Anabolic steroids have been abused for many years to improve performance on the sports field and in the gym. However, increasing societal pressures for men to look more muscular is contributing to the illicit usage of anabolic steroids, peptides and hormones, otherwise known as image and performance enhancing drugs (IPEDs or PIEDs).

Use of anabolic steroids can become addictive and increases the risk of hypertension and heart attacks. For men, it can also mean a range of other changes to the body, including reduced fertility, erectile dysfunction, shrunken testes, baldness, gynaecomastia, severe acne, abdominal pain and an increased risk of prostate cancer.¹¹

Other side effects include sleep disturbance and mental health changes, including paranoia, significant mood swings, and increased aggression.