Bodybuilding Steroids Side Effects

Dangers of bodybuilding steroids

Anabolic steroids cause many different types of problems. Some of the more serious or long-lasting side effects are:

• premature balding or hair loss
• dizziness
• mood swings, including anger, aggression, and depression
• believing things that aren't true (delusion)
• extreme feelings of mistrust or fear (paranoia)
• problems sleeping
• nausea and vomiting
• trembling
• high blood pressure that can damage the heart or blood vessels over time
• aching joints
• greater chance of injuring muscles and tendons
• jaundice or yellowing of the skin; liver damage
• urinary problems
• shortening of final adult height
• increased risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer

Risks for Girls

Specific risks for girls associated with anabolic steroids include:

• increased facial hair growth
• development of masculine traits, such as deepening of the voice, and loss of feminine body characteristics, such as shrinking of the breasts
• enlargement of the clitoris
• menstrual cycle changes

Risks for Guys

Specific risks for guys include:

• testicular shrinkage
• pain when urinating
• breast development
• impotence (inability to get an erection)
• sterility (inability to have children)

Other Problems

Bodybuilding steroids can also have serious psychological side effects. Some users become aggressive or combative, developing "roid rage" — extreme, uncontrolled bouts of anger caused by long-term steroid use.

Steroid users who inject the drugs with a needle are at risk for infection with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), the virus that causes AIDS, if they share needles with other users. People who use dirty needles are also at greater risk for contracting hepatitis, a disease of the liver, or bacterial endocarditis, an infection of the inner lining of the heart.

Bodybuilding Steroids: Stacking and Addiction

Some people combine or "stack" anabolic steroids with other drugs. Other steroid users may "pyramid" or "cycle" their steroid doses, starting with a low dose of stacked drugs and then periodically increasing and decreasing the dosage of the steroid, which users believe helps their bodies recuperate from the drugs.

Because even scientists don't understand exactly how steroids interact with each other or possibly cause reactions to other medications, it's possible that a person who stacks or cycles steroids can take a deadly combination. Emergency departments have reported cases of vomiting, tremors, dizziness, and even coma (unconsciousness) when patients were admitted after taking a combination of steroids.

A lot of people tell themselves they'll only use steroids for a season or a school year. Unfortunately, steroids can be addictive, making it hard to stop taking them.

Steroid users can spend lots of time and money trying to get the drugs. And once users stop taking steroids, they're at risk of developing irritability, paranoia, and severe depression, which may lead to suicidal thoughts or attempted suicide. Some of the long-term effects of steroids may not show up for many years. People who use steroids also appear to be at higher risk for using other drugs, such as alcohol or cocaine.