7 ways anabolic steroids affect your health

I know that that sounds counter-intuitive but it seems to help the vast majority of patients with little adverse effect. The information on this page may be helpful if you take, or are about to start taking, a steroid medication that has been prescribed by a healthcare professional. For most people, the benefits of taking steroids will outweigh any harmful effect on their bones.

• You may be prescribed other medicines to protect the lining of your stomach (this is often omeprazole or ranitidine).
• Any they do encounter are temporary and will stop when the course is complete.
• If you feel feverish or unwell, or develop any new symptoms after starting steroids, it’s important to tell your doctor or rheumatology nurse.
• Although steroids are very useful, and are commonly used for many different conditions, they are strong and can have side effects, especially if they are used incorrectly.

A steroid treatment card reminds you that you should not stop taking steroids suddenly, and what to do if you become unwell. It also tells health professionals the details of the steroids prescribed to you. Other types of steroids are sex steroids (oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone) and anabolic steroids.

Uses for steroids

You may be prescribed other medicines to protect the lining of your stomach (this is often omeprazole or ranitidine). Methylprednisolone can also cause difficulties with sleeping so taking the pills in the morning will help to minimise this. The side effects where to buy steroids in uk of methylprednisolone are usually mild and will go away quickly when you finish the treatment course. The most common side effects include a metallic taste, indigestion, difficulty sleeping, mood swings or altered mood and flushing of the face.

If you are at risk of bone thinning, your doctor may prescribe drugs called bisphosphonates to protect your bones. They will also usually give you advice about taking vitamin D supplements and your diet. Sometimes, when taken in higher doses, steroids can cause confusion or changes in thinking.

This leaflet aims to answer commonly asked questions about steroids and explains how steroids are used to help people living with a brain tumour. There’s no evidence to suggest that these methods will lessen the harmful side effects of taking anabolic steroids. Anabolic steroids an be addictive because they  can initially make you feel great about yourself and your body.

Stopping your medication

There’s generally no reason why someone shouldn’t be able to use a steroid inhaler or steroid spray. However, these should be used with caution in people with ongoing infections, like tuberculosis (TB). If you’re having an operation, you might need to stop your steroids.

Support.

Glucocorticoids are steroids that are commonly prescribed to treat a range of long-term inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. About 1 in 100 people take this medication to reduce inflammation and other symptoms. Sometimes we need to use other drugs to compliment the use of steroids, allowing us to reduce the steroid dose whilst still controlling the disease.

About corticosteroids

Steroids, including glucocorticoids, are a type of hormone produced naturally by our bodies. They also control our responses to physical stresses, such as infection, injury and inflammation. Your IBD team will only prescribe prednisolone when it is considered necessary, and only the smallest dose needed, for the shortest period of time.

Even low doses of steroids increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with inflammatory diseases

They will continue to prescribe all your medication, so please ensure you inform them if you need any repeat prescriptions. Dexamethasone is the name of the steroid most often prescribed to reduce this swelling. Our pharmacies are very busy at the moment, so we recommend choosing delivery at checkout. You should make every effort to remember to take your steroids when you’re required to.

Effects on other treatments

At your annual asthma review, your GP or asthma nurse can talk to you about your risk and what you can do to reduce this risk. It’s important to avoid being around anyone with chickenpox or shingles. Catching chickenpox can cause you to become really unwell if you’re taking steroids.

You should carry these with you for all the time you are on steroids and for some time after completing treatment with them – this is usually 12 months, but seek advice from your medical team. There aren’t usually any severe side effects if you take steroid injections, a steroid inhaler, or a short course of steroid tablets. However, prolonged treatment at high doses can cause problems in some people. This article refers to intralesional steroid injections for hair loss.

Anabolic steroids are known to make users feel aggressive, paranoid and this can result in violence. They also can experience mood swings, as well as trouble sleeping. So, it’s not unheard of for anabolic steroid users to snap at or be aggressive with family, friends or colleagues.