7 ways anabolic steroids affect your health

Occasionally, some people develop type 2 diabetes as one of the side-effects of steroids. This is more likely following longer-term usage of steroids (longer than 3 months). If you do not have diabetes, a rise in your blood sugar level is called steroid-induced diabetes. If you are at risk of bone thinning, your doctor may prescribe drugs called bisphosphonates to protect your bones. They will also usually give you advice about taking vitamin D supplements and your diet.

• You might have other symptoms depending on where the infection is.
• They will also usually give you advice about taking vitamin D supplements and your diet.
• You can read more about hypertension (high blood pressure) on the NHS website.
• There’s some evidence that steroid inhalers used by people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can increase the risk of chest infections like pneumonia.
• Steroids are unlike most commonly abused drugs because most users aren’t looking for a high, they’re taking the drug to enhance their physical appearance.

Users can experience mood changes, irritability and aggression (‘roid rage’). Coming off steroids can lead to depression and for some men possibly thoughts of suicide. There can also be psychological effects, including mood swings, paranoia, and aggressive or manic behaviour. What’s talked about less is that many men feel the same pressures when it comes to body image. Amongst men, there can be a particular focus on muscle definition, and especially a type that can be hard to achieve through diet and exercise alone. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a group of commonly used painkillers.

Symptoms

That’s why regular health screening and blood testing is so important. If you’re taking steroid tablets you might need to avoid live vaccines, such as yellow fever. Your doctor may advise you to take drugs called bisphosphonates, or calcium and vitamin D supplements, along with the steroids to help prevent this. Regular exercise, especially things that involve your bones carrying the weight of your body, such as walking, can also help to reduce the risk of getting osteoporosis.

• You might also be interested in our information about communicating with the people around you, which includes tips to help you let others know how you’re feeling.
• It’s very important to keep taking your steroid medication until your doctor says it is safe to stop.
• You may also have heard of anabolic steroids, which are sometimes used without medical advice to increase muscle mass.
• Usually inflammation is the body’s natural reaction to infection or bacteria.

As steroids can affect your mood it is advisable to avoid other drugs that change your mental state. Anabolic steroids are known to make users feel aggressive, paranoid and this can result in violence. They also can experience mood swings, as well as trouble sleeping. So, it’s not unheard of for anabolic steroid users to snap at or be aggressive with family, friends or colleagues. If you’ve been prescribed anabolic steroids, there is the potential for these kinds of side effects.

Anabolic steroids

If you are looking for more information about taking steroids when you have diabetes, read our guidance on managing your diabetes when you’re unwell. You may have heard of the term steroid-induced hyperglycaemia before. This is different to steroid-induced diabetes because it affects people who already have diabetes.

• The frequency and dose will need to be cut down gradually, so that it encourages your own body’s production of steroids to re-start.
• In general, you shouldn’t have live vaccines while you are on steroid medication and for 6 months afterwards.
• During the day, when people are active, there are more glucocorticoids produced naturally.
• If you notice any changes in your mood or behaviour, tell your doctor or nurse.
• Always tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist about any side effects you have.
• Avoid contact with people who have chicken pox or shingles, even if you have had these infections in the past – they could be serious if you have lymphoma and are on steroids.

Steroids affect your child’s immune system, so they shouldn’t have any ‘live’ vaccines if they’re receiving a high dose of injected or oral steroids. But it’s important they’re up to date with other vaccines beforehand to avoid catching one of the diseases that vaccination prevents. However, not all steroids are created equal, and they don’t affect everyone equally.

Signs and symptoms of steroid-induced diabetes

Taking steroid medicines over time can cause your body to become dependent on those medicines, which can lead to you being unable to stop taking steroids without having a flare. If this happens, your IBD team will speak to you about starting another medicine, such as azathioprine, to help you stop steroid treatment completely. Interactions can change the way either medicine works, or cause unwanted side effects.

If you do come into contact with someone who has them, tell your healthcare team straight away. Take your steroids exactly as your health professional has told you. The decision will depend on how long you’ve taken them for, what dose you’re on, and where on your Maximize Your Gains with SP Gonadotropin 5000 IU in England body you’re having surgery. Steroids taken for a long time can also cause your muscles to become weaker, and they might occasionally affect periods in women. Steroids are taken in different ways, and the dosage may vary depending on the condition you have.

Steroid safety cards

A group of steroids called mineralocorticoids (including fludrocortisone and hydrocortisone) are sometimes used to treat adrenal crisis. Steroids are chemical messengers (hormones) that are made naturally in your body. The type of steroids most commonly used in the treatment of lymphoma are corticosteroids. For some conditions, low-dose steroids may be needed for many months or years. One might expect that glucocorticoids would also reduce inflammation in the heart and blood vessels. Most glucocorticoid prescriptions (96%) were for prednisolone.

Muscle wasting

But if you’re taking high doses for a long time, you may be at risk of some of the same side effects as steroid tablets. Reducing the inflammation and swelling in your airways using steroids means you’re less likely to get asthma attacks. Steroids are also useful for people with COPD who get regular flare-ups. For COPD, steroid inhalers are most useful for people whose condition has asthma-like features, like a history of allergies, or when you have both COPD and asthma together.

The two markers of liver stress most commonly elevated in users of anabolic steroids are the enzymes ALT and AST. These enzymes are necessary for amino acid metabolism in the liver and will leak into the bloodstream as the liver becomes inflamed or damaged. ALP and GGT are also important markers of liver health during steroid use, and elevated levels can indicate liver toxicity. For anyone using anabolic steroids, there’s an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, fluid retention, blood clots, and problems with the liver and kidneys.