Anabolic steroids are natural and synthetic drugs that model naturally produced testosterone. Anabolic steroids are often used because they promote cell growth, which helps the growth of tissues (particularly muscle). There are many different types of anabolic steroids and they each have their own combination of anabolic and androgenic properties to make them unique and better suited for different results.

There are many different effects of anabolic steroids. They range from positive effects, to health/life threatening to simply undesirable. One of the biggest effects of anabolic steroids is the ability of anabolic steroids used in the process of building muscles or other body mass including bone and other tissues. While this is good, anabolic steroids are not a miracle drug. These effects of anabolic steroids are great for athletes and body builders who want to increase their performance as well as for patients of certain medical conditions who need a boost. This includes treatment of chronic wasting and a boost in growth for children. These specific effects of steroids are possible because of their ability to promote cell growth and division of various body tissues including muscle and bone.

Anabolic steroids do have many positive effects as well. Specific medical uses of anabolic steroids include bone marrow stimulation, growth stimulation, treatment for chronic wasting, induction of puberty in males and hormone replacement therapy.

Whether the anabolic steroids are being used for medical purposes or for general body building and athletic enhancement, the combinations, dosages and regimens need to be refined to get the best possible effects of the anabolic steroids with the least amount of negative side effects.

Most of the time, anabolic steroids are in the news due to their use and abuse by athletes. Athletes often refer to the "competitive edge" as a reason to use anabolic steroids – including teens who are involved in sports. Other people who use anabolic steroids are non-athletes that want to improve their appearance and strength in general. An interesting fact about anabolic steroids is that their users are often known to educate themselves about each specific anabolic steroids before using it more so than any other type of drug use.