2. What Are Steroids?
Anabolic steroids are synthetic substances similar to the male sex hormone testosterone. These drugs are used illegally by athletes to build muscle, improve their physical appearance, boost their athletic performance, and/or give them a competitive advantage.
Steroids do have legitimate medical uses. Sometimes doctors prescribe steroids to help people with certain kinds of anemia or for men who don't produce enough testosterone on their own. They are also prescribed to treat body wasting in patients with AIDS and other diseases that result in loss of lean muscle mass.
But doctors never prescribe anabolic steroids to young, healthy people to help them build muscles. Abuse of anabolic steroids can lead to serious health problems. Without a prescription from a doctor, steroids are illegal.