How long can you take oral anabolic steroids?

1998 Jul;114(1):19-28. doi: 10.1378/chest. 114.1. 19.

What are the oral anabolic steroids?

What are oral anabolic steroids, and how do they work? Anabolic steroids are orally-ingested, synthetic (man-made) drugs that act like testosterone. They cause growth and development of male sexual organs, secondary sex characteristics, and increases in muscle size and strength.

How often can you take oral anabolic steroids?

For oral dosage form (tablets): For treatment in rebuilding tissue after a serious illness or injury: Adults and teenagers—2.5 milligrams (mg) two to four times a day for up to four weeks. Your doctor may increase your dose up to 20 mg a day.

Can anabolic steroids make it hard to breathe?

Side effects Bronchospasm: While steroids should help a person breathe more easily, it is possible a person could have the opposite reaction and experience a bronchospasm. This is when the airways contract and narrow, making it harder to breathe.

What are anabolic steroids used to treat?

What are anabolic steroids? Anabolic steroids are synthetic substances similar to the male hormone testosterone. Doctors prescribe them to treat problems such as delayed puberty and other medical problems that cause the body to make very low amounts of testosterone. Steroids make muscles bigger and bones stronger.

What are the side effects of oral anabolic steroids?

Non-athletes and non-competitive body builders also abuse anabolic steroids for cosmetic reasons. What are the side effects of oral anabolic steroids? Anabolic steroids have many side effects because testosterone, which they mimic, has many effects in the body. The long list if side effects include: Liver disease and liver cancer also can occur.

What are the long-term effects of steroid misuse?

Continued steroid misuse can act on some of the same brain pathways and chemicals that are affected by other drugs, including dopamine, serotonin, and opioid systems. Anabolic steroid misuse might lead to serious long-term, even permanent, health problems.

What are the side effects of steroids on the liver?

Side Effects. Tumors of the liver, liver cancer, or peliosis hepatis, a form of liver disease, have occurred during long-term, high-dose therapy with anabolic steroids. Although these effects are rare, they can be very serious and may cause death.

What are the negative effects of anabolic steroids on mental health?

Misuse of anabolic steroids might lead to negative mental effects, such as: paranoid (extreme, unreasonable) jealousy extreme irritability and aggression (“roid rage”) delusions—false beliefs or ideas impaired judgment mania