
Typically, someone abusing the drug is taking a dose 10-100 times higher than would normally be prescribed. This can lead to a host of health issues affecting fertility, the cardiovascular system, and the liver. Signs of stanozolol overdose are not yet known and are not thought to be life-threatening, but continued abuse of the drug at higher than prescribed levels does have adverse health effects.
Side Effects From Stanozolol Abuse
Most notably, someone abusing stanozolol is likely taking the drug in a higher dose than would otherwise be prescribed. This can lead to liver toxicity and damage as well as heart failure. In men who use stanozolol for an extended period of time, the drug may lead to infertility and baldness in both men and women.
Stretch marks have also been reported after rapid muscle growth. Additionally, people abusing stanozolol report pain in their joints, similar to arthritis. Long-term abuse of stanozolol may also lead to an increase in men’s risk of prostate cancer. In youth, the drug can stunt growth.
Side effects of Stanozolol abuse may include:
- stretch marks
- stunted growth in youth
- baldness
- joint pain
- infertility
- liver toxicity
- heart failure
- increased risk of prostate cancer
Help For Stanozolol Abuse
Underlying mental disorders must be addressed in conjunction with treatment to help alleviate the discomforts of withdrawal from stanozolol. The underlying issues arriving at addiction to stanozolol are typically linked to a negative self-image.
A slow tapering of the drug is recommended as well as a detox from the medication. This should be done under the supervision of a medical doctor or licensed addiction treatment specialist. Ongoing counseling will benefit anyone who experiences chronic depression for a period extending past the initial withdrawal from the drug.
Contact RehabCenter.net and speak in confidence with someone today and discover a better life free from stanozolol dependency.
