Anabolic steroids
AAS — testosterone and derivatives · Androgens
What it is
Synthetic derivatives of testosterone that activate androgen receptors in muscle, bone, and many other tissues. Medically used for diagnosed hypogonadism, certain anemias, and muscle-wasting disease. Non-medical use targets muscle growth and performance.
What human evidence shows
The muscle effect is well documented — controlled trials (Bhasin 1996, NEJM) measured lean-mass gain at supraphysiologic doses, and the response is dose-dependent. That is not the open question. The open question, and the reason this entry exists, is what those doses cost: the harm literature below is larger and better replicated than the performance literature.
Risks
Extensive and well-documented: suppression of natural testosterone production (can persist long after stopping), infertility, cardiovascular harm (adverse lipid changes, left-ventricular hypertrophy, elevated cardiac event risk in long-term users), liver stress with oral 17-alpha-alkylated compounds, gynecomastia, acne, hair loss, and psychiatric effects. Post-use hypogonadism frequently requires medical management. Counterfeit and contaminated products dominate the unregulated market.
Stacking interactions
Documented interactions with other things people research. A compound not listed here does not mean the combination is safe — only that no specific interaction is on file.
Each of these oral steroids has independently been associated with liver injury. Pair-specific safety data are lacking, and concurrent exposure may increase hepatic risk.
Each of these oral steroids has independently been associated with liver injury. Pair-specific safety data are lacking, and concurrent exposure may increase hepatic risk.
Each of these oral steroids has independently been associated with liver injury. Pair-specific safety data are lacking, and concurrent exposure may increase hepatic risk.
Each of these oral steroids has independently been associated with liver injury. Pair-specific safety data are lacking, and concurrent exposure may increase hepatic risk.
Each of these oral steroids has independently been associated with liver injury. Pair-specific safety data are lacking, and concurrent exposure may increase hepatic risk.
Each of these oral steroids has independently been associated with liver injury. Pair-specific safety data are lacking, and concurrent exposure may increase hepatic risk.
Each of these oral steroids has independently been associated with liver injury. Pair-specific safety data are lacking, and concurrent exposure may increase hepatic risk.
Legal status
US: Schedule III controlled substances — possession without a prescription is a federal offense. Prescribed forms (testosterone) are legal through a clinician for diagnosed conditions. Banned by essentially every sports federation.
Evidence base
established literature
Strong human evidence: either a phase 3 or 4 trial report alongside review-level evidence, or ten or more randomised controlled trial reports.
- phase 3/4
- 0
- randomised
- 49
- reviews
- 42
- human trials
- 103
Counts are of published papers, not distinct trials, and measure how much research exists — not whether this works or is safe for you.
Research (12)
- Anabolic Steroids and Cardiovascular Outcomes: The ControversyCureus · 2020
- Anabolic Steroids2026
- Anabolic steroidsCurr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care · 1999
- ANABOLIC steroidsLancet · 1958
- Psychiatric morbidity among men using anabolic steroidsDepress Anxiety · 2022
- ANABOLIC STEROIDS: THEIR CLINICAL USE AND SPECIFIC DANGERS IN PEDIATRICSClin Pediatr (Phila) · 1963
- Anabolic steroids and the mindMed J Aust · 1996
- Anabolic-androgenic anabolic steroids as a probable risk factor for hepatoblastoma in infantsClin Case Rep · 2023
- A review of current chemistry, pharmacology, and regulation of endogenous anabolic steroids testosterone, boldenone, and nandrolone in horsesJ Vet Pharmacol Ther · 2023
- Androgenic-Anabolic Steroids: From the Gym to Drug-Induced Liver InjuryCureus · 2022
- Anabolic steroidsFortschr Arzneimittelforsch · 1960
- [ANABOLIC STEROIDS AND THEIR CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE]Suvr Med (Sofiia) · 1963
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