Liquid Ketamine was developed in the early 1960s as an anesthetic for surgeries, and was used on the battlefields of Vietnam as an anesthetic. Powdered Ketamine emerged as a recreational drug in the 1970s, and was known as “Vitamin K” in the 1980s. It resurfaced in the 1990s rave scene as “Special K.”

Physical and psychological symptoms. Many problems users encounter with MDMA are similar to those found with the use of amphetamines and cocaine. They are:

• Psychological difficulties, including confusion, depression, sleep problems, drug craving, severe anxiety, and paranoia during and sometimes weeks after taking MDMA (in some cases, psychotic episodes have been reported).

• Physical symptoms such as muscle tension, involuntary teeth clenching, nausea, blurred vision, rapid eye movement, faintness, and chills or sweating.

• Increases in heart rate and blood pressure, a special risk for people with circulatory or heart disease.

Long-term effects. Recent research findings also link MDMA use to long-term damage to those parts of the brain critical to thought and memory. It is believed that the drug causes damage to the neurons that use the chemical serotonin to communicate with other neurons.

MDMA is also related in structure and effects to methamphetamine, which has been shown to cause degeneration of neurons containing the neurotransmitter dopamine. Damage to dopamine containing neurons is the underlying cause of the motor disturbances seen in Parkinson’s disease. Symptoms of this disease begin with lack of coordination and tremors, and can eventually result in a form of paralysis.

The short-term effects of heroin abuse appear soon after a single dose and disappear in a few hours. After an injection of heroin, the user reports feeling a surge of euphoria (“rush”) accompanied by a warm flushing of the skin, a dry mouth, and heavy extremities. Following this initial euphoria, the user goes “on the nod,” an alternately wakeful and drowsy state. Mental functioning becomes clouded due to the depression of the central nervous system.

Reports from the Drug Abuse Warning Networks (DAWN) Annual Medical Examiner Data from 1997 show that heroin/morphine was the top-ranking drug among drug-related deaths in 14 US major metro areas. It ranked second in another eight.

According to DAWNs Year End 1998 Emergency Department Data, 14 percent of all emergency department drug-related episodes had mentions of heroin/morphine in 1998. From 1991-1996, the number of heroin/morphine mentions more than doubled.

Health Hazards

Irreversible effects. Heroin abuse is associated with serious health conditions, including fatal overdose, spontaneous abortion, collapsed veins, and infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.

Long-term effects. Long-term effects of heroin include collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, cellulitis, and liver disease. Pulmonary complications, including various types of pneumonia, may result from the poor health condition of the abuser, as well as from heroin’s depressing effects on respiration.

Infection. In addition to the effects of the drug itself, street heroin may have additives that do not readily dissolve and result in clogging the blood vessels that lead to the lungs, liver, kidneys, or brain. This can cause infection or even death of small patches of cells in vital organs.

Physical effects. Physical effects of cocaine use include constricted peripheral blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Some cocaine users report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety, both while using and between periods of use. An appreciable tolerance to the high may be developed, and many addicts report that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first exposure.

Paranoia and aggression. High doses of cocaine and/or prolonged use can trigger paranoia. Smoking crack cocaine can produce particularly aggressive paranoid behavior in users. When addicted individuals stop using cocaine, they may become depressed. This depression causes users to continue to use the drug to alleviate their depression.

Long-term effects. Prolonged cocaine snorting can result in ulceration of the mucous membrane of the nose and can damage the nasal septum enough to cause it to collapse. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizures followed by respiratory arrest.

Added Danger. When people mix cocaine and alcohol, they are compounding the danger each drug poses and unknowingly causing a complex chemical interaction within their bodies. Researchers have found that the human liver combines cocaine and alcohol to manufacture a third substance, cocaethylene, which intensifies cocaine’s euphoric effects and possibly increases the risk of sudden death.

Neurological hazards. Methamphetamine releases high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which stimulates brain cells, enhancing mood and body movement. It also appears to have a neurotoxic effect, damaging brain cells that contain dopamine and serotonin, another neurotransmitter. Over time, methamphetamine appears to cause reduced levels of dopamine, which can result in symptoms like those of Parkinson’s disease, a severe movement disorder.

Addiction. Methamphetamine is taken orally or intranasally (snorting the powder), by intravenous injection, and by smoking. Immediately after smoking or intravenous injection, the methamphetamine user experiences an intense sensation, called a “rush” or “flash,” that lasts only a few minutes and is described as extremely pleasurable. Oral or intranasal use produces euphoria – a high, but not a rush. Users may become addicted quickly, and use it with increasing frequency and in increasing doses.

Short-term effects. The central nervous system (CNS) actions that result from taking even small amounts of methamphetamine include increased wakefulness, increased physical activity, decreased appetite, increased respiration, hyperthermia, and euphoria. Other CNS effects include irritability, insomnia, confusion, tremors, convulsions, anxiety, paranoia, and aggressiveness. Hyperthermia and convulsions can result in death.

Long-term effects. Methamphetamine causes increased heart rate and blood pressure and can cause irreversible damage to blood vessels in the brain, producing strokes. Other effects of methamphetamine include respiratory problems, irregular heartbeat, and extreme anorexia. Its use can result in cardiovascular collapse and death.

How Dangerous Is It to Teens?

While meth use in the U.S. has been declining, widespread media coverage about the drug often raises many questions and causes parents to worry about whether their children are exposed to or using this dangerous substance. Meth is a stimulant drug used for the euphoria it produces and for weight loss and increased libido. The down side of the high is addiction and a variety of toxic short- and long-term effects. One of the most serious and unpleasant side effects is “meth mouth,” where the users’ teeth rot from the inside out.

Parents need to talk to their kids about meth and the reality of what it does to the body. Parents also need to know when their teen might be using meth. Some of the most common signs and symptoms are extremely dilated pupils, dry or bleeding nose and lips, chronic nasal or sinus problems and bad breath. Because meth is a stimulant, users also experience hyperactivity and irritability. This includes a lack of interest in sleep and food, leading to drastic weight loss or anorexia. It may also cause users to be aggressive, nervous, and engage in disconnected chatter.

Some short-term effects are irritability, anxiety, insomnia, Parkinson-like tremors, convulsions and paranoia. Longer-term effects can include increased heart rate and blood pressure, damage to blood vessels in the brain, stroke and even death. Psychotic symptoms can sometimes persist for months or years even after the user has stopped taking the drug.

Meth use is declining among youth. The Monitoring the Future study shows that among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders, meth use has declined by 28, 47, and 51 percent respectively in the past three years.

It is important to note that marijuana is still the single largest drug of abuse in this country — Approximately 2.5 million current or past month users compared to half a million meth/ecstacy current or past month users. Meth is often in the news because of its dramatic effects and consequences. Illegal meth labs often explode, creating danger to communities through fires. Meth labs on public lands create dangers to hikers and tourists, and children of meth users are often abandoned or neglected and are flooding the social services systems in many areas. Meth is easily made with common ingredients and readily available household equipment, making it widely and inexpensively available.

Adult methamphetamine addicts often become so obsessed with the drug that they neglect their children. Twenty percent of the meth labs raided in 2002 had children present. In addition to general neglect, children living in meth labs face a variety of dangers including the usual meth lab hazards — fires, explosions and exposure to extremely toxic chemicals. Chronic exposure to meth lab chemicals can damage the brain, liver, kidneys and spleen and can also cause cancer.

If you suspect a teen in your life is using meth or is exposed to meth, the time for a courageous conversation is now. Discuss the risks and effects of using this substance. Even without addiction, experimentation is too great a gamble. If something interrupts your conversation, pick it up the next chance you get.

Methamphetamime, popularly shortened to meth or ice, is a psychostimulant and sympathomimetic drug. Methamphetamine enters the brain and triggers a cascading release of norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin. Since it stimulates the mesolimbic reward pathway, causing euphoria and excitement, it is prone to abuse and addiction. Users may become obsessed or perform repetitive tasks such as cleaning, hand-washing, or assembling and disassembling objects. Withdrawal is characterized by excessive sleeping, eating and depression-like symptoms, often accompanied by anxiety and drug-craving.

There are many unwanted and dangerous effects associated with using cocaine. A person on cocaine may feel agitated and nervous. Cocaine can also produce euphoria (“high”) and can make a person feel mentally alert, energetic and talkative. The senses of sight, sound, and touch are heightened. A person may feel more calm and in control. However, all of these effects do not last long. When the “high” wears off, the person may feel anxious or depressed and have intense cravings for the drug. Some people stay “high” by using the drug for hours or days.

Short-term use of cocaine can produce many other effects:

• postponement of physical and mental fatigue
• reduced appetite
• increased blood pressure and heart rate
• exaggerated reflexes
• rapid breathing
• dilation of pupils
• dry mouth
• anxiety
• paranoid thinking

In addition, a person could potentially experience:

• severe agitation
• paranoid psychosis
• nausea and vomiting
• elevated body temperature and cold sweat
• hallucinations
• tremors (shaking) and muscle twitching

An overdose of cocaine can be lethal. Death may occur as a result of an abnormal heart beat (arrhythmia), stroke, seizures or respiratory arrest (breathing stops). There is no specific antidote that can reverse the effects of the drug. If you think that a person has overdosed, contact emergency services immediately.

Long-Term Effects

Taking large amounts of cocaine for a long time can have many unwanted effects. People using cocaine may become depressed, have mood swings, or become restless and excitable. Their behaviour may be erratic, bizarre, or violent.

Some people become psychotic and can experience:

• paranoia
• hallucinations
• delusions

Heavy users may have trouble sleeping, may change between feelings of intense hunger and a lack of interest in food. Users may experience impotence (sexual dysfunction). Other medical complications include high blood pressure and irregular heart beat.

A regular cocaine snorting habit is evident by a red, chapped, runny nose. A person may lose his/her sense of smell and develop sinus infections. The wall that separates the nostrils may develop a hole and bleed often.

Smoking crack cocaine can cause chest pain and breathing difficulties (crack lung).

Cocaine users often develop social problems. They may become preoccupied with buying, preparing, and using the drug. School and job performance may suffer.

Sharing drug supplies, such as needles, pipes, straws, and spoons, can spread viruses. These include HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.

Can cocaine/crack cocaine harm a developing fetus and newborn babies?

Cocaine use during pregnancy may increase the risk of miscarriage and premature delivery. Babies may be born underweight. Babies born to cocaine users may:

• be irritable
• feed poorly
• not sleep well for several weeks after they are born

Is Cocaine Addictive?

Yes, cocaine is addictive. With repeated use, tolerance to the effects of cocaine can develop. Regular cocaine users can also develop psychological dependence which is characterized by intense cravings for the drug even when the user knows there are significant consequences.

Regular users of cocaine who suddenly stop using the drug may experience the following symptoms:

• exhaustion
• extended and restless sleep
• hunger
• irritability
• depression
• suicidal thoughts
• intense craving for the drug

PCP is a “dissociative drug,” meaning it distorts perceptions of sight and sound and produces feelings of detachment from the environment and self. Most first-time users experience a “bad trip” and stop. Low dose effects include shallow breathing, flushing, and profuse sweating. High dose effects are nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, flicking up and down of the eyes, drooling, loss of balance, and dizziness. Speech is often sparse and garbled. Accidental death can result from drug-induced confusion. Long-term effects include addiction, memory loss, difficulties with speech and thinking, depression, and weight loss. Symptoms can persist up to a year after cessation of PCP use. Mood disorders also have been reported. Flashbacks may occur.

LSD trips are long – typically they begin to clear after about 12 hours. Some users experience severe, terrifying thoughts and feelings, fear of losing control, fear of insanity and death, and despair while using LSD. In some cases, fatal accidents have occurred during states of LSD intoxication.

Flashbacks. Many LSD users experience flashbacks, recurrence of certain aspects of a person’s experience, without the user having taken the drug again. A flashback occurs suddenly, often without warning, and may occur within a few days or more than a year after LSD use. Flashbacks usually occur in people who use hallucinogens chronically or have an underlying personality problem; however, otherwise healthy people who use LSD occasionally may also have flashbacks. Bad trips and flashbacks are only part of the risks of LSD use. LSD users may manifest relatively long-lasting psychoses, such as schizophrenia or severe depression. It is difficult to determine the extent and mechanism of the LSD involvement in these illnesses.

How does Psilocybin Affect the Body?

After taking mushrooms, the psilocybin is absorbed into the bloodstream. The speed with which it reaches the brain varies depending on how they are taken. The effects of psilocybin are generally felt within a few minutes of drinking the tea or 30 minutes after eating mushrooms. They last for about three to six hours. Some people may experience hallucinations for up to four days.

Short-Term Effects

Psilocybin can cause a person to feel anxious and experience panic attacks. Users may experience hallucinations and a loss of touch with reality. Psilocybin can also produce distorted visual perceptions. Some people may think that they can “see” music or “hear” colours.

Short-term use of psilocybin can produce many other effects:

• light-headedness
• dilated pupils (causes blurred vision)
• nausea and vomiting
• dry mouth
• numbness, particularly facial numbness (paresthesia)
• exaggerated reflexes
• sweating and increased body temperature followed by chills and shivering
• muscle weakness and twitching
• increased blood pressure and heart rate

In addition, a person could potentially experience:

• paranoia
• confusion and disorientation
• severe agitation
• loss of coordination
• loss of urinary control
• convulsions

After the effects of the mushrooms wear off a user may feel very tired, depressed and lethargic for a few days.

Overdose with magic mushrooms alone has not been directly associated with death.

Long-Term Effects

The effects of long-term psilocybin use have not been studied. Some people have had prolonged psychosis that resembles paranoid schizophrenia. Psychosis is a loss of touch with reality. It is a mental disorder that affects the personality.

Can Psilocybin Harm a Developing Fetus?

The effects of psilocybin on the developing fetus are unknown.

Is Psilocybin Addictive?

There is no evidence that addiction, physical or psychological dependence develops with continued use of psilocybin. However, people can become tolerant to the effects of psilocybin with regular use. Complete tolerance, where no amount of psilocybin can produce the desired effects, can develop within several days. The user must stop using for days to regain sensitivity.

Marijuana raises your heart rate and blood pressure. Some people get red eyes or dry mouths or become sleepy or very hungry. The drug can also make some people paranoid (feeling like someone is out to hurt them or is plotting against them). It can also sometimes cause hallucinations.

Marijuana is as tough on your lungs as cigarettes — steady users suffer coughs, wheezing, frequent colds, and respiratory (airway and lung) infections, like bronchitis.

Sometimes blunts are filled with drugs like PCP (also called angel dust) or crack cocaine in addition to marijuana and can be very dangerous when smoked.

Young people are likely to abuse inhalants, in part, because inhalants are readily available and inexpensive. Parents should see that these substances are monitored closely so that children do not abuse them.

Inhalants fall into the following categories:

Solvents

• industrial or household solvents or solvent-containing products, including paint thinners or solvents, degreasers (dry-cleaning fluids), gasoline, and glues
• art or office supply solvents, including correction fluids, felt-tip-marker fluid, and electronic contact cleaners

Gases

• gases used in household or commercial products, including butane lighters and propane tanks, whipping cream aerosols or dispensers (whippets), and refrigerant gases
• household aerosol propellants and associated solvents in items such as spray paints, hair or deodorant sprays, and fabric protector sprays
• medical anesthetic gases, such as ether, chloroform, halothane, and nitrous oxide (laughing gas)

Nitrites

• aliphatic nitrites, including cyclohexyl nitrite, which is available to the general public; amyl nitrite, which is available only by prescription; and butyl nitrite, which is now an illegal substance

Health Hazards

Health Effects and Risks. Nearly all abused inhalants produce effects similar to anesthetics, which act to slow down the body’s functions. When inhaled in sufficient concentrations, inhalants can cause intoxicating effects that can last only a few minutes or several hours if inhalants are taken repeatedly. Initially, users may feel slightly stimulated; with successive inhalations, they may feel less inhibited and less in control; finally, a user can lose consciousness.

Signs of Depression. Research shows that inhalant use is also associated with symptoms of depression. Between 2004 and 2006, an estimated 218,000 U.S. youths aged 12-17 used inhalants and also experienced depression in the past year. The same research showed that depressed teens were more than three times as likely to start using inhalants than teens with no symptoms of depression. The reverse is also true, showing that teens often started using inhalants before depression began.¹

Irreversible hazards. Inhalants are toxic. Chronic exposure can lead to brain damage or nerve damage similar to multiple sclerosis; damage to the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys; and prolonged abuse can affect thinking, movement, vision and hearing.

Sniffing highly concentrated amounts of the chemicals in solvents or aerosol sprays can directly induce heart failure and death. Heart failure results from the chemicals interfering with the heart’s rhythm regulating system, causing the heart to stop beating. This is especially common from the abuse of fluorocarbons and butane-type gases. High concentrations of inhalants also cause death from asphyxiation, suffocation, convulsions or seizures, coma, choking or fatal injury from accidents while intoxicated. Other irreversible effects caused by inhaling specific solvents are:

• Hearing loss – toluene (paint sprays, glues, dewaxers) and trichloroethylene (cleaning fluids, correction fluids)
• Peripheral neuropathies or limb spasms – hexane (glues, gasoline) and nitrous oxide (whipping cream, gas cylinders)
• Central nervous system or brain damage – toluene (paint sprays, glues, dewaxers)
• Bone marrow damage – benzene (gasoline)
• Liver and kidney damage – toluene- containing substances and chlorinated hydrocarbons (correction fluids, dry- cleaning fluids)
• Blood oxygen depletion – organic nitrites (“poppers,” “bold,” and “rush”) and methylene chloride (varnish removers, paint thinners)

Prevention. Parents can keep their teens away from inhalants by talking to them and letting them know the dangers of inhalants. Most young users don’t realize how dangerous inhalants can be. Inhalants are widely available and inexpensive, and parents should be mindful about how and where they store common household products.

Parents should be aware of the following signs of an inhalant abuse problem:

• Chemical odors on breath or clothing;
• Paint or other stains on face, hands, or clothes;
• Hidden empty spray paint or solvent containers and chemical-soaked rags or clothing;
• Drunk or disoriented appearance;
• Slurred speech;
• Nausea or loss of appetite;
• Inattentiveness, lack of coordination, irritability, and depression;
• Missing household items.

False Advertising:

Labels on Spice products often claim that they contain “natural” psycho-active material taken from a variety of plants. Spice products do contain dried plant material, but chemical analyses show that their active ingredients are synthetic (or designer) cannabinoid compounds.

For several years, Spice mixtures have been easy to purchase in head shops and gas stations and via the Internet. Because the chemicals used in Spice have a high potential for abuse and no medical benefit, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has designated the five active chemicals most frequently found in Spice as Schedule I controlled substances, making it illegal to sell, buy, or possess them. Manufacturers of Spice products attempt to evade these legal restrictions by substituting different chemicals in their mixtures, while the DEA continues to monitor the situation and evaluate the need for updating the list of banned cannabinoids.

Spice products are popular among young people; of the illicit drugs most used by high-school seniors, they are second only to marijuana. Easy access and the misperception that Spice products are “natural” and therefore harmless have likely contributed to their popularity. Another selling point is that the chemicals used in Spice are not easily detected in standard drug tests.

Health/Behavioral Effects

People who abuse Salvia generally experience hallucinations or “psychotomimetic” episodes (a transient experience that mimics a psychosis).  Subjective effects have been described as intense but short-lived, appearing in less than 1 minute and lasting less than 30 minutes. They include psychedelic-like changes in visual perception, mood and body sensations, emotional swings, feelings of detachment, and importantly, a highly modified perception of external reality and the self, leading to a decreased ability to interact with one’s surroundings. This last effect has prompted concern about the dangers of driving under the influence of salvinorin. The long-term effects of Salvia abuse have not been investigated systematically. Recent experiments in rodents demonstrated deleterious effects of salvinorin A on learning and memory.

Unfortunately, “bath salts” have already been linked to an alarming number of ER visits across the country. Doctors and clinicians at U.S. poison centers have indicated that ingesting or snorting “bath salts” containing synthetic stimulants can cause chest pains, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate,

Why Steroids Are Dangerous to Teens

As a parent, you have the challenge of explaining to your teen why use of steroids is a serious issue.

First, while they are sometimes prescribed to treat medical conditions like cancer, there are significant health risks in using them outside a health professional’s care. Typically, in those situations, the benefits of steroid use under a physician’s supervision outweigh the risks, and they can improve the patient’s quality of life.

Second, both men’s and women’s bodies produce a certain level of testosterone. When teens take steroids, they are adding more testosterone to their growing bodies, which throws off their hormonal balance.

Third, since steroids are often taken by injection, there is also increased risk of HIV and/or hepatitis infection from an unsterile needle or syringe.

While there are many reasons teens take steroids, there are natural opportunities to talk to your child about all the reasons they should stay far away from steroids. Here are a few suggestions:

• When your teen gets more involved with competitive sports.
• If you find your teen is growing more preoccupied with body image, such as wanting to gain more muscle or appear leaner.
• If you notice your child’s friends are hitting their growth spurts and “filling out.”

Make sure your teen understands that the effects of steroid abuse may include: sterility; damage to the cardiovascular system and liver; increased risk of injury; and disease, such as increased levels of cholesterol, causing a thickening of arterial walls that could ultimately be life threatening.

Signs and Symptoms

If you have reason to believe your teen is abusing steroids, look out for these specific signs and symptoms:

• Noticeable weight gain, particularly more muscle
• Hair loss and premature balding
• Severe acne
• Mood swings, from depression to aggressiveness
• Increased injuries, specifically to tendons
• Yellow tinge to the skin (indicates abnormal liver function)
• Needle marks in large muscle groups
• Needles or syringes in your teen’s belongings

If you notice any of this, talk with your teen immediately and be very clear that no drug use is allowed – and discuss the serious health risks with him. It’s also important that you speak with a family physician. Some health effects are reversible, like acne and mood swings, while others (such as baldness and stunted growth) are not. A doctor should also supervise and help your teen stop taking steroids safely.

Where Do Teens Get Steroids?

Since anabolic steroids are available only by prescription, and because they are regulated like narcotics, anabolic steroid abusers often obtain the drugs illegally. Some of the ways abusers can get steroids include: purchasing steroids manufactured in an illegal drug laboratory (not subject to FDA standards and regulations), smuggling from other countries, purchasing through Internet sales, or stealing from U.S. pharmacies.

Forms of anabolic steroids containing androstenedione or “andro” can be purchased legally without a prescription through many commercial sources, including health food stores. An anabolic steroid precursor is a steroid that the body converts into an anabolic steroid. There is evidence that they may increase the risk of serious, long-term health problems.

How Are Steroids Used?

Anabolic steroids can be taken in the following ways:

• Injection directly into the bloodstream
• Swallowed as tablets or capsules
• Ointments or patches (through the skin)
• Preparations that are placed between the cheek and gum of mouth

Doses taken by abusers can be up to 100 times more than the doses used for treating medical conditions.

Health Effects

Although steroids do not produce a medically intoxicating effect, abuse of steroids by a growing teen can lead to serious consequences:

Short-term effects

• Effects vary by individual, but general short-term negative effects for both sexes include hostility, aggression, and acne.
• Steroids can have a magnified effect on teens since their bodies are still growing. Any unnatural substances, such as anabolic steroids, that are designed to physically alter a body before adulthood, can result in stunting height, and this can be permanent.
• Males may experience shrunken testicles, difficulty or pain in urinating, become infertile or impotent, development of breasts, hair loss, and increased risk for prostate cancer.
• Girls can experience an excessive growth of body and facial hair, male-pattern baldness, decreased body fat and breast size, changes in or cessation of the menstrual cycle, and a deepened voice.

Long-term effects
The long-term effects for both males and females are similarly related to extreme stresses to the body. Long-term effects include:

• High blood pressure
• Increased risk of blood clotting
• Increases in LDL (bad cholesterol)
• Decreases in HDL (good cholesterol)
• Jaundice (yellowish skin color, tissues, and body fluids)
• Liver cysts and cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Fluid retention
• Severe acne

Mental effects
While steroids are not taken as mood-altering drugs, they do have potentially negative psychological effects when abused. Scientific research has shown that aggression and other psychiatric side effects may result from abuse of anabolic steroids. Many users report feeling good about themselves while on anabolic steroids, but researchers report that extreme mood swings also can occur, including hyperactivity or agitation, and uncontrolled aggression (known as “roid rage”), which can lead to violence.

What Is Steroid Withdrawal?

Many steroid abusers feel strong and “happy” when they are using. When they stop, they can experience feelings of depression, which can result in dependence. Researchers also report that users may suffer from paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility.