what people need to know about steroid use

What parents, coaches, and athletes need to know about steroids

by Doug Jackson, M.Ed.,CSCS

First off, people must understand the difference between different types of steroids. Not all steroids build up the body. In fact, many (corticosteroids such as cortisone) have a catabolic (breaking down) effect, rather than a building (anabolic) effect.

This is important because I’ve heard people often say “yeah..the doctor put me on steroids” and they think it’s the steroids that athletes and bodybuilders take for improved athletic performance, strength, and muscle mass. They’re not.

Second, steroids are effective at significantly increasing the user’s muscular size and strength when used in combination with proper exercise and nutrition. Further, athletes not only use steroids for size and strength, but also to dramatically increase recovery from intense training. This allows the athlete to train harder and see more improvements, faster. This is an important note because many people think that athletes who use steroids are taking the easy way out.

Athletes who think steroids will be a quick-fix are mistaken. However, some champion athletes do weigh the pros and cons and decide to use steroids so they can train HARDER, not EASIER. Although muscle mass increases may be seen with steroid use in conjunction with weight training, bodybuilders who take steroids to bulk up and gain muscle will find that most muscle increases will decrease after cessation of steroid use.

Third, there are hundreds of thousands of current and past steroid users that didn’t drop dead with first use or after years of use. A good example is Arnold Schwarzenegger who has admitted using them before they became illegal. And maybe more importantly, sometimes it’s the people you would have never guessed, like a average Joe recreational weight lifter, who are some of the most common users. While I think these average Joe’s who use steroids to look better on the beach and are relatively uneducated about steroid use are foolish, the fact remains that their bodies tend to return to a normal, healthy state after cessation of use.

This is not to say that there are not risks. I just believe the risks are different in scope than generally portrayed in the media. For example, some athletic injuries may be increased in frequency because of steroid use. When someone is using steroids, their muscles grow in strength much more quickly than their joints can handle and injuries occur because of this imbalance. Further, I believe the psychological risks may be even more severe than the physical risks.

The physical effects of anabolic steroid use include male-pattern baldness, significant increases in acne on the shoulders and upper back, increased blood pressure, decreased “good” HDL cholesterol, decreased testical size in males, increased body weight, increased sex drive, possibly increased aggressive behavior, and of course increased strength and muscle. Females risk all of the above side effects, as well as facial hair growth and clitoral enlargement (yikes!).

Anabolic steroids come in injectable, oral, and more recently topical lotion varieties. It’s important to note that oral steroids are the most dangerous as they have to be processed by the liver. Thus, liver damage and jaundice is common in users who have taken high doses of oral anabolic steroids for a continued time.

Each person who uses anabolic steroids risks serious side effects. However, due to the natural differences in sex hormones between men and women, women who take anabolic steroids in similar dosages as men will suffer greater side effects since their bodies are especially NOT equipped to handle all of the extra testosterone in their system.

Are the side effects permanent? Some side effects may be permanent with excessive use. The evidence has shown that the majority of side effects reverse over time as the body heals itself and tries to regain a normal hormonal state.

There is an assumption that anabolic steroids can make people super-aggressive. The research doesn’t support this hypothesis of extreme behavior in the majority of users. However, testosterone level is generally associated with assertiveness and aggressiveness. It’s been shown that violent prison inmates tend to have higher testosterone levels than inmates convicted of non-violent crimes. It stands to reason that super-high amounts of exogenous testosterone in one’s system may lead to unstable behavior.

The effect that is not acknowledged enough is the depression that occurs in many users when they try to discontinue use. In fact, while steroids are not physically addictive, they are psychologically addictive. Many users start with the idea that they will only use one “cycle” of steroids. Many never completely discontinue.

This links back to testosterone, its natural production in the body, and what happens with the body’s natural production when someone begins taking synthetic steroids.

The majority of testosterone in a male’s body is produced in the testes (women’s testosterone is produced in the ovaries and adrenal glands). When someone begins taking in external sources of testosterone, the body senses the extra testosterone circulating in the bloodstream and shuts down its natural production of the hormone which is why one of the side effects is testicular atrophy. So the old rule still applies: use it or lose it, baby!

Unless other pharmaceutical steps are taken, the body’s natural production of testosterone will be extremely low when steroid use is discontinued. This causes a catabolic hormonal state along with testosterone levels far below normal. These low natural levels which occur at the discontinuation of steroid administration will likely lead to significant muscle atrophy (loss of the muscle gained while on steroids). In many users, this time period is also marked by depression. Unfortunately the depression created after the discontinuation of steroids has been linked with suicide. For this reason, it’s very important for people to be aware of these altered mood states which occur after discontinuation of steroids.

Parents, coaches, spouses, and doctors need to be aware of the signs of steroid use. In my experience, most of these people in a steroid user’s social network have no idea that the person is, in fact, using steroids. Parents and spouses don’t want to believe that it’s true and coaches often would rather turn a blind eye. It’s important to emphasize to steroid users that there is truly a potential of long term harm. Lastly, it’s important for all of us to realize that different levels of depression are likely to occur when steroid cessation occurs. Be on the look out for dangerous or suicidal actions and refer to appropriate medical help including psychologists when necessary.

The best bet? Stay away from steroids all together. While they can help create impressive gains in strength and muscle size, most of these results will diminish when the user discontinues use. Further, steroids may increase the chance for injury due to the creation of strength imbalances and symptoms of depression are likely when steroid use ceases.

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