Is taking steroid tablets bad for you

The 411 on Steroids' 911

Table of Contents Show

What Are Steroids?
Why Do Doctors Prescribe Steroids?
Are Steroids Illegal?
Types of steroid tablets
Uses of steroid tablets
Get emergency help
Check if you can take steroid tablets
Tell your GP about risks of infections
Food and alcohol
How and when to take steroid tablets
If you miss a dose
If you take too much
Coming off treatment
Side effects of steroid tablets
Interactions with other medicines
Finding your patient information leaflet online

March 16, 2005 - If it makes athletes muscular and powerful, can steroids really be all that bad for you?

In your heart of hearts, you know steroid abuse can't be good. And your heart is telling you the truth. Even when used to treat medical conditions, anabolic steroids have all kinds of common side effects.

What, exactly, is so bad about steroids? WebMD is here with the FAQ.

What Are Steroids?

Don't confuse anabolic steroids with corticosteroids, warns physiatrist Kenneth Mautner, MD, of Emory University. Anabolic steroids are used to build up muscle. Corticosteroids are used to dampen overactive immune responses and reduce swelling.

The anabolic steroids abused by athletes are synthetic versions of testosterone, a male hormone. Both men and women naturally produce testosterone. But like all hormones -- which regulate the body's most basic functions -- throwing one's testosterone out of balance can have wide-ranging consequences.

Why Do Doctors Prescribe Steroids?

Doctors prescribe anabolic steroids to treat certain specific medical conditions. For example, they may be used to treat the muscle wasting seen in AIDS. Steroids may also be used to treat delayed puberty or loss of testicular function.

Mautner notes that doctors are not allowed to prescribe steroids to enhance a person's athletic performance.

Are Steroids Illegal?

Yes. Without a doctor's prescription for a medical condition, it's against the law to possess, sell, or distribute anabolic steroids.

Legal prosecution can be a serious side effect of illicit steroid use. Under federal law, first-time simple possession of anabolic steroids carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $1,000 fine. For first-offense trafficking in steroids, the maximum penalty is five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Second offenses double this penalty. In addition to federal penalties, state laws also prohibit illegal anabolic steroid use.

Anabolic steroids are powerful hormones. They affect the entire body. Some of the side effects are common to all users. Other side effects are specifically related to your sex and age.

Men who take anabolic steroids may:

Develop breasts
Get painful erections
Have their testicles shrink
Have decreased sperm count
Become infertile
Become impotent

Women who take anabolic steroids may:

Grow excessive face and body hair
Have their voices deepen
Experience menstrual irregularities
Have an enlarged clitoris
Have reduced breast size
Have a masculinized female fetus

Both men and women who take anabolic steroids may:

Get acne
Have an oily scalp and skin
Get yellowing of the skin (jaundice)
Become bald
Have tendon rupture
Have heart attacks
Have an enlarged heart
Develop significant risk of liver disease and liver cancer
Have high levels of "bad" cholesterol
Have mood swings
Fly into rages
Suffer delusions

Teens who take anabolic steroids may:

Have short height due to arrested bone growth
Girls may suffer long-term masculinization

Since steroids are often taken by injections, there is also the risk of getting HIV or hepatitis infection from an unsterile needle or syringe.

"There are a lot of side effects of steroids," Mautner tells WebMD. "They are not good for you. It is like Russian roulette. Five people may take them and have no long-term problem. The sixth may end up dead."

Steroid tablets (also called corticosteroid tablets) are a type of anti-inflammatory medicine.

Steroid tablets are different from anabolic steroids.

Anabolic steroids are sometimes prescribed by healthcare professionals. They can also be misused by people to increase muscle mass and improve athletic performance.

Read the patient information leaflet that came with the steroids you were prescribed. It will have specific advice about your medication.

Types of steroid tablets

Steroid tablets are only available on prescription.

Dissolvable, liquid and syrup versions are also available.

Examples include:

prednisolone
betamethasone
dexamethasone

Uses of steroid tablets

Steroid tablets are used treat problems such as:

allergies
asthma
eczema
inflammatory bowel disease
arthritis

Get emergency help

Check if you can take steroid tablets

Most people can take steroid tablets.

Tell your GP about risks of infections

You are more likely to get infections when you're taking steroid medication.

Tell your GP if you're exposed to infectious illnesses like chickenpox or shingles.

Steroids makes you more likely to catch infections such as:

flu
the common cold
chest infection

Tuberculosis (TB) may also recur.

Keep away from people with an infectious disease, especially chickenpox or shingles. If you have never had these illnesses, they could make you very ill.

Food and alcohol

You can usually drink alcohol while taking steroid tablets. Don't drink too much as this may irritate your stomach.

You can eat most foods while taking steroid tablets. Do not eat liquorice while taking prednisolone. This can increase the amount of the medicine in your body.

How and when to take steroid tablets

Your GP, pharmacist or nurse will explain how much to take and how often.

It's best to take steroid tablets in the morning with breakfast.

This is to try and lower the risk of the medication disturbing your sleep. Taking it with a meal can also prevent stomach irritation.

If you miss a dose

Take your missed dose as soon as you remember, unless it's nearly time for the next one. In this case, skip the missed dose and take your next one as normal.

Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten one.

If you often forget doses, it may help to set a reminder alarm.

If you take too much

Talk to your GP or a pharmacist if you're worried you've taken too many tablets.

Taking too many steroid tablets over a long period can make you more likely to get side effects and may affect your hormones. In children, this may affect growth and development.

Coming off treatment

Do not stop taking your medicine without talking to your GP first.

If you've been taking steroid tablets for more than a few days, you will need to reduce your dose gradually. Your GP will tell you how to do this.

This can help avoid unpleasant withdrawal symptoms such as:

severe tiredness
joint pain
vomiting
dizziness
losing your appetite
mood changes
difficulty sleeping

Side effects of steroid tablets

Other possible side effects include:

indigestion or heartburn
increased appetite, which could lead to weight gain
difficulty sleeping
feeling irritable or anxious
an increased risk of infections – especially chickenpox, shingles and measles
high blood sugar or diabetes
weakening of the bones (osteoporosis)
high blood pressure
Cushing's syndrome – symptoms such as thin skin that bruises easily
eye conditions, such as glaucoma and cataracts
mental health problems, such as depression or suicidal thoughts

Tell your GP if any side effects bother you.

Information:

See the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine for a full list of side effects.

You can report any suspected side effects to the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA).

Interactions with other medicines

Some medicines can interfere with the way steroid tablets work.

Tell a GP or pharmacist if you take any other medicines, herbal remedies or supplements.

If you're already taking steroid tablets ask a GP or pharmacist for advice before taking any other medicines.

Finding your patient information leaflet online

Your patient information leaflet (PIL) is the leaflet that comes in the package of your medicine.

Information:

To find your PIL online, visit the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) website

In the ‘Find a medicine’ search box, enter the brand name of your medicine. A list of matching medicines appears.
To the right of your medicine, select ‘PIL’. A PDF of the PIL opens in a new window.

You can also:

Select the brand name of your medicine.
Scroll down to the Documents section.
From the Package Leaflet line, select PDF version. A PDF of the PIL opens in a new window.

If your PIL is not on the HPRA website, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) website opens in a new window when you select ‘PIL’.

You can find your PIL on the EMA website.

This content was fact checked by a pharmacist, a GP, the National Medication Safety Programme (Safermeds) and the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA).