real gear is just as bad with sides man trustme.i depends on the person and how the substance takes to thier body. ive done both. the sides are not as bad wit pro hormones for me. acne is much worse with real gear. so is the temper issues. i got alot of lower back pain from water retention too. the results really aren't that much better besides the diff. in the amount of money u gotta spend..the gear can get pretty expensive when u start stacking. u can get pretty big but there are consequenses for everything u know it's never gonna be completely safe. but i guess u gotta try it and make ur own decision.