Steroids -- Cause and Effect

Steroids -- Cause and Effect

The cause in terms of why people -- especially those involved in athletic competition -- would take a drug as dangerous as anabolic steroids is easy to understand: athletes want an edge, they want to have a body that is more powerful and can propel them to victory, winning, and personal pride. The effects of anabolic steroids in the short-term can seem positive for the user; however, in the long run the effects of anabolic steroids are highly negative, and this paper brings to light the reasons why steroids are dangerous and can lead to serious physical and mental problems for the individual.

What are steroids? What are the different types of steroids?

First it should be established that not all steroids have negative impacts on people. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) point out that when treating "Diamond Blackfan anemia (DBA)," medical doctors use "corticosteroids" to create more red blood cells. DBA is a medical problem that occurs when the body's hemoglobin -- which produces red blood cells (red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body) -- is not producing a sufficient number of red blood cells. Treating the DBA patient with corticosteroids usually helps create more red blood cells within two to three weeks, the CDC explains. There are side effects associated with the use of corticosteroids, the CDC points out, and those include high blood pressure, upset stomach, sleeping problems, irritability, "…increased fat on the face…upper back and belly" and an increased risk of pneumonia, "thrush (white coating in the mouth) and other infections" (CDC).

When it comes to anabolic steroids, there are also side effects, but they are far more intense and serious than corticosteroids. What are anabolic steroids? The National Institute on Drug Abuse describes anabolic steroids as "…synthetic substances similar to the male sex hormone testosterone" (NIDA). They can be taken orally or injected into the body and are referred to as "juice," or "gym candy," "pumpers" and "stackers" (NIDA). There was a study conducted in 2010 by the NIDA that showed: a) less than half of one percent of 8th graders have used anabolic steroids; b) 1% of 10th graders have used anabolic steroids; c) and 1.5% of high school seniors have used / abused anabolic steroids (NIDA).

Anabolic steroids are actually mimicking the male sex hormones that are called androgens, according to psychology professor Lindsay Sutton with Vanderbilt University. Anabolic steroids are synthetically produced to act as testosterone, the male hormone that is also present in women (to a lesser degree of course), according to Sutton, who explains that the original purpose for the development of anabolic steroids was not to help athletes cheat but to treat symptoms such as "hypogonadism," when testes are not producing enough testosterone "…for normal growth, development and sexual functioning…[and also for] impotency, HIV and other infectious diseases" (Sutton, 2012, p. 3).

Through laboratory experimentation scientists learned that anabolic steroids "…facilitate the growth of skeletal muscles," which is why body builders and other athletes use these drugs. Sports activists and college and professional athletes can "…work out harder and more frequently since their muscles are recovering faster and developing more rapidly" (Sutton, 3). Sutton asserts that men are not the only users of anabolic steroids. Sutton says women (in increasing numbers) view the "benefits" of these drugs as greater than the potential harm they can bring.

What causes women to risk their health? Clearly the hoped-for effect is to improve their performances. Sutton explains that a woman on anabolic steroids will have less body fat and her body muscle mass will offer her more strength. "She may also develop euphoria and a heightened self-esteem… and have much more energy" (Sutton, 4). Moreover, women on steroids may experience "…heightened sexual arousal" and athletically inclined men are apt to be more attracted to her. She will have negative effects too, such as being irritable, experiencing dramatic mood swings, and she may even go into a "roid rage" -- or become depressed -- when she sees a woman that looks better than she does (Sutton, 5).

It should also be explained that women on anabolic steroids may begin to develop a body that is more like a man's body (after all, anabolic steroids increase testosterone production). Her breasts may decrease in size, her jaw line can begin to become more square, and unlike what happens with men, when women stop using anabolic steroids, their bodies don't go back to what they were; in fact "…sometimes the effects can last for life" (Specificity, 2012).

What are the effects from the continuing use of anabolic steroids?

The Medline Plus component of the National Institutes of Health explains that there are several negative effects associated with use / abuse of anabolic steroids. They are: acne and cysts; breast growth and shrinking of testicles in men; voice deepening and growth of body hair in women; possible heart attacks; disease of the liver (which may include cancer); and aggressive behaviors (Medline Plus).