Viagra and steroids are the most known pharmaceutical things amongst modern men. Viagra contains sildenafil which may enter into interaction with other pharmaceutical substances.
Does this apply to steroidal medications? Can Viagra and steroids be combined?
Why Might Viagra and Anabolic Steroids Be Used Together?
Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS in short) are used medically for treating diseases associated with poor production of endogenous anabolic hormones in the body. For instance, doctors sometimes prescribe them to boys with puberty delays and the elderly with severe muscle mass loss.
However, athletes who are engaged in bodybuilding, power sports, etc. often use them as a doping, to increase muscle growth and performance. This is an unsafe practice, and sellers who offer AAS for sports purpose are operating illegally. Often, athletes use steroids which are intended for giving them to animals (pigs, broilers, cattle), because it is hard to find a quality product initially manufactured for humans on the black market.
Viagra is a medication widely used for erectile dysfunction treatment. It left an inerasable trace in the history of medicine as it was the first oral anti-ED medication with great effectiveness. It was a prescription medication, but now in some jurisdictions it can be sold without a prescription. Its mechanism of action includes inhibition of erection-interfering PDE5 (phosphodiesterase type 5) enzyme and opening up arterial vessels allowing more blood to enter the penile organ.
Some gym rats use Viagra to improve the move of steroid substances through the bloodstream. In other situations, reason to take Viagra and steroids simultaneously is more banal: AAS may lead to erection deterioration. This is their common side effect, which develops especially when a person uses steroids in gigantic quantities or for a long time. This effect is associated with affecting endogenous production of testosterone – the body sees abundance of exogenous hormones and decreases internal production. And, people, instead of stopping practicing steroid cycles, start to take Viagra to maintain sex life.
An interesting fact: several years after Viagra’s introduction, some healthcare professionals called Levitra ‘Viagra on steroids’ because it was treated as better and quicker remedy. Actually, further studies showed that Levitra have little superiority over Viagra, except the fact that it seemed to be more efficient in patients suffering from diabetes mellitus. In addition, the ‘orange pill’ acts slightly quicker than the ‘blue pill’.
Safety Concerns
First and foremost, you should not take steroids for sports purposes (without your health care provider’s guidance). But the reality is different, and many people follow that (non-safe) way.
However, there is no evidence that sildenafil and steroids are harmful if you take them under doctor’s supervision for medical purposes. Short-term administration of AAS might positively influence your libido, and Viagra might significantly boost your erectile function. But if you suffer from arterial hypertension and/or other cardiovascular diseases (caused by steroid intake or other factors, no matter what), such a combination may be hazardous for your health. Viagra may influence blood pressure indicators and enter into dangerous interactions with medications that you take to treat heart problems.
Viagra May Act as a Performance-Enhancing Medication
It’s known better blood flow enhances muscle pumping, improving delivery of useful substances to tissues. There are even special supplements on the sports nutrition market, which are called NO (nitric oxide) boosters. These are, in particular, arginine and citrulline.
They lead to relaxation of blood vessels, acting similarly to Viagra. Given that, some athletes believe that they can increase performance in the gym by taking the ‘blue diamond’. However, official guidelines contain no information about possibility of such administration, this is non-authorized use. Moreover, you can accidentally or intentionally take increased dosages of Viagra, which is associated with elevated risk of serious side effects, such as acute headache and face redness, serious drop in blood pressure levels, and priapism (pain-causing erection which lasts more than 4 hours in a row).
You might be also interested in this article: How To Use Viagra For Best Results?
Quitting Steroids
If you are using AAS without doctor’s supervision, stop doing this immediately. Believe, you will be healthier, deciding to quit steroids. Physical problems after stopping administering anabolics are rare, but sometimes men may develop depression and even thoughts about committing suicide. If you encounter psychological problems, seek for help in your local addiction centers. Fortunately, steroids aren’t narcotic drugs, and it is much easier to cope with addiction which has developed as a result of their use.
