Health Risks of Steroids

Health Risks of Steroids

Dr. Purushothaman
May 28, 2017

Steroids or corticosteroids, are usually anti-inflammatory drugs. Such drugs are the synthetic form of cortisone, which is a hormone that is produced in the adrenal glands. Many kinds of steroids can be found today, like hydrocortisone, methylprdnisolone, dexamethasone and prendisolone. There are different forms of steroids like topical steroids and the oral steroids. Taking in steroids for a long period or on a higher dose can bring about lots of health risks. The many steroid side effects are as follows:

Weight gain

Intake of steroid and gain in weight is directly related to each other. The reason for this is that steroids are strong enough to affect the body’s metabolism. As a result, it will affect the methods in which body stores fat in the body. As a result of this, the appetite is increased and you will not be able to control at all. The fat in the body will increase and it is very essential to do regular exercise and to count calories to avoid obesity.

Steroid withdrawal syndrome

Getting addicted to steroid can make you suffer from the steroid withdrawal syndrome. Such a syndrome happens when a person takes medications for more than two weeks or longer. The symptoms are fever, stiffness of the muscles, tenderness of the muscle fatigue and joint pain. Hence it has to be noted that stopping the use of steroids all of a sudden is not possible. It should be reduced in a slow manner. Consulting a doctor on a regular basis can help you solve the situation in a not so dangerous way.

Changes in Mood

Mood changes can be considered under the negative health effects of steroids. This can happen if they are consumed for a long period. Steroids have the power to change your mood, if consumed for a long period. Taking in around 30 milligrams of steroids each day will surely affect the mood. Steroids can be the cause of making people depressed, extremely happy and feel anxious without any reason all through the day.

Insomnia

There is a direct relation between use of steroids and insomnia. Steroids make you fall asleep, particularly when they are consumed during the evenings. Soon after consuming steroids, you will find it difficult to sleep. So as to come up from this situation, it is necessary to consult a doctor and to take the dosage a little earlier than bedtime. Moreover, while going to sleep, make sure to have the right environment for sleep such as dark and cool room with perfect silence.

Skin problem

Consuming steroids can also cause problems to the skin, as they are able to affect the hormones in the body. Skin will tend to become oilier than before and there are chances for cystic acne to come up on the skin.

Is the fear for Steroid Medicines genuine?

Health risks of consuming steroids are many. It can even be dangerous to your health at times. The common fear that steroid medicines are dangerous can be lessened, after knowing the fact that they should be consumed under the guidance of a doctor. The need for steroid medicines are sometimes inevitable for the improvement of one’s health. But always make sure that you stop the steroid consumption with the guidance of a doctor alone.

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