Vials of ethanate and cypionate contain injectable testosterone used in hormone replacement therapy. Athletes seeking a competitive edge abuse these medications as they can enhance strength and facilitate recovery. Anabolic drugs like testosterone affect the reproductive system which is also important in maturation, growth and healing. While sometimes effective, testosterone injections can cause short-term and long-lasting side effects.
Tissue Damage
People using steroids often experience tissue damage at the injection site. A 2002 case report in the journal "European Radiology" describes the treatment of a soft tissue mass in a bodybuilder taking steroids. This 39-year-old man repeatedly injected testosterone into his gluteal muscles. Radiological scans revealed tissue death, fat deposits, calcification, and infection in these areas. Initial antibiotic treatment proved ineffective, and the mass required invasive surgery. Subsequent use of antibiotics led to a full recovery.
Blood Pressure
Steroid users typically report greater depression and enhanced aggression. Elevations in blood pressure often accompany such feelings. A 1999 study in the "Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport" reveals that injections of ethanate, also known as testosterone enanthate, increased blood pressure by 10 units. The weight lifters tested in this experiment also experienced greater aggression and irritability. Other side effects included reduced flexibility, enhanced libido, hair loss and acne.
Heart Pathology
The steroid-induced elevations in blood pressure may result from changes in heart physiology. Anecdotal reports of cardiac arrest in steroid users support such an assertion. And laboratory experiments show that testosterone cypionate damages cultured heart cells. A 1995 study in "Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology" tested the effects of testosterone enanthate on rat heart cells. Steroid application for only a few hours killed many of the cells. The mechanisms behind these effects remain unknown, but testosterone use appears toxic to heart cells.
Psychological Impact
Changes in mood often accompany steroid use. A 2000 experiment described in the "Archives of General Psychiatry" evaluated the impact of testosterone cypionate in healthy adults. Steroid injections caused feelings of mania in 16 percent of the men tested. Cypionate also increased aggression scores.
Testosterone may cause symptoms of anxiety as well. A 2010 study in "Psychoneuroendocrinology" tested a combination of steroids in female mice. Such "cocktails" are commonly used by cheating athletes to ensure positive effects and minimize negative reactions. Steroid injections, which included testosterone cypionate, increased the startle response to acoustic noise. Such a reaction indicates feelings of anxiety. Steroid treatment did not, however, increase symptoms of fear. These results suggest that steroid injections can negatively affect mental health.
References
- "European Radiology": Gluteal Mass in a Bodybuilder: Radiological Depiction of a Complication of Anabolic Steroid Use
- "Journal of Science and Medicine in Sports"; Muscular Strength, Body Composition and Health Responses to the Use of Testosterone Enanthate: A Double Blind Study; A. Giorgi, et al.; December 1999
- "Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology"; Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid-Induced Toxicity in Primary Neonatal Rat Myocardial Cell Cultures; A. A. Welder et al.; August 1995
- "Archives of General Psychiatry"; Effects of Supraphysiologic Doses of Testosterone on Mood and Aggression in Normal Men: A Randomized Controlled Trial; H. G. Pope, Jr. et al.; February 2000
- "Psychoneuroendocrinology"; Chronic Anabolic Androgenic Steroid Exposure Alters Corticotropin Releasing Factor Expression and Anxiety-Like Behaviors in the Female Mouse; B. A. Costine et al.; May 25, 2010
