What are the long-term effects of taking steroids?
Some of the effects of steroids disappear when drug use is stopped, but others are permanent. The effects of long-term use include: · acne, cysts, oily hair and skin, and thinning scalp hair in both sexes · feminization in men, including permanent breast development · testicle shrinking, difficulty or pain urinating and increased risk of prostate cancer in men · masculinization in women, including breast size and body fat reduction, coarsening of the skin, enlargement of the clitoris, deepening of the voice, excessive growth of body hair, loss of scalp hair and changes or cessation of the menstrual cycle; with long-term use, some of these effects may be permanent · in children or adolescents, the high levels of testosterone stop bone growth, preventing them from ever growing to full height · aggression and violence; personality changes revert when drug use is stopped.
