Research

Hormonal

Male recreational strength trainers using anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) exhibit significantly higher rates of substance dependence disorder, anxiety disorders, and recent cocaine use compared to non-users, despite being primarily motivated by aesthetic and performance goals.

If you are a recreational lifter using steroids, be aware that your risk for anxiety, substance dependence, and cocaine use is significantly higher than non-users. Most users are not pros but regular gym-goers. Disclosing this to your doctor is crucial for managing side effects like high blood pressure or lipid issues, even if you feel safe. The motivation is usually aesthetics, not professional competition.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Compared with nonusers, the AAS users were more likely to meet criteria for substance dependence disorder (23.4% vs 11.2%, p<0.001), report a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder (10.1% vs 6.1%, p=0.010), use cocaine within the past 12 months (11.3% vs 4.7%, p<0.001)... Most (70.4%) of the AAS users were recreational exercisers who reported using an average of 11.1 performance-enhancing agents in their routine.
Eric J. Ip et al. · Pharmacotherapy The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy · 2011

Why this rating

Cross-sectional survey design limits causal inference; relies on self-reported data.

Source

The Anabolic 500 Survey: Characteristics of Male Users versus Nonusers of Anabolic‐Androgenic Steroids for Strength Training

Eric J. Ip et al. · Pharmacotherapy The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy · 2011

DOI 10.1592/phco.31.8.757

cross_sectional · n=1277Cited 188×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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