Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Anabolic Steroids and Psychiatric Symptoms Part 8

Dependence

The topic of dependence to anabolic steroids is not new. There have been countless reports for the past 30 years from athletes who have reported their inability to discontinue these drugs even after their body building career was over.

Whenever an attempt was made to discontinue the steroids, many individuals developed withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms appear to be more common in individuals who have used anabolic steroids for long periods and at high doses. Some studies indicate that after years of consistent use, nearly 40%-60% of individuals develop a withdrawal reaction when the drugs are stopped.

The cravings are so severe that the majority go back to taking the anabolic steroids. Of note is that individuals who do report dependence to steroids are the ones who take extremely high doses of these drugs. Also associated with the dependence has been a high incidence of mood and behaviors changes.

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