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Anabolic-androgenic steroids are manmade 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

Steroids (Anabolic-Androgenic)
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 and 2004 for 12thgraders (2.5 percent), in 2000 and 2002

for 10th-graders (2.2 percent), and in

1999 and 2000 for 8th-graders (1.7 percent). Eighth-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 steroid 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 12thgraders in 2004.

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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
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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

study. The latest data are online at www.drugabuse.gov. 

** “Lifetime” refers to use at least once during a respondent’s lifetime. “Annual” refers to use at least once during the year

preceding an individual’s response to the survey. “30-day” refers to use at least once during the 30 days preceding an

individual’s 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—

www.steroidabuse.org.

National Institutes of Health – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

This material may be used or reproduced without permission from NIDA. Citation of the source is appreciated.