TeenHealthFX - Answers - Steroid's Side Effects

Supplements & Performance Enhancers / Question
Published: May 24, 2005

Dear TeenHealthFX,

I go to the GYM 6 days a week, and I've been following a high protein diet for about 6 or 7 months but it seems that I can't gain any more muscle mass no matter how hard I train, I'm thinking about taking STEROIDS I've read about them and I know that they are sort of dangerous but I don't know how much, I know a few friends who take them and they have no side effects and they feel just great, so my question is: if I take care of myself in diet & exercise and I take steroids, would that be dangerous for my health, would I have the well known STEROID's side effects?

Signed: Steroid's Side Effects

Dear Steroid's Side Effects,

Your friends who are taking and claim they have no side effects and are feeling great are most likely in a state of denial. Anabolic (refers to muscle-building) Steroids (refers to the class of drugs) are available legally only by prescription, to treat conditions that occur when the body produces abnormally low amounts of testosterone, such as delayed puberty. They are also used to treat body wasting in patients with AIDS and other diseases that result in loss of lean muscle mass. Abuse of anabolic steroids, however, can lead to serious health problems, some irreversible.

The American Academy of Pediatrics lists some information you should know:

How are steroids used?

Steroids can be taken in the following two ways:

By mouth (pills)
Injected with a needle (Athletes who share needles to inject steroids also are at risk for serious infections including Hepatitis B and HIV, the AIDS virus.)

Some athletes take even higher doses, called "megadoses," to produce faster results. Others gradually increase the amount they take over time, which is called "pyramiding." Taking different kinds of anabolic steroids, possibly along with other drugs, is a particularly dangerous practice known as "stacking."

Will steroids make me a better athlete?

No. Steroids cannot improve an athlete's agility or skill. Many factors help determine athletic ability, including genetics, body size, age, sex, diet, and how hard the athlete trains. It is clear that the medical dangers of steroid use far outweigh the advantage of gains in strength or muscle mass.

What are the side effects of steroids?

Steroids can cause serious health problems. Many changes take place inside the body and may not be noticed until it is too late. Some of the effects will go away when steroid use stops, but some may not.

For both sexes

Possible side effects for males and females include the following:

High blood pressure and heart disease
Liver damage and cancers
Stroke and blood clots
Urinary and bowel problems, such as diarrhea
Headaches, aching joints, and muscle cramps
Nausea and vomiting
Sleep problems
Increased risk of ligament and tendon injuries
Severe acne, especially on face and back
Baldness

Males

One of the more disturbing effects of steroid use for males is that the body begins to produce less of its own testosterone. As a result, the testicles may begin to shrink. Following is a list of some of the other effects of steroid use for males:

Reduced sperm count
Impotence
Increase in nipple and breast size (gynecomastia)
Enlarged prostate (gland that mixes fluid with sperm to form semen)

Females

Since steroids act as a male hormone, females may experience the following side effects:

Reduced breast size
Enlarged clitoris (a very sensitive part of the genitals)
Increase in facial and body hair
Deepened voice
Menstrual problems

Emotional effects

Steroids also can have the following effects on the mind and behavior:

"Roid rage" - severe, aggressive behavior that may result in violence, such as fighting or destroying property
Severe mood swings
Hallucinations - seeing or hearing things that are not really there
Paranoia - extreme feelings of mistrust and fear
Anxiety and panic attacks
Depression and thoughts of suicide
An angry, hostile, or irritable mood

Health hazards

The major side effects from abusing anabolic steroids can include liver tumors and cancer, jaundice (yellowish pigmentation of skin, tissues, and body fluids), fluid retention, high blood pressure, increases in LDL (bad cholesterol), and decreases in HDL (good cholesterol). Other side effects include kidney tumors, severe acne, and trembling. In addition, there are some gender-specific side effects:

For men--shrinking of the testicles, reduced sperm count, infertility, baldness, development of breasts, and increased risk for prostate cancer.
For women--growth of facial hair, male-pattern baldness, changes in or cessation of the menstrual cycle, enlargement of the clitoris, deepened voice.
For adolescents--growth halted prematurely through premature skeletal maturation and accelerated puberty changes. This means that adolescents risk remaining short the remainder of their lives if they take anabolic steroids before the typical adolescent growth spurt.

In addition, people who inject anabolic steroids run the added risk of contracting or transmitting HIV/AIDS or hepatitis, which causes serious damage to the liver.

Many users report feeling good about themselves while on anabolic steroids but the feeling comes with significant costs to your overall health. Depression often is seen when the drugs are stopped and may contribute to dependence on anabolic steroids. Researchers report also that users may suffer from paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility. Usually the last person to realize how out of control their life has become is the person using the steroids.

If this has not shaken you enough add to it the fact that using these drugs without a doctor's supervision is illegal and can carry stiff penalties in many states. Also steroids used illegally are obtained through the black market from underground laboratories and foreign sources. The quality and purity of such drugs are questionable at best. What's more, while steroids may build muscle, and increase strength it could be offset by the fact that the strength of tendons and ligaments doesn't increase with muscle strength. This imbalance may result in injuries that take a long time to heal.

Taking care of your self with diet and exercise will not protect you from the harm of steroids. You might want to ask yourself, since you seem to be health conscious, why you would want to do something so harmful to your health. There are other safer ways, without cheating, that can help you with the results you want. Talk with your doctor, a nurse, certified trainer or a nutritionist about what your goals are and how to achieve the without sacrificing your health.

Signed: TeenHealthFX