anabolic steroids, the decision is yours. It will greatly boost muscle gains, but the problems you'll have down the road are not well documented. Some say they're relatively safe if you take it in moderate dosages, others say they're not safe above clinical levels, (1000ng/ml), leading to things like cancer.
You must weigh your decisions; if you were a pro athlete making millions based on your athletic performance, i could see the temptation... If you just want to feel better and look better, then i would see that as entirely foolish, as it is very risky for something very temporary.
I have been taking Prednisone every day for 5 years now because of an autoimmune disorder. I am on a maintenance dose of 15mg but have been as high as 80mg for flare-ups. I was in a wheelchair as recent as 2 years ago and was weak as a kitten. Recently - the past year or so, I have been puzzled by the opposite phenomenon - inadvertant muscle gain. I don't exercise (except for a little isometric 3-4 times a week for 10-15 minutes), but my muscle gain is phenomenal. This has got to be extremely unusual - and maybe it doesn't have anything to do with the steroids. All I know is what I see in the mirror and the measuring tape.
I wish I could shed more light on this but, at least in my case, I guess "if it isn't broke, don't fix it".
P.S. I hope something else more sinister isn't going on somewhere else in my body that isn't reflected in the mirror.
I had a rare form of cancer in my adrenal glands, called pheochromocytoma. So I had to get both adrenal glands removed. For people that don't know what they are, the adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys, and produce epinephrine, otherwords known as adrenaline. This is what causes the fight and flee responses people feel at various times in their lives. I take prednisone and fludrocortisone to replace the hormones I am missing due to the lack of adrenal glands. When I had the tumors in my adrenals, I was producing upwards of 40 times more adrenaline at times. I would injure myself frequently, like breaking bones and getting concussions, due to the extra adrenaline. I felt like superman. I could run faster, jump higher, at times I felt invincible. But there were other effects that would happen at other times, such as feeling paranoid, heart palpitations, sweating, feeling weak, confusion, mood swings, palor and more. At one point it caused me to have a heart attack. Prednisone can give you extra energy, especially if taking extra, but it can cause other problems as well. IT ISN"T AN ANABOLIC STEROID!! It will not help gain muscle mass. It can cause osteoporosis, which is why people take calcium supplements when on prednisone. If you take prednisone for working out, you will have problems later such as adrenal issues. Your adrenal glands will shrink, and possibly stop all together. Just like how testes shrink when people take anabolic steroids (testosterone) for gaining muscle. The glands are nt called on to produce the required hormone due to having enough already in the body. Not to mention, prednisone is just bad for you if you don't need it. It kills your stomach flora, causing stomach issues, as well as many others.
Ur awful stupid..you are half correct..it's catabolic..but that does not break down muscle..it simple breaks up the likes of fats and glucose down from polysaccharides to monosaccorides. . Which mayhelp because there is more energy at his body's disposal and his muscles can go for longer and hence they will grow or fill out. . .clearly you didn't study biology and if you did ya didn't do it very well..
As for muscle building, it doesn't have any effect. I weight trained with and without prednisone, and weight gain came on as mentioned as fluid retention so in the neck, gut and face, but it goes away when your off it.
Prednisone although does not give you much of an advantage in weight lifting does give you a little pick me up. It is definitely beneficial just dont expect substantial gains. I have Crohn's and my doctor always tells me to hit the gym to both counteract the fat building up, but to also benefit from the little gain that does occur with prednisone.
What type of steroids do you take?
To anyone who is taking prednisone or corticosteroid for ulcerative colitis and Crohn's. Run to the bookstore or Amazon and get a copy of Loren Cordain's Paleo Diet book. He says that whole grains, seeds, and other super fiber foods we *think* we need to eat are what is keeping our colitis and Crohn's from healing. Do your research: animals like deer and cows eat grasses and grains. Birds and squirrels eat seeds. They are herbivores. We humans have intestinal tracts more similar to a wolf than other types of animals. Do wolves and dogs eat whole wheat, or seeds stuck on top of bread, or grains? No! They don't even go for lettuce or vegetables. Feeding fancy dog and cat food made with corn, soy, and wheat is why for the first time in history we have diabetic cats and dogs with tumors. Prednisone is helping me with an arthritic condition. But while I am on it, I have eliminated dairy, bread, bages, pretzels, candy bars, donuts, and drinking diet soda not anything with sugar or high fructose corn syrup. I am eating a lot more protein, from animal sources like steak and pork, and ensuring that those cuts of meat have natural fat in them. Each of our cells requires essential fatty acids and amino acids that come from: proteins and fats. NOT carbs. Carbs all dissolve eventually to sugar, which is used just for energy and if there is too much, the body turns it into fat. So for anyone on prednisone, don't work against yourself while this drug is changing your body and metabolism. Eat proteins and fats (including coconut and avocado), not carbs. I lost weight from a colitis/diarrhea thing and have been on prednisone for a few weeks and I do NOT have a moon face or stretch marks or weight gain. I am feeling pretty good. Do take a look at the section of Loren Cordain's book on UC and Crohn;s--it has helped many people.
I'm a 56 year old male in very good shape (former U.S. Recon Marine) but have torn catlige in my left shoulder that I have been rehabbing for about a year now with good but slow results. I got a bad case of hives (poisin oak or squid oil allergy is the best guess), anyway the doc shot with a corticosteroid and put my on prednisone (I'm on day 5 right now) and I have noticed in just my last 2 days that my workouts have gotten crazy good, my shoulder suddenly feels not 85% good but suddenly 99% good and my weight lbs/reps are PR's and I am powering through a bunch of super sets doing a body part and very athletic/taxing core/abs routines with almost no rest...something has changed for sure.
I started taking prednisone 2 years ago and had to start with 40mg/day to combat rheumatoid arthritis. In 3 months I lost 30 lbs. It was not a happy time. I'm down to 3-5 mg/day now but I am only now getting back to my original weight and this is after insane amounts of food and a lot of time in the gym lifting weights with little to no cardio. Prednisone kept me going during flareups with the arthritis but it slowly will destroy your body. Get off of it as soon as you can, and it will never help you gain muscle.