Side Effects Of Bodybuilding Steroids

Steroid use is rampant among bodybuilders, both professional and amateur. Steroids influence chemical processes in the body to significantly increase the rate of muscle growth and potential muscularity. Unfortunately, steroids can have a number of negative side effects, especially when used recklessly or in large quantities.

Sex-specific Side Effects

Because of their androgenic properties, steroids have a variety of negative side effects specific to either gender. For men, the increased levels of estrogen elicited by steroid use can lead to gynecomastia, wherein a man develops excess breast tissue in the nipple region. This same process can also lead to decreases in sexual function and permanent infertility. Since steroids eliminate the need for internal testosterone production, abuse may further lead to atrophy of the testicles. For women, side effects can include increases in body hair, deepening of the voice, increases in the size of sex organs, as well as development of other masculine characteristics.

Cardiovascular Side Effects

Anabolic steroids may have variety of negative effects on the cardiovascular system. These include elevated blood pressure, decrease in good cholesterol--which promotes healthy heart functioning--increase in bad cholesterol--which promotes both chronic and acute heart problems--and elevated risk of heart disease, especially among those who are genetically predisposed toward these conditions. One particularly harmful side effect is the enlargement and thickening of the left ventricle, which can lead to cardiac arrhythmias, congestive heart failure and even death.

Psychiatric Side Effects

A 2005 review of the literature regarding anabolic steroids published in the journal CNS Drugs found that "significant psychiatric symptoms including aggression and violence, mania and less frequently psychosis and suicide have been associated with steroid abuse." There is an ongoing debate regarding whether or not these anecdotal psychiatric effects in steroid users can be causally attributed to the drugs. A long-term study published in the journal of European Psychiatry concluded that the occurrence of psychiatric side effects is largely determined by the severity of the abuse in question. While mild and short-term steroid use produced few clinically significant changes, long-term and high dosage use was correlated to a statistically significant increase in a variety of mood disorders.

Growth-related Side Effects

Steroids can have particularly problematic side effects for adolescents, due to their lack of physical maturity. Through their effects on natural estrogen levels, steroids can lead to premature fusion of the growth plates, stunting vertical growth and other aspects of skeletal development. Premature sexual maturation and premature sexual behavior are also common.