What Kind of Drug Is It?

Steroids are drugs that mimic the actions of testosterone (tess-TOS-tuhr-own), a HORMONE found in greater quantities in males than in females. Testosterone is responsible for male traits and the male sex drive. Steroids are SYNTHETIC versions of the testosterone that is produced by the body. Steroids help build muscle mass and strength.

Steroids are referred to medically as anabolic-androgenic steroids. The term anabolic describes the characteristics of the drugs that build muscle. The term androgenic refers to the way the substances heighten masculine traits. Most doctors use the acronym "AAS" to describe these steroids. This abbreviation helps avoid confusion with a different class of steroids, the corticosteroids. These other steroids are used widely to treat a variety of medical conditions, including internal swelling and inflammation; asthma (AZ-muh), a lung and breathing disorder; bronchitis, an illness that affects the bronchial tubes in the...