Steroids don't get you high, so the usual assumption is that they can't be addictive. That reasoning is wrong, and it matters — because it means people don't recognise dependence until they try to stop and can't.
Key Takeaways
- NIDA: about 32% of people who misuse anabolic steroids become dependent
- Withdrawal depression is the most dangerous symptom and has led to suicide attempts
- Suppressed testosterone after stopping is why restarting feels like the only fix
- Muscle dysmorphia is often the thing underneath, and it needs treating too
This page is about anabolic steroids, the testosterone-related compounds used to build muscle. It is not about corticosteroids such as prednisone, which are prescribed to reduce inflammation and are a different class of drug entirely. Those are not addictive, though they do cause physical dependence, and the difference is worth understanding if that is what brought you here.
Yes, They're Addictive
About 32% of people who misuse anabolic steroids become dependent [1]. Roughly one in three.
The reason this surprises people is that we tend to define addiction by intoxication — something that produces a rush, that you chase. Steroids don't work like that. Dependence here is built almost entirely on the other side: on what happens when the drug is removed, and on what the drug was doing for you that nothing else does.
Why Stopping Feels Impossible
Sustained use suppresses the body's own testosterone production. Stop, and you're not returning to your baseline — you're dropping well below it, and staying there while the system recovers [1].
What that feels like is exhaustion, low mood, no drive, no libido, and watching the physical results you worked for visibly recede. Withdrawal also brings restlessness, appetite loss, insomnia, and cravings [1].
And there is an obvious, immediate, completely effective fix available: take more. That's the trap, and it's a harder one than most substances present, because the "solution" genuinely does resolve the symptoms. Knowing in advance that this stretch is temporary and expected is a large part of what makes it survivable.
The Most Dangerous Part
This needs stating without softening. NIDA's wording is direct: "The most dangerous of the withdrawal symptoms is depression, because it sometimes leads to suicide attempts." [1]
Not low mood as an inconvenience — depression serious enough to be the most dangerous feature of the whole withdrawal picture. It arrives while someone is already physically depleted, often keeping it private because steroid use itself is something they haven't told anyone about.
Two things follow. Nobody should come off steroids without someone knowing what they're doing and why they might be struggling. And if you're in that place right now: call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — free, confidential, 24/7. What you're feeling is being produced by a hormonal system in recovery, and it is not a reliable narrator about your future.
What They Do to the Body
Heart and arteries
High blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and artery damage — documented even in athletes under 30. The people using these are usually the last group anyone screens for cardiac risk.
Liver
Tumours, and peliosis hepatis — blood-filled cysts in the liver. Risk is associated particularly with oral preparations.
Hormones
Reduced sperm production, testicular shrinkage, and low testosterone after stopping. Many effects reverse over time; some, such as male-pattern baldness, do not.
Mood and behaviour
More anger than non-users, and in some cases mania or major depression. Mood change is often the first thing people around someone notice, and it is rarely attributed to the steroids.
The cardiovascular point deserves emphasis because of who it applies to. Heart attack, stroke, and artery damage are documented even in athletes under 30 [1] — people who look, by every visible measure, like the healthiest individuals in the room, and who are correspondingly the last to be screened or to take chest symptoms seriously.
The Thing Underneath
NIDA identifies muscle dysmorphia — "a preoccupation with the perceived inadequate size of their muscles" — as a driver of steroid use [1].
That's a body image disorder, and naming it changes what treatment has to address. Someone using steroids because they perceive themselves as small will still perceive themselves as small after stopping — more so, since the physical changes recede. The distress that drove the use doesn't go away when the substance does. It usually intensifies.
Which makes this the same shape as drinking to manage anxiety: remove the substance without treating what it was managing, and the attempt doesn't hold. It's also why "just stop" is particularly poor advice here.
Getting help
Steroid use tends to be carried privately, and often with a lot of shame — it's not what people picture when they picture addiction, which makes it harder to say out loud. That isolation is part of what makes the withdrawal depression dangerous.
Where body image concerns, depression, or anxiety sit underneath, treating those alongside is what makes stopping hold — and our eating disorder and mental health teams work with exactly this kind of body-focused distress. Coming off should be medically supervised, both for the hormonal side and because the depression needs watching. If you're worried about someone whose mood and body have both changed sharply, our Families & Loved Ones team can help you raise it.
If you're having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, call or text 988 — the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, free and confidential, 24/7. Chest pain, severe headache, or sudden weakness needs emergency care — call 911, and tell them about steroid use.
FAQs
- Are anabolic steroids addictive?
- Yes. NIDA reports that about 32% of people who misuse anabolic steroids become dependent. The assumption that they can’t be addictive because they don’t produce a high is simply wrong — dependence here is driven by what happens when you stop, not by intoxication.
- What are steroid withdrawal symptoms?
- Fatigue, restlessness, loss of appetite, insomnia, reduced sex drive, and cravings — alongside depression, which is the most serious. Because natural testosterone production is suppressed after sustained use, someone stopping can feel physically and emotionally flattened for a prolonged period.
- Can steroid withdrawal cause depression?
- Yes, and this is the single most important thing on this page. NIDA states plainly that depression is the most dangerous withdrawal symptom "because it sometimes leads to suicide attempts." Anyone coming off steroids should have support in place and someone who knows what is happening.
- How long does it take for testosterone to recover?
- It varies considerably, and can take a long time after sustained use. That recovery period is a large part of why people restart — feeling exhausted, low, and physically diminished is far easier to fix by taking more than by waiting it out. Recognising that trap in advance is what makes stopping survivable.
- Do steroids cause aggression?
- Research finds steroid users report more anger than non-users, and some experience mania or major depression. It is worth being precise: this is an increase in reported anger and mood disturbance, not an inevitability, and effects vary between individuals.
- Is steroid use permanent damage?
- Some effects reverse after stopping and some do not. Hormonal suppression generally recovers over time; male-pattern baldness does not. Cardiovascular damage depends on extent and duration. Stopping changes the trajectory even where it cannot undo what has already happened.
- Does insurance cover treatment for steroid use and body image disorders?
- Most major plans cover medically necessary treatment for substance use and mental health conditions together. You can verify coverage for free in a few minutes.
Sources
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Anabolic Steroids.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction.
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Suicide Prevention.
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH). LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. It contains no dosing or cycling guidance.
Written by
Executive Director
Dominic Perry is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC), Master Addiction Counselor (MAC), and DOT Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) with approximately eight years of experience in behavioral health and substance use treatment. Dominic began his work with Virtue as a therapist at the Corbett residential facility before progressing into leadership, and now serves as Executive Director of Virtue Recovery Center – Outpatient in Las Vegas. He earned his Bachelor of Social Work from UNLV and his Master of Social Work from the University of Nevada Reno.
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