I am not going to give further details of the medication I was on
I'm disappointed to hear that, because it's hard to talk about a drug issue if we don't even known what drug it is. It's going to be hard to talk to a pharmacist about the risks of an unknown drug. Regardless, it was not testosterone, and that puts the issue to rest, at least in my eyes.
To conflate testosterone with whatever med(s) you took is akin to comparing ADHD meds to methamphetamine, or pain meds to heroin. They may be in the same family, but they're not at all the same.
It WOULD be bizarre if this had happened from a doctor-recommended therapy, but it doesn't sound like that was the case.
I had low blood pressure and normal T levels prior to taking the medication and while on the medication.
You must have discontinued the drug after the blood vessel burst 3 days into your protocol, so I don't see how you had time to get a blood test while on the medication. You don't want to share further details. Your say your T levels skyrocketed, but then were normal when you started the drug, your assertion that it was "approved by
a doctor" (not necessarily
your doctor) despite normal T levels, your assertion that Anavar is known for eye problems (it's not) — all of this sounds perhaps well-intentioned, but we're not getting the whole story.
Furthermore, glaucoma can be triggered by corticosteroids, but
not anabolic steroids. However, I can imagine a pharmacist or doctor mixing them up so I don't dispute that you were told this. [search google for: Steroid_induced_Glaucoma]
I've been Googling for links between anabolic steroids and eye damage, and aside from stupid-high doses of the PCT drug Clomid, the only thing I can find, even on sites with a heavy negative bias, is linked to blood pressure. If there's some other link you're aware of
I very much would like to learn about it, and your reluctance to share the name of the drug in a completely anonymous forum makes me wonder if the drug really exists.
You're right, no drug is without risks. However, "recreational" steroid use can be quite safe if following a sane protocol. However, steroid protocol is infinitely more complicated than any other "recreational" drug, and it must not be approached cavalierly.
The Lancet's report on drug harms ranks substances by harm to users and harm to others. Mushrooms are rated a 6 (the least harmful drug on their list), anabolic steroids a 10, cannabis a 20, and heroin a 55. Popular culture would lead one to believe that steroids are certainly more harmful than cannabis, but the evidence did not bear this out. I do feel that a score of only 10 understates steroids' risks and caveats, because
if used incorrectly, they're absolutely MUCH less safe than cannabis.
[search google images for: drug harm chart]
For many reasons, I think that OP perhaps should not use steroids at this time, or perhaps ever, but painting steroids in an unrealistically negative light isn't going to help him make that decision. If the only thing OP takes from this discussion is to use test instead of Anavar, that still may not be optimal, but it's certainly FAR better than what he was planning.
OP, please get a blood test or two. If your test & E levels are fine and stable, hopefully that will put your mind at ease. They're not contributing to mental symptoms, and you might want to focus on something else instead. If they're low or unstable, a urologist or another doctor can help you navigate the minefield safer than you may be able to on your own. If you want to talk more about it, please do! Though I question the specific examples of harm here, please be aware that
a reckless decision could indeed lead to serious harm.
