How can anabolic steroids harm you

More Drug Topics. Quick Links. About NIDA. Anabolic Steroids DrugFacts. What are anabolic steroids? Points to Remember Anabolic steroids are synthetic variations of the male sex hormone testosterone.

Health care providers can prescribe steroids to treat various medical conditions. But some athletes and bodybuilders misuse these drugs to boost performance or improve their physical appearance.

People who abuse anabolic steroids usually take them orally, inject them into the muscles, or apply them to the skin with a cream or gel. People misuse steroids in a variety of doses and schedules. Misuse of anabolic steroids might lead to short-term effects, including paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability and aggression, delusions, impaired judgement, and mania.

Continued steroid misuse can act on some of the same brain pathways and chemicals that are affected by other drugs, including dopamine, serotonin, and opioid systems. Anabolic steroid misuse might lead to serious long-term, even permanent, health problems. Several other effects are gender- and age-specific. Even though anabolic steroids do not cause the same high as other drugs, they can lead to addiction. Some people seeking treatment for anabolic steroid addiction have found behavioral therapy and medications to be helpful.

Moon face is a full face caused by taking steroids or other medical treatments. We explain moon face, the causes, treatments, and what you can do at…. Steroid injections are used for several different types of diseases, conditions, and injuries. Learn more about when they're used, what they treat…. To increase muscle strength and power beyond the natural limit, some people turn to steroids.

This article reviews anabolic-androgenic steroids…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. All About Anabolic Steroids. Medically reviewed by Alan Carter, Pharm. What are anabolic steroids? What are anabolic steroids used for? What are the side effects of anabolic steroids? How are anabolic steroids misused? Are there safe alternatives to anabolic steroids? Read this next. Performance Enhancers: The Safe and the Deadly.

For the most part, steroidal supplements, which used to be found at health food stores or gyms, are now illegal and require a prescription. DHEA is one of the few exceptions and can still be bought over the counter. Steroid supplements are weaker forms of androgen. Their effects aren't well known, but it's thought that, when taken in large doses, they cause effects similar to other androgens like testosterone.

But research studies suggest that they do very little or nothing to improve athletic performance. Here's what is known about steroidal supplements: Companies that make them often use false claims, and very little is known about the long-term effects some of these substances have on the body.

That's one reason why the government took action to protect citizens by passing laws controlling steroid distribution. Anabolic steroids stimulate muscle tissue to grow and "bulk up" in response to training by mimicking the effect of naturally produced testosterone on the body.

Anabolic steroids can remain in the body anywhere from a couple of days to about a year. Steroids have become popular because they may improve endurance, strength, and muscle mass. However, research has not shown that steroids improve skill, agility, or athletic performance. Steroids can also have serious psychological side effects. Some users may become aggressive or combative, believe things that aren't true delusions , or have extreme feelings of mistrust or fear paranoia.

And people who use steroids also appear to be at higher risk for using other drugs, such as alcohol or cocaine, often to counteract some of the negative effects of steroids. 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 risk for contracting hepatitis , a liver disease, or bacterial endocarditis, an infection of the inner lining of the heart.