Part 4: The Truth About Anabolic Steroids And Its Effects On Baseball Pitching Performance

Editor's note: This is the fourth of an eight-week series of articles examining the effects of anabolic steroids and other substances on baseball pitching performance and overall health. Source: MLB.

By now you should be familiar with some of the adverse effects associated with steroid use -- changes in personality, hormonal effects, injury, etc. (Follow these links if you've missed my first three articles -- article one, article two, or article three -- of this special blog series.)

There are actually more adverse effects on your body. Here are some of them.

The adverse effects of the Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AASs) also relate to the method of administration. AASs are generally used orally or intra-muscularly. If taken orally, most of the AAS is inactivated by the liver, resulting in an increased risk of decreased liver functions, liver tumors and cysts. If, on the other hand, the AAS is taken by injection, the risks associated with needle use emerge, including HIV, hepatitis and other infections.

Common injectable steroids include:

• Deca-Durabolin (Nandrolone decanoate)
• Depo-testosterone (Testosterone cypionate)
• Delatestryl (Testosterone enanthate)
• Durabolin (Nandrolone phenpropionate)
• Primabolin (Metheneolone enanthate)
• Winstrol-depot (Stanozolol)

Common oral steroids include:

• Anadrol-50 (Oxymetholone)
• Anavar (Oxandrolone)
• Dianabol (methandrostenealone)
• Halotestin (Fluoxymesterone)
• Maxibolin (Ethylesternol)
• Metandren (methyltestosterone)
• Nilevar (norenthandorolone)
• Nibil (methanalone acetate)
• Nilevar (norenthandorolone)
• Winstrol (Stanozolol)

(Series continues on Thursday...)