Table 2.
Adverse Effects of Androgenic-Anabolic Steroids and Steroid Precursors
| Musculoskeletal | Skin |
| Acne | Striae |
| Muscle hypertrophy | Hirsutism |
| Epiphyseal closure | Edema |
| Increased rate of tendon strains and rupture | Male pattern baldness |
| Reproductive | Cardiovascular |
| Boys/Girls | Elevated cholesterol |
| Altered libido | Decreased high-density lipoproteins |
| Girls | Increased blood pressure |
| Deepening of voice due to thickening of vocal cords | Thrombosis |
| Hypertrophy of the clitorisa | Urinary |
| Hirsutism | Wilms tumor |
| Amenorrhea | Immunologic |
| Uterine atrophy | Decreased immune globulin A |
| Breast atrophy | Psychologic |
| Boys | Aggression |
| Testicular atrophy | Psychosis |
| Oligospermia | Depression |
| Abnormal sperm morphology | Emotional instability |
| Prostate hypertrophy | Addiction |
| Prostate cancer | Withdrawal and dependency |
| Impotence | Gastrointestinal |
| Gynecomastiaa | Liver tumor–benign hepatoadenoma |
| Endocrine | Hepatic carcinoma |
| Increased glucose tolerance | Peliosis hepatitis |
| Cholestasis | |
| Gastrointestinal irritation | |
| Infectious | |
| Local wound infection at injection site | |
| Septic arthritis | |
| Hepatitis B or C | |
| HIV infection |
a
Irreversible and permanent.