If you’re looking to get pumped up quickly, it’s tempting to turn to performance enhancing drugs such as steroids. Popular amongst pro athletes and bodybuilders, the steroid industry is currently booming. However, there are many side effects that come from taking these strength enhancing drugs and some of them might just surprise you. Here you’ll discover some of the side effects that you could end up experiencing.
Man boobs
You may want to develop glorious pectoral muscles, but man boobs likely isn’t what you have in mind. In men, the body converts some testosterone into the female hormone estrogen. So when you take excessive levels of testosterone, in an attempt to balance out the hormones, more estrogen is also created. This in turn can cause the breasts to grow and you’ll end up with epic man boobs.
Baldness
If you like the look of your thick, healthy hair, you could end up devastated after using steroids. It is possible the steroids will cause a negative reaction to the hair follicles. If you are already sensitive to testosterone and male pattern baldness, the hormonal imbalance caused by taking steroids could speed up hair thinning and baldness.
A large reason why steroids lead to hair loss is because they increase the levels of DHT. It’s worth noting that not all steroids cause this side effect, but it’s better to be safe rather than sorry.
You’ll become more aggressive
This is potentially the most commonly reported side effect of steroid use. If you take it long term, you could develop what has been dubbed “roid rage”. It causes extreme aggressive and violent behaviour, causing excessive paranoia and mood swings. This can lead to both suicide and homicide, with many high-profile cases reported over the years; some you will likely have seen in the news.
Causing the testicles to shrink
Another embarrassing yet common side effect of steroids is testicular shrinkage. The longer you use them for and the higher the dose, the more shrinkage will occur. This also leads to problems with infertility and erectile dysfunction, even after you’ve stopped using them.
Overall steroids can cause a long list of potential side effects. If you want to keep your hair and the size of your testicles, it’s highly recommended you steer clear of this performance enhancing drug. While they may give you fast results, the side effects simply aren’t worth the risk.
