Steroids are group of compounds related to testosterone production. They assist in the growth of bone and muscle mass and are used as a strengthening aid. While these drugs can be a great help to patients who need it, such as those with arthritis, there are some people who choose to use steroids in an attempt to increase muscle mass. But steroids can have very serious side effects.
Short-Term Effects
Steroids can cause some serious issues very quickly when they are being used in unregulated amounts. One of the most immediate side affects is severe acne. Steroid use increases the size of sebaceous glands in the skin, which causes an increase in oil production. The extra oil causes more bacteria to get trapped, causing more pimples.
Steroids can also quickly affect male physiology by shrinking the testicles and by causing the onset of gynecomastia, or breasts. The drug will cause your blood pressure and cholesterol levels to spike because of increased production of red blood cells and low-density lipoproteins (the "bad" cholesterol). Steroid use can also affect the liver with the onset of tumors or peliosis hepatis, which are blood-filled cysts. Both of these can break and cause internal bleeding. Finally, steroid use has been linked to early prostate enlargement (the prostate naturally grows as men age, but the introduction of steroids can increase the growth), which can lead to cancer.
Long-Term Effects
Using steroids for a long period of time will cause the basic side effects to worsen. If you use steroids for a long enough period of time, you run the risk of complete liver failure; blood-filled cysts will begin to completely destroy the healthy liver tissue. Although they can disappear after a period of time, they can also be a cause of liver cancer.
With an increased blood pressure can come major cardiovascular problems, including heart attack and stroke. This is because the heart needs to pump more blood to the new muscle tissue but the increase in cholesterol makes it difficult to do so. There may be a long-term increase in fat as the added muscle mass breaks down. Steroids can also cause ligament and joint injury because the increase in muscle mass can put a strain on the rest of the body's support system.
Steroid Use in Women
While women will usually experience many of the same side effects of the drug (e.g. cardiovascular issues, high plod pressure, increased aggression), there are additional side effects that affect only women. Women who take steroids may find that they begin to take on male characteristics, such as the production of body hair and a deeper voice. If used during adolescence, it can stunt female growth. Finally, female steroid use can cause irregular periods and may slow the growth of a female fetus.
