Anabolic Steroids and Hepatitis C Risk: What You Should Know
Anabolic steroids are synthetic versions of the hormone testosterone, often used to increase muscle mass and enhance athletic performance. However, their use carries serious health risks, one of which may be the increased risk of contracting hepatitis C.
Hepatitis C is a viral infection that affects the liver, leading to long-term liver damage, including cirrhosis or in some cases liver cancer. While anabolic steroids themselves do not directly cause hepatitis C, the way they are often used can raise the risk of transmission. Many people inject steroids to enhance their effects, and sharing needles or other injecting equipment significantly increases the chance of contracting blood borne viruses like hepatitis C.
Even when used in medically supervised scenarios, anabolic steroids can still pose risks to liver health. Long-term use has been linked to liver damage, including conditions like liver tumours and peliosis hepatis (a condition causing blood-filled cysts in the liver). This makes it especially concerning when hepatitis C, a virus that primarily attacks the liver is introduced into the equation. Anabolic steroid use has many other health related issues including endocrine and reproductive complications such as testicular atrophy and lowered sperm count, long-term use can lead to permanent infertility. High blood pressure and fluid retention due to steroid use place strain on the kidneys and can lead to long-term damage and heart disease, steroid use can lead to an enlarged heart (left ventricular hypertrophy), which increases the risk of heart failure, heart attacks, and strokes.
There are many, many more health-related consequences that result from long-term anabolic steroid use.
Reducing the Risk
The best way to prevent hepatitis C and other blood borne infections is to avoid sharing needles or injection equipment, especially if more than one person is extracting a dose of substance from the same vial. If a person uses anabolic steroids, they may consider safer alternatives, such as oral medications (though these carry their own risks and can have further implications on the health of your liver), or better yet, seek professional advice before starting any performance-enhancing drug.
Understanding the risks involved with anabolic steroid use is crucial for safeguarding a person’s health, especially when it comes to liver-related infections like hepatitis C. Awareness and prevention are key to avoiding potentially life-threatening consequences.
- Always use a new, sterile needle and syringe for every injection.
- Avoid reusing or sharing needles, syringes, or other injecting equipment.
- Many communities offer needle exchange services where you can obtain free, sterile injecting equipment and safely dispose of used items on return.
- Learn safe injection techniques to reduce the risk of tissue damage which can increase the likelihood of infection and learn the correct process for intra-muscular injection.
- Clean the injection site with an alcohol swab before injecting.
- Don’t share vials, ampoules, or mixing equipment with others, as even indirect sharing can lead to cross-contamination and blood borne virus (BBV) transmission such as hepatitis C.
- If possible, use single-use vials or ampoules rather than multi-dose containers, which risk becoming contaminated.
- Regularly test for blood borne viruses, especially if you’re using injecting drugs. Early detection can prevent further transmission and allow for early treatment.
- Always dispose of used needles in a puncture-resistant sharps container to avoid accidental injury to yourself or others.
- If possible, consider non-injecting methods of administering performance-enhancing drugs, such as oral or transdermal (skin patch) alternatives, which eliminate the risks associated with injection.
- Steroid alternatives – explore safer alternatives that do not place as much strain on the liver.
- Liver-friendly diet and supplements, supporting liver health with a nutritious diet, staying hydrated, and possibly using liver-protective supplements (e.g., milk thistle) may be beneficial, though you should always consult a healthcare provider before taking herbal remedies.
- If you are using anabolic steroids or have a history of steroid use, regular liver function tests (LFTs) are essential. These blood tests can help assess the liver’s health and catch any early signs of damage.
Conclusion
Anabolic steroids can have severe short and long-term consequences on physical and mental health. If a person is considering or already using anabolic steroids, it is essential to be aware of these risks and seek medical advice. Harm-reduction strategies are essential including regular monitoring, health checks, and potentially considering alternatives that can reduce some of the dangers associated with steroid use.
Steroids and other image and performance enhancing drugs (IPEDs) are often injected into the body, when people inject and potentially share equipment there is a risk of blood borne virus transmission such as hepatitis C, if a person identifies themselves as being at risk of infection they must be sign posted to a testing agency, for example the NHS online testing portal, a local drug treatment services (if they already attend), or the Hepatitis C trust in their local area.
Order a free NHS hepatitis C test:
A free at home test kit can be ordered by anyone in England over the age of 18 by clicking on the ‘order a test’ button on the Hep C U Later website.
*milk thistle
Tony Mullaney, High Intensity Engagement Coordinator