How Steroid Can Harm Teenage Development

Meta Description: It is risky for teenagers if they use anabolic steroids pills or injections as their bodies are still developing. See how these drugs affect teenage development.

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According to a Youth Risk and Behaviour Surveillance System study (https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/teens-and-steroids-dangerous-combo) estimated among the U.S high school students, 2.4% of females and 4.9% of males have used anabolic steroids once in their lives, which means 175,000 young women and 375,000 young men.

Steroid treatment is not only used by adults to improve their physical appearance and build their muscle mass but also steroids such as testosterone injections prescribed by qualified doctors or physicians to teens suffering from delayed puberty and hypogonadism.

These are the medical reasons that teenagers are using anabolic steroids for their treatments. When teenagers take anabolic steroid pills to build their bodies or improve their strength, they invite several adhesive side effects or health risks. Using anabolic steroids to build muscle mass can lead you to serious mental and physical problems.

Teenagers are at a stage where their bodies are still developing with various hormones development like testosterone. When teenagers use anabolic steroids, it will raise testosterone levels to high levels, which may end health risks and different side effects. This article will give you some of the risks that teenagers may get by using anabolic steroids.

• What are Steroids?

Steroids are synthetic compounds that are developed to mimic the functions, properties, and effects of naturally appearing hormones such as testosterone. Testosterone is the male sex hormone that is responsible for the development of male characteristics such as facial hair, hair growth, deeper voice, etc.

Anabolic steroids were created to treat people with severe medical conditions. However, bodybuilders and athletes use anabolic steroids to increase their muscle mass and enhance their performance, energy level, stamina, and overall endurance. Anabolic steroids come in two forms: Oral anabolic steroids and Injectable anabolic steroids.

• Common Side Effects Of Steroids

When you use a heavy dosage of anabolic steroids, you may have to deal with several side effects. These side effects are common among teenagers, young or adults. The side effects of steroids in bodybuilding may be severe or mild; it depends on your age, body, gender, frequency of steroid use, and cycle duration.

The common side effects of anabolic steroids may include:

• Baldness (Hair Loss)
• Headache
• Increase Acne
• Gynecomastia
• Anxiety
• Mood Swings
• Vomiting
• Liver toxicity
• Irregularity in Menstrual cycle
• Bloating
• Decrease sperm count

 

• How Anabolic Steroids Affect In Teenage?

When teens use anabolic steroid pills to build their bodies or improve their performance, it will be risky. As per experts or our recommendation, you can take steroid treatments only if you are older than 21 years.

Here are some serious health issues that many teens may have to face if they consume anabolic steroids. Teenagers should be aware of several possible side effects, and they need to avoid them.

• Mental Development

Anabolic steroid consumption may affect your brain’s limbic system, and that is responsible for controlling mood. Teenagers who use anabolic steroids for long periods can develop ‘roid rage’, which refers to drastic mood swings including aggression and severe depression.

These behavior changes can harm yourself or others. Besides, A higher level of moodiness or aggression can lead to feelings of paranoia. You will get aggressive all the time without any reason. When you take anabolic steroids, it might also make you feel jealous of others.

Teenagers can try various therapies such as Art therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Cognitive-behavioral therapy, and Acupuncture therapy to cope with these mental issues. (I am not sure about this para, but I found this information so mentioned here; please let me know if it is not correct I can remove it)

• Sexual Health Development

Anabolic steroids can harm teenager’s sexual health and cause hormonal changes. When teen boys use steroids, they may have to face problems such as Gynecomastia (Increase men’s boobs) and smaller testicles. These drugs can also raise the risk of developing prostate cancer and lower your sperm count. When teen girls use steroids, they may have to face male-pattern baldness, facial hair, and enlarged clitoris. Some other effects in females are irregular menstrual cycle, deeper voice. Steroids can be used to halt puberty in both males and females.

• Serious Health Issue

Continuous or high dosage of steroids may affect on your heart including:

• Fertility problems
• Increase your blood pressure
• Increase a higher level of bad cholesterol
• Decrease a lower level of good cholesterol
• Increase your heart disease
• Raises the risk of developing an enlarged heart
• Mood swings

 

Anabolic steroids can also affect other internal parts of your body, such as the kidney and liver. You might develop a higher risk of liver disease or liver damage and kidney failure, or other kidney problems.

• Physical Appearance

Anabolic steroids can make your muscles look bigger, but if you don’t follow the proper recommended dosage, it can also affect your physical appearance negatively such as:

• Hair loss (Baldness)
• Increase facial hair
• Gynecomastia (Increase men boobs)
• Severe Acne
• Oily skin and Hair
• Develop reddish spots
• Weight gain

 

• Other Development Effects In Teen

As we know, steroids can help to grow your muscle mass; they can also make you suffer from injuries to your muscles and tendons. When you take oral steroids, it may cause bad breath and also raise other health problems.

If you’re steroids experienced user and you know a teen who’s using steroids for professional or medical treatment, you can help them. But teens are using steroids to build their muscle mass or improve performance; you have to stop them because these drugs can affect teens’ mental and physical health issues, which can be dangerous for their lives.

• Conclusion

As per our recommendation, if you’re older than 21 years, then only you can take steroids treatment for bodybuilding and performance enhancement purposes. Teenagers shouldn’t use unprescribed anabolic steroids. Because it is dangerous to their health since teens are still growing and maturing. In addition, you can not trust teens to maintain the discipline needed during the steroid cycle.

The above side effects of steroid treatment in teenagers are more pronounced because of their body weight and their age. Teens on anabolic steroids need to be admitted into a rehabilitation clinic for substance use in order to help them recover both mentally and physically from the extended period of steroids.