SIDE EFFECTS OF STEROIDS

Steroids are widely used almost all over the world by both male and female athletes to enhance their athletic ability. Body builders, power lifters, soccer players, wrestlers, cricketers, swimmers look forward to improve their size, stamina, strength or speed by using steroids, regardless of the risks. Even many men just take steroids to look massive or muscular.
A recent study by The National Institute of Drug Abuse shows that over 0.325 million teenage boys and 0.175 million teenage girls use steroids. Adult steroids abusers are even higher in number, considering the fact that many steroid abusers do not report it.
Steroid abuse leads to a lot of side effects some of which are temporary and others are permanent. Steroid use can have many serious health problems of which everyone should be aware of.

SHORT TERM SIDE EFFECTS

ACNE
Acne is one of the most common side effects of steroids that can develop all over the skin. If someone is already suffering with acne problems, it will just get worst.

SHRUNKEN TESTICLES
Testicular atrophy is a term used for shrunken testicles. Testicular atrophy is also common in men abusing steroid. It results into lesser production of sperm by the testicles.

ENLARGED PROSTATE
This problem is mostly associated with aging males. Enlarged prostate is not seen in young men unless they are using steroids. This can lead to prostate cancer too.

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
Steroid forces the body to retain the extra salt and water and it doesn’t get flushed out. It also increases the body's red blood cell count that gives a high blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to kidney or heart failure and even blindness if a nerve in the eye bursts and bleeds.

LOSS OF HAIR
Baldness can occur due to steroid abuse in both males and females and after a certain stage it becomes permanent.




GYNECOMASTIAAnother negative side effect of steroid abuse is Gynecomastia or man boobs. Female hormones are sometimes formed in the men’s body by the use of anabolic steroid which results into the formation of breast tissue. The female tissue is then removed by a very expensive and painful surgery.

MALE CHARACTERISTICS IN FEMALES

Females can develop a manly deep voice as some of the female hormones get changed into male hormones by steroid abuse.Anabolic steroid use can also develop facial hair and excess hair all over the body of women. This is a men’s characteristic too.

AGGRESSION
Aggression and nervousness is also seen to develop in both male and female steroid abusers.


LONG TERM SIDE EFFECTS

LIVER FAILURE
Steroid abuse can lead to liver failure.

HIV
The intravenous needle sharing while taking steroids can result into HIV that is one of the most dangerous side effects of steroid abuse.

STUNTED GROWTH
Young boys taking anabolic steroids are likely to stop growing earlier because when the

brain senses presence of certain hormones in the body it will stop the bones to grow.

CARDIOVASCULAR PROBLEMS
Steroid abuse can increase the blood cholesterol levels which can result into heart attacks and heart strokes. Use of steroids quickly develops new muscles and heart needs to pump blood to the new muscle tissues for which it is not ready yet.

WEIGHT PROBLEMS
It is also seen that when steroid abusers stop taking steroids, they convert their muscle mass into fat and find it difficult to manage their body weight.

LIGAMENT AND JOINT INJURY
Anabolic steroids enhance strength and increases muscle size for which the joints and the ligaments are not strong enough. Thus, this puts a lot of strain on the ligaments and joints and you finally end up getting severely injured.