Why Steroids Are Bad for You

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http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/102/106612.htm

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Why Steroids Are Bad for You: The 411 on Steroids' 911 By  DeNoon

March 16, 2005 - If it makes athletes muscular and powerful, can steroids

really be all that bad for you?

In your heart of hearts, you know steroid abuse can't be good. And your heart

is telling you the truth. Even when used to treat medical conditions, anabolic

steroids have all kinds of common side effects.

What, exactly, is so bad about steroids? WebMD is here with the FAQ.

What Are Steroids?

Don't confuse anabolic steroids with corticosteroids, warns physiatrist

Mautner, MD, of Emory University. Anabolic steroids are used to

build up muscle. Corticosteroids are used to dampen overactive immune

responses and reduce swelling.

The anabolic steroids abused by athletes are synthetic versions of

testosterone, a male hormone. Both men and women naturally produce

testosterone. But like all hormones -- which regulate the body's most basic

functions -- throwing one's testosterone out of balance can have wide-ranging

consequences.

Why Do Doctors Prescribe Steroids?

Doctors prescribe anabolic steroids to treat certain specific medical

conditions. For example, they may be used to treat the muscle wasting seen

in AIDS. Steroids may also be used to treat delayed puberty or loss of

testicular function.

Mautner notes that doctors are not allowed to prescribe steroids to enhance a

person's athletic performance.

Are Steroids Illegal?

Yes. Without a doctor's prescription for a medical condition, it's against the

law

to possess, sell, or distribute anabolic steroids.

Legal prosecution can be a serious side effect of illicit steroid use. Under

federal law, first-time simple possession of anabolic steroids carries a

maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $1,000 fine. For first-offense

trafficking in steroids, the maximum penalty is five years in prison and a fine

of

$250,000. Second offenses double this penalty. In addition to federal

penalties, state laws also prohibit illegal anabolic steroid use.

What Are the Risks of Using Steroids?

Anabolic steroids are powerful hormones. They affect the entire body. Some

of the side effects are common to all users. Other side effects are specifically

related to your sex and age.

Men who take anabolic steroids may:

* Develop breasts

* Get painful erections

* Have their testicles shrink

* Have decreased sperm count

* Become infertile

* Become impotent

Women who take anabolic steroids may:

* Grow excessive face and body hair

* Have their voices deepen

* Experience menstrual irregularities

* Have an enlarged clitoris

* Have reduced breast size

* Have a masculinized female fetus

Both men and women who take anabolic steroids may:

* Get acne

* Have an oily scalp and skin

* Get yellowing of the skin (jaundice)

* Become bald

* Have tendon rupture

* Have heart attacks

* Have an enlarged heart

* Develop significant risk of liver disease and liver cancer

* Have high levels of " bad " cholesterol

* Have mood swings

* Fly into rages

* Suffer delusions

Teens who take anabolic steroids may:

* Have short height due to arrested bone growth

* Girls may suffer long-term masculinization

Since steroids are often taken by injections, there is also the risk of getting

HIV or hepatitis infection from an unsterile needle or syringe.

" There are a lot of side effects of steroids, " Mautner tells WebMD. " They are

not good for you. It is like Russian roulette. Five people may take them and

have no long-term problem. The sixth may end up dead. "

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SOURCES: National Institute on Drug Abuse. Drug Enforcement

Administration. Mautner, MD, assistant professor of orthopedics,

Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta.