What are Steroids?
Anabolic-androgenic
steroids are man-made substances related to male
sex hormones. “Anabolic” refers to
muscle-building, and “androgenic” refers to
increased masculine characteristics. “Steroids”
refers to the class of drugs. These 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 and some types of impotence.
They are also prescribed 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.
Today, athletes and others abuse anabolic
steroids to enhance performance and also to
improve physical appearance. Anabolic steroids
are taken orally or injected, typically in
cycles of weeks or months (referred to as
“cycling”), rather than continuously. Cycling
involves taking multiple doses of steroids over
a specific period of time, stopping for a
period, and starting again. In addition, users
often combine several different types of
steroids to maximize their effectiveness while
minimizing negative effects (referred to as
“stacking”).
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, 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 for 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.
Scientific research also shows that aggression and
other psychiatric side effects may result from
abuse of anabolic steroids. Many users report
feeling good about themselves while on anabolic
steroids, but researchers report that extreme mood
swings also can occur, including manic-like
symptoms leading to violence. 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.
1
Research also indicates that some users might turn
to other drugs to alleviate some of the negative
effects of anabolic steroids. For example, a study
of 227 men admitted in 1999 to a private treatment
center for dependence on heroin or other opioids
found that 9.3 percent had abused anabolic
steroids before trying any other illicit drug. Of
these 9.3 percent, 86 percent first used opioids
to counteract insomnia and irritability resulting
from the anabolic steroids.2
Extent of Use
Monitoring the
Future (MTF) Survey *
MTF annually assesses drug use among the
Nation’s 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students.
Annual** use of anabolic steroids remained stable
at under 1.5 percent for students in 8th, 10th,
and 12th grades in the early 1990s, then started
to rise. Peak rates of annual use occurred in 2002
for 12th-graders (2.5 percent), in 2000 and 2002
for 10th-graders (2.2 percent), and in 1999 and
2000 for 8th-graders (1.7 percent). Eigth-graders
reported significant decreases in lifetime and
annual steroid use in 2004, as well as a decrease
in perceived availability of these drugs. A
significant decrease in lifetime use was also
measured among 10th-graders for 2004.
Most anabolic steroids users are male, and among
male students, past year use of these substances
was reported by 1.3 percent of 8th-graders, 2.3
percent of 10th-graders, and 3.3 percent of
12th-graders in 2004.
Anabolic Steroid Use by Students
Year 2004 Monitoring the Future Survey
|
|
8th-Graders |
10th-Graders |
12th-Graders |
|
Lifetime |
1.9% |
2.4% |
3.4% |
|
Annual |
1.1 |
1.5 |
2.5 |
|
30-day |
0.5 |
0.8 |
1.6 |
|
1
Pope, H.G., and Katz, D. L. Affective and
psychotic symptoms associated with anabolic
steroid use. American Journal of Psychiatry
145(4):487-490, 1988.
2 The New England Journal of Medicine
320:1532, 2000.
* These data are from the 2004 Monitoring the
Future Survey, funded by the National Institute on
Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, DHHS,
and conducted by the University of Michigan’s
Institute for Social Research. The survey has
tracked 12th-graders’ illicit drug use and related
attitudes since 1975; in 1991, 8th- and
10th-graders were added to the survey. The latest
data are online at
http://www.drugabuse.gov.
** "Lifetime" refers to use at least once during a
respondent's lifetime. "Annual" refers to an
individual's drug use at least once during the
year preceding their response to the survey.
"30-day" refers to an individual's drug use at
least once during the month preceding their
response to the survey.
Please also visit NIDA's steroids-specific Web
site for further information on the effects of
anabolic-androgenic steroids and information on
healthy alternatives -
http://www.steroidabuse.org
Courtesy of
National Institute on Drug Abuse
