Their Use and the Risks

Anabolic steroids, synthetic derivatives of the male hormone testosterone, stimulate a buildup of muscle mass, tissue and protein in the body. The hormones are both androgenic, masculinizing agents, and anabolic, muscle-building agents.

The drugs are legally given to cancer patients, burn victims and geriatric patients suffering from brittle bones.

They also are being taken by football players, basketball players, shotputters, swimmers or people just hoping to sculpt Adonis-like physiques. Athletes who use them say steroids help them train longer and recuperate more quickly while building muscle mass.

Serious, long-term side effects from steroid use include heart disease, liver and prostrate tumors, kidney disorder and stunting of growth, according to the Physicians’ Desk Reference, a doctor’s guide to pharmacology. More immediate effects, doctors say, are severe acne, virilization, gynecomastia (the enlargement of breast tissue in a male), alteration of the reproductive system such as testicular atrophy, nausea, insomnia and an increase in aggression, sometimes resulting in hostility.

One of doctors’ biggest concerns with steroid use is the interference with the natural hormonal production process. Dr. Joe Sanders, president of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, said the potential for growth retardation is unique to youths taking the drug.

The body stops producing testosterone and other hormones because it knows it already has enough from the drugs, doctors said. After prolonged use, the shutdown may become permanent.

“You repress the natural glands so they start to malfunction,” said Sanders, from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. “If you take huge doses, the glands may not click back in once you stop.”

Steroids are not outlawed by the National Federation of State High School Athletic Assns., said Charles Stebbins of the NFSHSA. The California Interscholastic Federation also does not ban their use, said Commissioner Thomas E. Byrnes.