Also known as juice
Most commonly abused drugs among athletes who use it illegally to build their muscles and improve athletic performance. Many sports do not approve of it and once found to be using it could lead to termination.
What are anabolic steroids?
Anabolic steroids are substances made to resemble male sex hormones, and the most popular is testosterone which is more abundant in men but also found in small quantities in women. Anabolic steroids are used medically to treat some hormonal problems in men like a delayed puberty and also to correct muscle loss caused by some diseases.
Short term effects
- Acne
- Weight gain
- Women: deepened voice, growth of facial hair, irregular or stopped menstrual cycle, male patterned baldness
- Men: shrinking of testicles, low sperm count/infertility, breast growth
- Increased blood pressure, risk of having a heart attack and stroke
- Liver damage
- Aggressive tendencies
Long term effects
- ‘Roid rage’ characterized by extreme mood swings and aggressive tendencies
- Feelings of paranoia, delusion and jealousy
- Stunted growth for teens who use
- High risk of blood borne diseases like HIV, Hepatitis B and C
- Increase risk of liver and prostate cancer
- Physical dependence leading to withdrawal symptoms when stopped
- Mood swings, depression and suicidal thoughts
- Insomnia (unable to sleep)
- Intense cravings
An overdose on anabolic steroids is possible but rare; however the mood swings, aggressiveness and suicidal thoughts could lead to more serious consequences like death.
Instead of using anabolic steroids to improve your athletic performance, you could try eating healthier and doing more runs, pushups and getting enough sleep.
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About the author
Dr. Ekwoge Hilda is a trained pharmacist from Cameroon and Co-founder of HILPharma. When she is not busy creating content, she slings pills to pay the bills.
