Are Testosterone and HGH are Steroids?

Legitimate testosterone and growth hormone therapies should never be confused with the abuse of anabolic steroids.

Testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH) are used to treat people with low testosterone and growth hormone deficiency. They are prescription medications legitimately prescribed to treat these conditions. They are used to treat each condition individually and are also sometimes used together to treat patients who present with both low testosterone and age-related growth hormone loss.

Testosterone and growth hormone replacement therapy often get confused with “anabolic steroids.”

The confusion happens for several reasons. The first reason for the confusion is that both testosterone and HGH do have “anabolic properties.” But, in medical terms, “anabolic” simply means any chemical compound that stimulates muscle tissue growth. As both testosterone and HGH play a vital role in muscle growth and strength, they both can technically be referred to as “anabolic hormones.”

Because of these "anabolic properties" (and because both HGH and testosterone are banned in sports as "performance-enhancing drugs"), they mistakenly get lumped together with steroid use and abuse. However, despite their ability to help to build lean muscle, neither testosterone nor HGH is technically "a steroid." 

What Are Steroids?

Steroids are chemicals that produce certain types of effects on the tissues and organs of your body. Some steroids are naturally produced by your body. Others are manufactured to be used as prescription medications. Of the latter type, there are two kinds of steroids made for pharmaceutical purposes: corticosteroids and anabolic steroids.

Prescription corticosteroids are designed to act like the naturally occurring hormone cortisol. They reduce inflammation and are prescribed to enhance healing and treat any number of inflammatory conditions such as asthma and arthritis.

Anabolic steroids are synthetic (manmade) versions of testosterone.

Is Testosterone a Steroid Hormone?

Naturally occurring testosterone is considered a steroid hormone. Technically speaking, on a chemical level, prescription testosterone such as DEPO-testosterone is an anabolic steroid. Steroids get something of a bad reputation because they are often abused by bodybuilders, weightlifters, and other pro athletes.

By definition, testosterone belongs to a class of male hormones called androgens, which are sometimes also called steroids or anabolic steroids. Technically speaking, testosterone is both a "steroid" and a "hormone." That definition, again, is the source for much of the confusion between legitimate steroid shots such as DEPO-testosterone, which are used for various medical purposes, and “steroid abuse.”

Nonetheless, prescription testosterone injections often get mistakenly lumped together with steroid abuse because the “anabolic steroids” used and abused by bodybuilders and pro athletes often do contain testosterone. But the doses used in testosterone therapy are legally prescribed to return the testosterone levels in your blood to more normal levels.

The testosterone in the illegal “steroids” used by some athletes is found in much higher doses, often 10 to 100 times the dose in a normal testosterone injection. It is also often combined, or "stacked," with other substances that boost the overall muscle-building or anabolic effect. That is why these “performance-enhancing drugs” are called “anabolic steroids.”

Is HGH a Steroid Hormone?

No, HGH belongs to an entirely different class of hormones than testosterone, which technically is a steroid. HGH is an anabolic hormone that builds and repairs tissue such as collagen and muscle tissue throughout the body. Again, it is called an “anabolic” hormone because of its role in building muscle tissue, but chemically, it is not a “steroid.” hormone. HGH belongs to a completely different class of hormones known as “peptide” hormones.

Testosterone and HGH injections are often confused with the illegal use of anabolic steroids.

Dangers of Steroids

Steroids can have some serious side effects, especially when they are used illegally without a doctor’s prescription or proper medical supervision.  Doctors carefully prescribe steroids to treat some hormone problems in men, delayed puberty, and muscle loss from some diseases. But some people misuse anabolic steroids.

Bodybuilders and athletes use anabolic steroids to build muscles and improve athletic performance. They may take the steroids orally, inject them into muscles, or apply them to the skin as a gel or cream. These doses maybe 10 to 100 times higher than doses used to treat medical conditions. Using them this way without a prescription is not only illegal, but it can also be very dangerous.

Misuse of anabolic steroids, especially over a long period of time, has been linked to many health problems, including:

• Acne
• Stunted growth in teens
• High blood pressure
• Changes in cholesterol
• Heart problems, including heart attack
• Liver disease, including cancer
• Kidney damage
• Aggressive behavior

In men, it can also cause:

• Baldness
• Breast growth
• Low sperm count/infertility
• Shrinking of the testicles

In women, it can also cause:

• Changes in your menstrual cycle (period)
• Growth of body and facial hair
• Male-pattern baldness
• Voice deepening

How Do Anabolic Steroids Work?

When you are working out, anabolic steroids stimulate muscle tissue to grow and "bulk up" in response to weightlifting and strength training by copying the effect of naturally produced testosterone on the body. While it is possible that anabolic steroids can make muscles grow faster or larger, they have many harmful side effects. Most sports leagues have banned them, and they are illegal without a prescription.

Anabolic steroids, or anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), are the manmade derivatives of the naturally produced hormone testosterone. Among their other abilities, anabolic steroids help to build muscle. They are prescribed medically for people that have low testosterone or muscle wasting disorders such as AIDS.

When used by athletes, the goal is to speed up the body’s natural muscle-building process. When we lift weights heavier than what we’re used to, we create tiny micro-tears in muscle fibers. The body’s natural repair process repairs the tear and then overcompensates by adding bigger cells to build a stronger fiber.

This is how weightlifting and strength training builds muscle. Over time, this repeated process of teardown and re-build will result in muscle growth. Natural testosterone is the body’s main ingredient for this process, but anabolic steroids can accelerate this process.

The Difference Between Testosterone and HGH Therapy and Steroid Use

It is very important to once again clarify and draw a distinction between the legitimate medical uses of HGH and testosterone and the abuse of anabolic steroids practiced by bodybuilders and athletes.

It is quite unfortunate that lawful testosterone and HGH therapies are often confused with the negative image of steroids. The negative press about steroid abuse can stop people who can be helped by legitimate hormone replacement therapy from obtaining its many life-changing benefits.

However, the confusion is understandable. The formulations used for testosterone therapy and anabolic steroids can often contain similar or even identical chemical compounds. But their uses, doses, risks, and safety concerns are extremely different.

While some of the ingredients may be similar, the difference between testosterone therapy, HGH, and steroids could not be more evident. Testosterone therapy and HGH, when needed, are legitimately prescribed medical treatments for men, women, or children who have been diagnosed with a testosterone or growth hormone deficiency. The kinds of steroids that these legitimate therapies get incorrectly confused with are used illegally and at dangerously high doses in pursuit of greater muscle mass and enhanced athletic performance.

Genuinely prescribed – testosterone therapy or growth hormone therapy is absolutely nothing like the illegal use or abuse of anabolic steroids. One is an unlawful and dangerous practice with significant health hazards. The other is a doctor-supervised, legally prescribed treatment for a medical problem.

Hormone replacement therapy is prescribed to treat men who have been diagnosed with low testosterone, growth hormone deficiency, or both. It is an unfortunate fact of life that both of these critical hormones decline as we age. By the time most men are in their 40s, that drop can lead to some debilitating health issues such as:  

• Fatigue and weakness
• Low libido and other sexual performance issues
• Decreased semen production/infertility
• Weight gain, particularly belly fat
• Loss of muscle mass, inability to build muscle, even while exercising
• Anxiety, depression, and mood swings
• Difficulty concentrating, memory loss, and other cognitive difficulties

Testosterone replacement therapy and HGH therapy are designed to safely and effectively optimize your levels of each of these critical hormones to treat these conditions.

By contrast, steroid abuse, or “doping,” is the illegal use of anabolic steroids to try to increase muscle mass or athletic performance. While these drugs may contain some testosterone, they often also include other chemicals that are added to further enhance physical performance or the ability to build muscle. These other ingredients can be dangerous, even deadly.

Another difference is that many people who take anabolic steroids illegally order them online from overseas pharmacies, which means there is no way of truly knowing their purity or strength. Legitimate testosterone and/or HGH injections cannot be bought online and require a doctor’s prescription.

But the most important distinction between authentic hormone replacement therapy and taking steroids is that testosterone replacement and HGH therapy are medically supervised treatments that help men achieve normal levels of these hormones to safely and effectively improve their quality of life. Steroids are most often used illegally and at dangerously high doses, with no medical supervision whatsoever, or worse yet, doled out by unscrupulous “doctors” who care little about your health or safety.

Legitimate hormone replacement of testosterone or HGH is absolutely nothing like the illegal use or abuse of anabolic steroids.

Now that you understand the differences between HGH, testosterone, and steroids, why not contact us today and learn more about the safety and efficacy of hormone replacement therapy.