March 2007 Page 1 of 3

Anabolic-androgenic steroids are manmade substances related to male sex

hormones. “Anabolic” refers to musclebuilding, 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. 

Steroids (Anabolic-Androgenic)
March 2007 Page 2 of 3

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. Steroid use among all three

grades assessed remained unchanged

from 2005 to 2006, for both boys and

girls, although significant reductions

were noted since 2001 for lifetime**

use. Past year use was reported by 0.9

percent of 8th-graders, 1.2 percent of

10th-graders, and 1.8 percent of 12thgraders in 2006. Perceived risk of

steroid use, which is collected only for

seniors, increased significantly, from

56.8 percent in 2005 to 60.2 percent in

2006. Disapproval of steroid use, also

collected only for seniors, did not

change significantly from 2005 to

2006.

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.

Anabolic Steroid Use by Students

2006 Monitoring the Future Survey

8th Grade 10th Grade 12th Grade

Lifetime 1.6% 1.8% 2.7%

Past Year 0.9 1.2 1.8

Past Month 0.5 0.6 1.1
March 2007 Page 3 of 3

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 2006 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. “Past year” refers to use at least once during

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

preceding an individual’s response to the survey.

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.