According to 2 studies looking at the effects of anabolic steroids in people who have previously used them, anabolic steroids can not only lead to serious side effects when used, including depression and heart failure. but can continue to cause harm for many years after quitting. .
Anabolic steroids are synthetic hormones that mimic testosterone, the natural sex hormone, and are used to increase athletic performance and increase muscle mass.
Anabolic steroids are used as performance enhancing drugs and have harmful side effects in men such as erectile dysfunction, decreased testosterone levels, hair loss and breast growth, and increased risk of stroke and heart disease. and kidney or liver failure. However, not much is known about effects after discontinuation of use.
In one study, 64 healthy men participating in recreational strength training were evaluated. The men were 18 to 50 years old, and 28 of them were using anabolic steroids, 22 had previously used steroids, and 14 had never used steroids.
The researchers assessed blood flow to the heart muscle during exercise and rest, using PET-CT scans with Rubidium-82, a radioactive tracer, and observed that both current users and previous users all had weak heart blood flow.
The results showed that people who had previously used steroids were more likely to develop heart disease than those who had never used them.
Previous studies have demonstrated that heart function more or less returns to normal after stopping anabolic steroid use, but research indicates that men who have previously used anabolic steroids have an increased risk of developing the disease. heart rate is higher many years after discontinuation because blood flows through the smallest vessels of the circulatory system. called the cardiac microcirculation seems to be in constant decline. Previous anabolic steroid use may be another risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
In another study, questionnaires and blood samples to measure testosterone levels were obtained from 3 groups of men between the ages of 18 and 50: 89 men were currently using anabolic steroids, 61 men had previously used anabolic steroids. steroid users and 30 had never used them. of steroids.
They found that men who had previously used anabolic steroids reported poorer quality of physical and mental health, including emotional well-being, social functioning, and fatigue, despite quitting. cigarettes many years ago. The same group also experienced a drop in testosterone levels compared to men who had never used steroids.
Previous studies have demonstrated that men experience withdrawal symptoms soon after they stop using steroids, including depression and low motivation, and decreased testosterone levels.
These two studies revealed that impaired quality of life in men who had previously used anabolic steroids appeared to persist many years after quitting and could be due to both withdrawal symptoms or/ and hypogonadism due to a sudden drop in the amount of testosterone in the blood. . Unfortunately, the reported poorer quality of life may be the reason why men who have previously used these steroids have started using them again.
Both studies only included some anabolic steroid users, ex-users, and non-users. Early results revealed that men who had previously used anabolic steroids were more likely to develop heart disease but these results need to be confirmed by larger studies.
Side effects of steroids in men who have used them before seem to continue much longer than thought.
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