O.k. Enough....
First, I am a nurse who has taken steroids for asthma, and high doses at that. You cannot talk about ananbolic and corticosteroids in the same breath. They are different. But you can also not make generalizations about corticosteroids and their effect on any one individual. I had a friend who took fairly high doses for M.S. and they gave her a buzz and high you wouldn't believe. These are real possible side effects from steroids (and not just anectdotal). So if a poster here speculates that they might give her energy, there is a basis in fact for saying that. The poster is not unkowledgable. However, when I took them, they made me feel awful to the point I had to stop taking them and try different medication. They can make you feel hyper/jittery, confused, irritable, and even psychotic (steroid psychoses) if you are on them long enough at high enough doses. They do make you retain fluid. Some people take them without noticeable effects. The long term side effects are not pretty, but we are not talking about long term side effects. I have no idea how they make Irina feel or when she is actually taking them. I suspect she is on the lowest possible maintenance dose, which would be wise medicine. Personally, I think she is skating so well because she has slimmed down; that alone will give you energy. But the last thing I am going to say is how it actually makes her feel, because like everyone here, I just don't know. On the other hand, I certainly wouldn't accuse someone of being mean for speculating about the possible effects (especially known effects) of a drug.
First, I am a nurse who has taken steroids for asthma, and high doses at that. You cannot talk about ananbolic and corticosteroids in the same breath. They are different. But you can also not make generalizations about corticosteroids and their effect on any one individual. I had a friend who took fairly high doses for M.S. and they gave her a buzz and high you wouldn't believe. These are real possible side effects from steroids (and not just anectdotal). So if a poster here speculates that they might give her energy, there is a basis in fact for saying that. The poster is not unkowledgable. However, when I took them, they made me feel awful to the point I had to stop taking them and try different medication. They can make you feel hyper/jittery, confused, irritable, and even psychotic (steroid psychoses) if you are on them long enough at high enough doses. They do make you retain fluid. Some people take them without noticeable effects. The long term side effects are not pretty, but we are not talking about long term side effects. I have no idea how they make Irina feel or when she is actually taking them. I suspect she is on the lowest possible maintenance dose, which would be wise medicine. Personally, I think she is skating so well because she has slimmed down; that alone will give you energy. But the last thing I am going to say is how it actually makes her feel, because like everyone here, I just don't know. On the other hand, I certainly wouldn't accuse someone of being mean for speculating about the possible effects (especially known effects) of a drug.
that there is also a thread at FSU gracefully titled, "Congratulations Irina Slutskaya, 2006 Olympic Gold Medallist". We're BOTH talking about it 
then there are group 4, who are criminalizing skaters, give me a break for injuries (which happens to athletes all the time). Actually even criminals are innocent until proven guilty, so the group 4 are not giving the skaters the same courteousy that criminals receive. Group 4 are concluding skaters are criminal without doing a physical exam, running diagnositic tests, IMO group 4 are practicing medicine without a license.
