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Body builders risking health by taking steroids: Pune doctors
Doctors have also come across side effects such as infertility, kidney or liver damage, psychological issues
To become a body builder, you need self-discipline, intense training and healthy nutrition but taking steroids to get quick results may land you in the sick bay. Abuse of steroids and growth hormones among the youth is a worrying trend and doctors claim they have seen an increasing number of men in their twenties and thirties lose movement in their hips to the extent that they have to undergo hip replacement surgeries. Doctors have also come across side effects such as infertility, kidney or liver damage, psychological issues, fluid retention, blood clots and male breast enlargement in many men using steroids and growth hormones.
A 29-year-old resident of Sinhagad Road who works for an information technology (IT) company, began taking steroids for muscle-building two years ago and had to undergo hip replacement for both his hips. “Initially, it started with losing movement in my hips but later, the condition worsened. In 2022, I had to undergo replacement of one hip and in March 2023, that of the other. Doctors said it was an adverse effect of taking steroids that limited the blood supply to my joints. Now I have given up taking even painkillers or medicines for stomach ache, headache and other minor health issues. But the lessons learned are too late,” he rued.
A 27-year-old engineer who works in a bank said that steroid consumption led to more loss than gain but he realised it too late. “It’s a big sacrifice in terms of my desire to achieve a great physique. I underwent hip replacement for both hips (2022 and April 2023) after taking steroids a few years ago. Initially, the hip got locked with almost no movement which was followed by pain and agony. I was left with no other option but to undergo hip replacement to get rid of this trouble. After surgery, my movements are going to be limited for the rest of my life,” he said.
Dr Shrikrushna Joshi, chief executive officer, Lokmanya Hospitals, said that the rampant use of steroids without any medical supervision can block blood supply to the hip joints. Initially it causes pain, and loss of movement in the hips. As the disease progresses, the pain becomes worse. In the later stages, patients have no other option but to undergo hip replacement. Dr Joshi urges youngsters not to take shortcuts like steroids for building muscles.
One of the fallouts of the Covid-19 pandemic has been a fervent desire to embark on fitness journeys and achieve the desired results in a short span of time. This in turn has led to steroid abuse, posing a challenge for doctors. Easy availability of steroids is another factor responsible for it, according to doctors.
Dr Abhijit Lodha, a physician at a city-based hospital, said that many youngsters in their twenties and thirties start using steroids under peer pressure and also lie about it. “The desperation to achieve quick results has driven more people to steroids and growth hormones. There are also bouncers coming with health issues due to consumption of corticosteroids (cheap steroids). The most common side effects are infertility, liver damage, high cholesterol and male breast enlargement. The increase in steroid abuse among gymgoers is a trend which has become more prominent since the pandemic,” Dr Lodha said.
According to Dr Avdhut Bodamwad, a physician who works at Lopmudra Hospital, using steroids and growth hormones for cosmetic or athletic purposes is not only illegal but also dangerous. “Steroid abuse among gymgoers is an age-old problem that has assumed dangerous proportions post Covid-19. Youngsters and fitness freaks should seek advice from doctors rather than following online advice that is not backed by scientific evidence. Many come to the doctors late with liver or kidney problems, blood clots, high cholesterol and even psychological issues that are all the adverse effects of misuse of anabolic and androgenic steroids,” Dr Bodamwad said.
