Hormone Abuse Overview

Hormones are substances produced by glands (or organs) that travel to different sites in the body to affect bodily functions. There are several types of steroid hormones.

One type of steroid produced by the adrenal glands is an anti-swelling chemical such as cortisone. Cortisone may be prescribed to treat asthma, rashes, and various kinds of swelling or inflammation.

Another kind of steroid is called an anabolic steroid. The term anabolic means building up of a bodily substance. Anabolic steroids are drugs that are related to the major male hormone testosterone. These chemicals are recognized for their effects on building up muscle.

Anabolic steroids are important tools in a doctor's black bag, but they are best used in specific situations calling for that type of hormone therapy and for a limited period of time. For example, anabolic steroids can help in rebuilding tissues that have become weakened because of serious injury or illness. They also are effective in treating certain types of anemia and breast cancer.

Steroids also are helpful in treating men who have a low level of testosterone and those with a rare genetic problem that causes episodes of swelling, called angio-edema.

While anabolic steroids serve a clearly defined role in healing, these powerful drugs are creating serious health risks, especially for our nation's youth. The abuse of steroids, in fact, is evolving into a major health problem in the United States.

Steroids attract many young people and adults, who take these drugs to enhance athletic performance and improve their body image. Even though they may take steroids with good intentions, these young people do not understand that the drugs are potentially harmful and can cause a hormone imbalance leading to considerable health problems. One of these problems includes permanent undesirable sexual changes for both men and women. Steroids should never be taken, except by prescription when under a doctor's care.

Steroid use among professional and Olympic athletes is believed to be widespread. Some athletes use steroids to build muscle mass and to speed recovery time from training and injuries. Others use them to improve their physical appearance. Athletes may continue using anabolic steroids because of a feeling of confidence and even euphoria (extreme feeling of well-being) that may result.

Unfortunately, a number of unhealthy and damaging effects may result from the use of anabolic steroids that can lead to both emotional and physical problems. Studies have shown that abuse of steroids can increase aggressive behavior, cause mood swings, and impair judgment. More recently, studies have reported an association between steroid use and later abuse of other harmful drugs. Other reported effects include male-pattern baldness, acne, and blood-filled liver cysts that can rupture, causing death. Using steroids can increase the risk of heart disease, stimulate the growth of certain cancers, and worsen other medical problems.

Steroids taken orally (by mouth) have been linked to liver disease. Steroids are taken by injection (by needle) can increase the risk of infectious diseases such as hepatitis or AIDS. In one study 25 percent of steroid users shared needles.

Equally troubling, anabolic steroids can retard growth. Young, developing bodies are particularly sensitive to steroids and some of the side effects may be permanent. In addition to stunting growth in adolescents whose bones should still be growing, steroids can trigger the growth of breasts in males. This can happen because the chemical structure of certain anabolic steroids is converted to the female hormone, estrogen by a chemical reaction that occurs in the body.

On the other hand, females may develop a deeper voice, an enlarged clitoris, and more and thicker facial hair. Women and girls also may experience the loss of scalp hair. These are potentially permanent side effects. Although long-term studies are scarce, experts believe that some harmful effects may not appear until many years after the abuse of these drugs.

Many athletes who use steroids become role models to children and teens because of the athletes' success in sports and appearance. In turn, the use of performance-enhancing substances among adult sports figures influences the behavior of some teens who begin to use steroids themselves. Although sports can build skills in cooperation and competition, and sports performance can enhance self-esteem, use of anabolic steroids harms young athletes' bodies as well as their minds.

Studies have shown that the problem of steroid abuse is increasing. In 2003, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 6.1 percent of high school students in the United State reported using anabolic steroids without a prescription. During 2005, 4% of high school students admitted using illegal anabolic steroids, with the highest level being 10.5% among high school males in Alabama and 5.1% among high school females in Nevada.

Although males are more likely to have used illegal steroids without a prescription than females, girls are also at risk. For young women, body image is a powerful persuader, often based on inappropriate entertainment and media models. In fact, a national study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Survey, in 2003, found that more than 7 percent of ninth grade girls reported using of anabolic steroids at some time in their life. During 2005, the level of use was 4.8% among ninth grade females admitting to use. These drugs can help to decrease body fat, which is their appeal. But their side effects are serious and unattractive: facial hair, acne, male-pattern baldness, masculine appearance, and deeper voice, among others. For adolescents who are still growing, use of anabolic steroids can close the growth plates of bone and stunt height.

Easy access to performance enhancing drugs, combined with the pressures of popular culture, presents a complex and serious problem. Because not enough research is done in this area, we still do not know how great the problem is throughout society and what the effects of steroid abuse ultimately will be.