The inside information on appearance
and performance enhancing drugs.

Signs of Steroid Abuse

The negative effects anabolic steroids can have on the human body can be devastating. They range from a minor case of oily skin, to major long-term health complications, and potentially death. Fortunately, steroids have a variety of side effects, or changes experienced by the mind and body of a user. These changes basically fit into three categories:

1. Internal changes such as high blood pressure or out of range liver values;
2. More private or personal changes like testicular atrophy (significant shrinking of the testicles); and
3. Noticeably external changes like severe acne or increased aggression.

Should you suspect your child, students, or friends of using anabolic steroids, you can look for a variety of short-term side effects that appear as symptoms. These include visible changes in appearance, mood and behavior.

Physical changes are typically the most pronounced short-term symptoms as they are not easily concealed by the novice user and include:

• Unusually fast muscle growth
• Unusually greasy hair or oily skin (often with stretch marks on the inner joints)
• Small red or purplish acne, including breakouts on the shoulders and back
• Gynocomastia, the abnormally excessive development of the breast tissue in males
• Bad breath
• Thinning hair throughout the head or receding hairline (male pattern baldness)
• Increased length and thickness in hair (on body parts other than the head)
• Hair loss in bed, shower, comb or brush
• Jaundice or yellowing of the skin
• Skin eruptions and infections, such as abscesses and cysts
• Drastic appetite shifts (extreme hunger or lessened/loss of appetite)
• Joint pain; greater chance of injuring muscles and tendons
• Disrupted sleep patterns (not sleeping well or sleeping too much)
• Fluid level changes, bloating (face & body), and night sweating
• Dizziness, trembling, nausea or vomiting
• Rapid or progressive weight gain
• Increased muscle size (sudden or progressive)
• Hyperactivity or lethargy (too little energy)
• Trouble urinating; discoloration or blood in urine 

Personality and Psychiatric changes often happen suddenly and without visible triggers or reasons. They include:

• Extreme mood swings
• Increased aggression or irritability
• Becomes disrespectful or abusive (verbally and/or physically)
• Poor decision making stemming from feelings of invincibility
• Becomes secretive and/or starts lying
• Withdraws from family members
• Depression (usually when steroids are discontinued)
• Hallucinations - seeing or hearing things that aren't there
• Paranoia - extreme feelings of mistrust or fear

• Sudden urge to work out at the gym
• Always has a towel covering the back when leaving the shower (to hide acne)
• Closes and/or locks bedroom door more often
• Changes in family, friends and personal relationships
• Very irritable
• Takes longer showers or baths (this time is often used for injecting)
• Phone conversations become more private
• Begins receiving more packages in the mail
• Asks for money more often, or has more money than usual
• Is stealing or losing belongings
• Begins taking naps and/or falls asleep in class
• Loss of focus or concentration (at work, school or home)
• Decline in grades
• Forgets plans, dates and activities
• Sneaking around on the Internet wanting no one to see them