Anabolic Steroids and their Effects

Anabolic steroids are synthetic steroid hormones that resemble testosterone and have both medical and negative psychological effects. They are used to treat hormonal imbalances and weight loss, but are also misused by athletes. Misuse can lead to aggression, delusions, and manias. Long-term effects include renal failure, liver damage, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels. Age and gender-specific effects are also observed. Teenagers are particularly affected by steroid use.

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Anabolic Steroids and their Effect
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1Anabolic Steroids and their Effects
Introduction
Anabolic steroids are human made or synthetic steroid hormones that resemble
testosterone (male sex hormone). Anabolic steroids are prescribed to patients who are either
suffering from male hormonal imbalance or sudden weight loss. Anabolic steroids are also
misused by athletes for enhancing their performance and it subsequently gives rise to
negative psychological effects such as aggression, delusions and manias (Reardon and
Creado 2014).
Background
Testosterone (anabolic steroids) was first manufactured in Germany in the year 1935
for the treatment of depression. The invention was followed by misuse among the
professional athletes during 1954 Olympics (National Institute on Drug Abuse 2019).
Discussion:
Anabolic steroids are used to treat male hormonal disturbance issues such as hindered
puberty and muscle loss. The drug is also prescribed by the doctor in cases of cancer and
AIDS (Gov.uk 2019). It is also consumed by fitness obsessed individuals to boost their
performance within a stipulated period of time. The misuse or overdose of steroids can lead
to negative implication on health. Short term effects associated with the overuse of steroids
include negative psychological effects such as, aggression, extreme irritability, impaired
judgement ability, delusions, jealousy, feeling paranoid and mania. Apart from the short term
effects, long term effect such as, renal failure, liver tumours or damage, high blood pressure
and high blood cholesterol level are also observed in individuals indulging in overuse of
steroids. High blood cholesterol level leads to a high risk of cardiac failure and stroke. It also
interferes with the normal mechanism of blood clotting (McVeigh and Begley 2017). Use of
the steroids may also give rise to age and gender specific effects. In male, it leads to

2Anabolic Steroids and their Effects
shrinkage of the testicles, baldness, breast devolvement, increased threat for prostate cancer
and reduction of the sperm count. On the other hand, in women, intake of steroids lead to
decreased size of breast, abnormal menstrual cycle, deepened voice, enlarged clitoris,
baldness and visible facial hair. Consumption of anabolic steroids also gives rise to negative
impact such as hindered bone and muscle growth and arrested height (National Institute on
Drug Abuse 2019). The population majorly affected by the use of steroids are teenagers.
According to a report published by Gov.uk (2019), 0.1% - 0.5% of the young population aged
in between 16 to 24 years rely upon the use of anabolic steroids.
Conclusion:
From the above discussion it can be concluded that, anabolic steroids are the synthetic
steroids which were initially used to treat depression. However, the drug was excessively
misused by the athletes. Intake of steroids lead to short term and long term side effects on
physical and mental wellness. It also gives rise to age specific and gender specific problems.

3Anabolic Steroids and their Effects
References:
Gov.uk 2019. Drug Misuse: Findings from the 201 5/16 Crime Survey for England and
Wales. [online] Assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. Available at:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/
attachment_data/file/564760/drug-misuse-1516.pdf [Accessed 22 Mar. 2019].
McVeigh, J. and Begley, E., 2017. Anabolic steroids in the UK: An increasing issue for
public health. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 24(3), pp.278-285.
National Institute on Drug Abuse 2019. Anabolic Steroids. [online] Drugabuse.gov. Available
at: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/anabolic-steroids [Accessed 22 Mar.
2019].
National Institute on Drug Abuse 2019. Steroids and Other Appearance and Performance
Enhancing Drugs (APEDs). [online] Drugabuse.gov. Available at:
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/steroids-other-appearance-
performance-enhancing-drugs-apeds/what-history-anabolic-steroid-use [Accessed 22 Mar.
2019].
Reardon, C. L., and Creado, S. 2014. Drug abuse in athletes. Substance abuse and
rehabilitation, 5, 95.