Anabolic Steroids Flashcards
(23 cards)
What are anabolic steroids?
Anabolic steroids are synthetic, or human-made, variations of the male sex hormone
testosterone. The proper term for these compounds is anabolic-androgenic steroids. “Anabolic”
refers to muscle building, and “androgenic” refers to increased male sex characteristics.
What are some common names for anabolic steroids?
Some common names for anabolic steroids are Gear, Juice, Roids, and Stackers.
Why do some health care prescribe steroids?
Health care providers can prescribe steroids to
treat hormonal issues, such as delayed puberty.
Steroids can also treat diseases that cause muscle
loss, such as cancer and AIDS.
Why do some athletes and bodybuilders use steroids?
Some athletes and bodybuilders misuse these drugs in an attempt to boost performance or improve their physical appearance.
Who are the majority users of steroids?
The majority of people who misuse steroids are
male weightlifters in their 20s or 30s.
Which groups of people do not misuse steroids?
Teens and Women
How do people misuse anabolic steroids?
People who misuse anabolic steroids usually take them orally, inject them into muscles, or apply them
to the skin as a gel or cream. These doses may be 10 to 100 times higher than doses prescribed to treat
medical conditions.
Commons patterns for misusing steroids include:
• cycling—
There is no scientific evidence that any of these practices reduce the harmful medical consequences of these drugs.
taking multiple doses for a period of time, stopping for a time, and then restarting
How do anabolic steroids affect the brain?
Anabolic steroids work differently from other drugs
of abuse; they do not have the same short-term
effects on the brain. The most important difference
is that steroids do not directly activate the reward
system to cause a “high”; they also do not trigger
rapid increases in the brain chemical dopamine,
which reinforces most other types of drug taking
behavior.
Misuse of anabolic steroids might lead to negative
mental effects, such as: (5)
• Paranoid (extreme, unreasonable) jealousy • Extreme irritability and aggression (“roid rage”) • Delusions—false beliefs or ideas • Impaired judgment • Mania
What are other health effects of anabolic steroids?
Aside from mental effects, steroid use commonly
causes severe acne. It also causes the body to swell,
especially in the hands and feet.
What are the long term effects of steroids? (4)
Anabolic steroid misuse might lead to serious, even
permanent, health problems such as:
• kidney problems or failure
• liver damage and tumors
• enlarged heart, high blood pressure, and
changes in blood cholesterol, all of which
increase the risk of stroke and heart attack,
even in young people
• increased risk of blood clots
What are the effects on specifically men? (5)
o shrinking testicles o decreased sperm count o baldness o development of breasts o increased risk for prostate cancer
What the effects on specifically women? (6)
o growth of facial hair or excess body hair
o decreased breast size
o male-pattern baldness
o changes in or stop in the menstrual cycle
o enlarged clitoris
o deepened voice
What the effects on teens? (2)
o stunted growth (when high hormone levels from steroids signal to the body to stop bone growth too early)
o stunted height (if teens use steroids before their growth spurt)
Some of these physical changes, such as shrinking sex organs in men, can add to mental side
effects such as ____ _____.
Mood disorders
Are anabolic steroids addictive?
Even though anabolic steroids do not cause the same high as other drugs, they can lead to a
substance use disorder. A substance use disorder occurs when a person continues to misuse
steroids, even though there are serious consequences for doing so.
What is the most severe form of substance disorder?
The most severe form of a
substance use disorder is addiction. People might continue to misuse steroids despite physical
problems, high costs to buy the drugs, and negative effects on their relationships. These
behaviors reflect steroids’ addictive potential. Research has further found that some steroid
users turn to other drugs, such as opioids, to reduce sleep problems and irritability caused by
steroids.
People who misuse steroids might experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop use,
including: (6)
- fatigue
- restlessness
- loss of appetite
- sleep problems
- decreased sex drive
- steroid cravings
How can people get treatment for anabolic steroid addiction?
Some people seeking treatment for anabolic steroid addiction have found a combination of
behavioral therapy and medications to be helpful.
In certain cases of addiction, patients have taken medicines to help treat symptoms of
withdrawal. For example, health care providers have prescribed antidepressants to treat
depression and pain medicines for headaches and muscle and joint pain. Other medicines have
been used to help restore the patient’s hormonal system.
What is stacking?
combining two or more different steroids and mixing oral and/or injectable types
What is pyramiding?
slowly increasing the dose or frequency of steroid misuse, reaching a peak
amount, and then gradually tapering off to zero
What is plateauing?
alternating, overlapping, or substituting with another steroid to avoid developing a tolerance
