What’s the difference between TRT and Steroids?

On: November 2, 2018
Steroids, Testosterone Therapy, trt

What’s the difference between TRT and Steroids?

There’s a common misconception that doing testosterone replacement therapy is essentially doing steroids, we will tell you why that’s not true.

There’s the age-old saying, “you know your body better than anyone else does”. So that constant fatigue you’ve been experiencing, the trouble in the bedroom you’ve been experiencing, the drive in the bedroom that’s diminished, and even the sudden and quick mood swings you’ve been having. All of those seem “unexplainable” but realistically they are all signs of low testosterone levels.
Here’s the thing, most people just let the symptoms be, they think it’s a part of aging process. But what if we told you that there is a safe and effective option available for you that can help increase your testosterone level without hindering any aspects of health to the rest of your body. We don’t really want to say we found the fountain of youth, but… you come in and be the judge.

Steroids and Testosterone – What is Testosterone?

Testosterone (C19H28O2) is a naturally occurring hormone in the body. It serves a few vital purposes such as increasing and promoting bone density to reduce the risk of fracture and promote physical activity, stimulate the development of lean muscle (muscle growth) which in turn helps with the reduction of body fat, and last, it helps with the production of sperm in the testes.
Low testosterone conversations often stimulate the myth of is testosterone replacement therapy the same thing as steroids? This in turn brings up the topic of what about the side effects of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), is it the same side effects as anabolic steroids?
Treatment of “low t” also known as testosterone replacement therapy, is a practice of replacing testosterone levels in men and women all while being supervised and treated by a license physician or provider. But of course, because of the negative connotation involved with the use of testosterone in the bodybuilding industry. But there are major difference in the use of testosterone in a clinical setting versus in the locker room of a gym. Let us explain…
The first and very apparent difference is that there are absolute legal differences, medical supervision and diagnosis, and management of possible side-effects. Because it’s managed by a professional in the medical industry, the dose is titrated to the individual meaning they’re staying within the safest and most effective limit for their body.
While you’re able to get the same medication that’s used in testosterone replacement therapy, called testosterone cypionate, there’s a major difference in the way that they’re using in a medical setting versus someone abusing steroids. When a provider decides that you’re in need of testosterone, there is a purpose created behind the therapy, a plan per say, that has your health, goals, and best interest in mind.

Steroids Are Not a Medical Treatment, Testosterone Replacement Therapy Is

As we mentioned above, one of the factors that differ TRT and steroids are the fact that TRT is legal. Most steroids are are obtained illegally and injected by untrained professionals. Also, most of the testosterone that is obtained on the “street” is made in non-FDA approved labs overseas, so who knows what is actually in them.
Testosterone replacement therapy is a medical treatment used to treat a medical condition, low testosterone, that is administered by a provider who manages a care plan catered to the individual.
When thinking about testosterone replacement, it’s important to consider how it’s administered so that it restores a “you”. The goal is to get you back to being yourself, who you used to be, the guy you want to get back to. But because the treatment is managed by a licensed medical professional, you’re able to reduce the risk of side-effects that you would get with steroid use due to proper management.
The side-effects of testosterone are normally experienced with the use of illegal steroids. While it can be done safely, most people do them for the benefit of muscle growth to look better or for physical performance advantages. There is a mixture of steroids that can be used for optimal muscle growth, fat loss steroids, etc.
Using illegal steroids is obviously not approved by the FDA because there is no diagnosis involved. Secondly, when using steroids, levels are generally taken upwards of two times the high-end of normal which induces the risk of more side-effects.
On the other hand testosterone replacement therapy, for treatment of symptoms of low t, is FDA-approved and performed by a licensed physician and in our case, specially trained in the hormone replacement therapy industry, is only performed when a diagnosis is given, generally through blood work. This allows you to be medically cleared for the use of testosterone, and most of the time insurance can help pay for the treatment!

Side Effects of Testosterone Replacement Therapy

Like any medical treatment, side effects are always something that should be discussed before making the decision to move forward with treatment. Side effects that can be caused by the use of testosterone can include acne, prostate enlargement, fluid retention, mood swings, difficulty with urination, and male breast enlargement. But with proper medication and treatment, these are easily manageable.
With steroid use, the same side effects can also occur, their levels are taken to such extreme highs that the side effects can be much more prevalent and also much more dangerous. But that’s not all, with illegal steroid use, the risk of disease of the liver or spleen, blood clots, increased cholesterol, high blood pressure and even heart disease is always there. Because treatment isn’t managed by a medical physician and generally blood work is not being taken regularly.
The most important part to any medical treatment is to fix a problem safely, therein lies the difference between TRT and steroid use. While there’s a mixture of other reasons, ensuring that your health is first and foremost the number one priority is the reason that testosterone replacement therapy can help achieve higher testosterone levels.
Just like any medication, at excessive doses can cause more issues than it will help solve. When you’re performing your own administration of anabolic steroids, generally those aren’t coming from a provider in which has a pharmacy compound their testosterone. Most of the time it comes from a garage lab in a foreign country with an unknown amount of ingredients in them. So, self-dosing with testosterone from elsewhere can lead to a higher dose than your body needs causing more issues.
As any health provider would, we always recommend a consultation with any TRT provider you plan to use so that you understand how things are done in their treatment process so that you can receive the best results for you!

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