Hazards of performance-enhancing drugs

Steroids and their precursors can have severe, long-lasting health effects. In growing adolescents one of the major risks of using anabolic steroid precursors is the permanent stunting of height. Other side effects include:

• Blood-clotting problems
• High blood pressure and cholesterol
• Irregular heartbeats
• Liver problems
• Mood swings
• Reduced sperm production
• Shrinking testicles
• Higher risk of infections such as HIV/AIDS if sharing needles
• Enlarged breasts in males, decreased breast size in women
• Irreversible hair loss
• Acne

Creatine can also cause nausea, abdominal pain and kidney damage. The risk of kidney damage is higher when combined with certain medications, including over-the-counter pain-relieving drugs.

Possible red flags that your teen is using performance-enhancing drug include:

• Behavioral, emotional or psychological changes — particularly increased aggressiveness ("roid rage")
• Changes in body build, including muscle growth, rapid weight gain and development of the upper body
• Increased acne
• Needle marks in the buttocks or thighs
• Enlarged breasts, male-pattern baldness and shrinking of the testicles in boys
• Smaller breasts, voice deepening and excessive growth of body hair in girls