Metabolic Steroids...?

[Amgalvin3]

If ALS slowly atrophy's your muscles, what if you consistently injected metabolic steroids & worked out? Would it build them back up? What if I was JUST diagnosed & caught it early? Would building up my muscles with steroids maybe prolong the 'wasting away' effect? Even just a little bit?

* I DONT have als, although I live in a family WITH FALS, which means it's likely (about 50/50, or maybe 60/40 that I'll get it one day, I'm only 31 now, my mom started having symptoms at 52, my grandmother at 79, so it's different for everyone) & I'm NOT ignorant, I know that Steroids are BAD, & ILLEGAL, I just wondered what people's opinions are on this, or if there's some fact out there I'm missing that would make this option null & void & stupid to ask...

Anyone?

 

[laurel]

The atrophy in ALS is caused by motor neuron death. Anabolic steroids stimulate testosterone which targets muscles. Nothing will stimulate dying motor neurons. I would be sure that what you are suggesting would not work. I am sorry about your family history, and totally understand why you are seeking something that might help. Others may have a different opinion. I hope you beat the odds.
Laurel

 

[Nikki J]

As another FALS family member as yet unaffected I have thought perhaps building muscle now is not a bad thing? I know once you have it there is no way to stop the atrophy and I believe stressing the muscle may accelerate the disease? But I do wonder if having more muscle mass to start might help you mintain a touch more fuction a little longer? I was thinking more of hitting the gym though... I am terrified of changing diet or taking medication as we do not know what triggers the genetic flaw to "turn active"

 

[Alyoop]

Nikki, I am not sure of the logic of building up muscle, but hitting the gym to be healthy can do nothing but good .
You can try the high dose vitamin c and coq10 that some take. Won't do any harm either.

 

[Nikki J]

Thanks Alyoop!
I know having more muscle wouldn't matter in the long run or even the medium run! but it just seems like if you can lift 50 lbs when you start to have damage that you would take longer to lose all function than if you could only lift 1 pound?
You are right the gym is a good thing no matter what!

 

[hn7609]

I'm no expert on this but my understanding is that the ALS doesn't atrophy the muscle directly but rather that ALS destroys the neural connection to the muscle rendering the patient unable to move the muscle. The atrophy occurs because the muscle no longer gets work and begins to deteriorate. No matter how big or strong the muscle is at the beginning once the neural connection is interupted the muscle will not work. I was in excellent shape when the disease hit me and still have a fair amount of muscle left in my legs but it doesn't do me a damned bit of good because I can't move them to save my life.

But to answer your question directly..........yes you should go and workout and keep yourself in excellent physical condition, it can only help if you do begin this disease in very good health. No you should not inject yourself with steriods..........Mr. Olympia in a wheelchair is not a good look.

 

[seaside]

Nikki,
Think about the muscles at the end of the line weakening first. You may have the arm strength to lift 50# but as the fingers weaken gripping the weight becomes awkward and worse. Not the best explaination, but it's something like that.

 

[Nikki J]

OK I think I get it now! Sorry for being so dense!
Thank you for all the patient explanations!
wishing you all the best
Nikki

 

[Amgalvin3]

Thanks everyone! That's exactly what I was looking for. I FIGURED there was a reason that people didn't DO it, besides the fact that steroids were "bad" because I'm familiar with ALS being a FALS family member, & I know that no matter HOW bad they were, if it HELPED they'd all have done it!

Also, as far as what Nikki was saying, I was thinking that it'd take my muscles longer to atrophy if they were bigger & stronger too, & I see now that it's the muscle/brain connection that keeps them from working, not the atrophy itself, that only happens BECAUSE of the lack of motor communication.

I'm kinda panicked as I was the primary caregiver of my grandmother who passed in 2002, & I was only 22 when she died. NOW this unwelcome "family member" has attached itself to my mother we're pretty sure (find out definitively this week), & now, a decade later, I've only learned MORE horrors of it. Back then, it was new as it came, & we didn't know it was "F"ALS, just that it was ALS. That teeny letter is life changing.

I wouldn't have had children had I known about that "F" & I may have led the last ten years of my life VERY VERY differently. Nikki, I'd love to become at least, online friends, as it's VERY VERY hard to explain to people, even those friends who I hung out with when I was taking care of my grandmother, to truly understand what I'm going thru & what my mommy WILL be going thru. It's the worst nightmare I could imagine come true, & it's SOOO just...UNFAIR! I HATE this disease.

There's NOT enough KNOWLEDGE about it, not enough AWARENESS in the general public (like Cancer or HIV), not enough FUNDING & RESEARCH, it's SUCKS.
Ok, I'll be done ranting, because I'll drive myself into a panic attack..

Just wanted to say ty to those who responded. Goodnight for now.....

 

[Amgalvin3]

thanks everyone!

 

[Nikki J]

Hi amgalvin tried to pm you but couldn't think maybe you need more posts before you can pm?

I so relate your comment about adding the f to als!