Performance Enhancement Risk Calculator
Calculate Your Health Risk
This calculator estimates potential health risks based on your duration of use and type of performance-enhancing drugs. Note: Actual risks may vary based on individual factors, dosage, and specific substances used.
What Athletes Are Really Taking
Most people think performance-enhancing drugs are only used by elite Olympians or professional athletes. But that’s not true anymore. In fact, recreational gym-goers now make up 65-70% of people using these substances. You’ll find them in community gyms, social media fitness groups, and even high school weight rooms. They’re not chasing gold medals-they’re chasing faster gains, bigger muscles, and quicker recovery. And they’re using real drugs with real risks.
Anabolic steroids like nandrolone, stanozolol, and testosterone derivatives are still the most common. People take them in cycles-6 to 12 weeks on, then 4 to 16 weeks off. Some stack multiple steroids together, thinking it makes results better. It doesn’t. It just makes the dangers worse. One study found 73% of recreational users stack drugs, often without knowing what they’re actually taking. Many buy online from unregulated sellers. The FDA tested over 100 SARMs products in 2022 and found 89% contained something different than what was on the label.
How These Drugs Actually Work
These aren’t magic pills. They work by forcing your body to do things it normally wouldn’t. Anabolic steroids bind to androgen receptors and trick your muscles into building more protein. That’s how someone can gain 4.5 to 11 pounds of muscle in just 10 weeks-far beyond what natural training allows. Stimulants like caffeine or amphetamines flood your brain with dopamine and norepinephrine, making you feel more alert, less tired, and able to push harder during workouts. Blood doping increases red blood cell count, boosting oxygen delivery to muscles and improving endurance by 5-15%.
Human growth hormone (hGH) is another popular choice. Athletes inject 2-6 IU daily, hoping to speed up recovery and reduce body fat. But here’s the catch: your body doesn’t know the difference between natural hormones and synthetic ones. It shuts down its own production. After just 8 weeks of use, 90% of male users drop into hypogonadotropic hypogonadism-meaning their testes stop making testosterone. Recovery can take 6 to 12 months. For some, it never fully comes back.
The Hidden Health Costs
The side effects aren’t just unpleasant-they’re life-altering. Cardiovascular damage is the biggest threat. Studies show steroid users have 27-45% more heart muscle mass than non-users. That might sound impressive, but it’s not healthy. The heart becomes stiff, less efficient, and more prone to arrhythmias. Echocardiograms reveal an 8-12% drop in pumping ability. The American Heart Association confirmed in 2022 that steroid use increases the risk of major heart events by 36%.
Liver damage is common with oral steroids. NHS data shows 68% of users have elevated liver enzymes-signs of stress or injury. Kidneys aren’t safe either. Long-term users show 15-25% lower creatinine clearance, meaning their kidneys can’t filter waste as well. One case study documented renal failure in a 28-year-old man who’d been using steroids for three years.
For women, the changes can be permanent. One in three develops a deeper voice that never returns. Clitoral enlargement beyond 2.5 cm is documented in clinical cases. Men face irreversible male pattern baldness if they’re genetically predisposed. Testicular shrinkage is so common it’s almost expected-some users report testicle size dropping from 15-25 mL down to 2-4 mL. Sperm counts fall below 1 million/mL, compared to the normal 15 million or higher.
Mental Health Takes a Hit
It’s not just the body. The mind suffers too. A 2022 survey of recreational users found 83% experienced severe mood swings during cycles. Irritability, aggression, and paranoia are common. Many call it ‘roid rage,’ but it’s more than just anger. It’s a chemical imbalance caused by unnatural hormone levels.
The crash after stopping is even worse. Sixty-seven percent report clinically significant depression during off-cycles. One Reddit user wrote: ‘I gained 25 lbs of muscle in 10 weeks. Lost it all in 8 weeks off. And I couldn’t get out of bed.’ That’s not just disappointment-it’s a neurological withdrawal. The brain has adapted to artificial hormone levels. When they’re gone, serotonin and dopamine crash. Some need therapy. Others need antidepressants. A small percentage require lifelong testosterone replacement therapy because their bodies never restart production.
Why Tendons and Ligaments Fail
One of the most dangerous myths is that steroids make you stronger overall. They don’t. They make your muscles stronger. Your tendons and ligaments don’t keep up. That creates a deadly imbalance. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons documented cases where athletes suffered tendon ruptures at just 70% of the load their muscles could handle. A guy lifting 300 lbs on bench press might tear his pec tendon because his connective tissue can’t handle the stress. These injuries often require surgery and months of rehab. And they happen to people who thought they were being smart-training hard, eating clean, and just ‘adding a little help.’
Doctors Don’t Always Know
Here’s a shocking truth: most athletes never tell their doctors. AAFP found that 42% of recreational users admit to using performance-enhancing drugs-but only 12% discuss it with their physician. Why? Shame. Fear. Belief that it’s ‘not a big deal.’
But doctors need to know. If you’re on steroids and get chest pain, your doctor won’t know to check for cardiac fibrosis. If your testosterone is low and you’re feeling exhausted, they might diagnose ‘normal aging’ instead of post-cycle hypogonadism. One study found 7 out of 10 family doctors miss steroid use because the symptoms don’t match textbook cases. Novel compounds like SARMs don’t show up on standard blood panels. Even urine tests can’t catch everything.
The Legal Gray Zone
Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) exist for legitimate medical needs-like asthma inhalers or hormone replacement for diagnosed deficiencies. But getting one requires proving your testosterone is below 250 ng/dL on two separate tests. No exemptions are given for ‘anti-aging,’ ‘energy boosts,’ or ‘better recovery.’ Yet many wellness clinics offer exactly that. They call it ‘bio-identical hormone therapy’ and market it as ‘natural.’ In reality, 65% of these clinics include banned substances. You’re not getting a supplement. You’re getting a drug. And you’re not being monitored.
WADA updates its Prohibited List every year. In 2023, three new SARMs were added: GTx-024, ACP-105, and LGD-4033. But by the time they’re banned, they’ve already flooded online marketplaces. Underground labs churn out new versions faster than regulators can track them. The global PED market is worth nearly $500 million-and growing. But the real number? Likely much higher. Only 0.7% of 250,000 annual WADA tests come back positive. Experts believe actual usage is over 10% in some groups.
What Happens When You Quit
Stopping doesn’t fix everything. Hormonal recovery takes months. Some never fully recover. The heart doesn’t shrink back to normal size. Fibrosis in heart tissue may be permanent. Bone density can drop. Mood disorders linger. And muscle loss? Fast. You gain it fast on drugs. You lose it fast when you stop.
One user described it as a rollercoaster: ‘Highs when I’m on, lows when I’m off. And the worst part? I didn’t even feel like myself anymore.’ That’s not fitness. That’s chemical dependency masked as discipline.
There’s no safe way to use these drugs for performance. Not for elite athletes. Not for weekend warriors. Not even for ‘just one cycle.’ The risks aren’t theoretical. They’re documented in medical journals, emergency room reports, and personal testimonies from people who thought they were in control-and then lost it.
What Should You Do Instead?
There’s no shortcut to real strength. But there are proven, safe methods. Proper nutrition, progressive overload, sleep, and recovery are the real performance enhancers. Studies show natural athletes can still build impressive muscle-just slower. And they keep it. They don’t crash. They don’t risk their health.
If you’re struggling to reach your goals, talk to a certified trainer or sports dietitian. Not a guy on Instagram selling ‘legal steroids.’ Not a clinic offering ‘hormone optimization’ without blood work. Real professionals don’t promise miracles. They help you build slowly, safely, and sustainably.
Because the real win isn’t how big you get in 10 weeks. It’s how healthy you are in 10 years.
Are all performance-enhancing drugs illegal?
No, not all are illegal-but most are banned in sports. Some, like prescription testosterone for diagnosed hypogonadism, are legal with a doctor’s note. But even then, using them to improve athletic performance without a medical need violates anti-doping rules. Many substances sold as ‘dietary supplements’ contain hidden banned drugs. The FDA has found that nearly 9 out of 10 SARMs products on the market contain undeclared, prohibited compounds.
Can you get addicted to steroids?
Yes, in a psychological and physiological sense. Many users report cravings, anxiety when not using, and a compulsion to keep cycling. The body stops producing its own testosterone, so stopping feels like losing strength and energy. Some users return to use just to feel ‘normal’ again. This cycle of dependence is common, especially among those who tie their self-worth to their physique.
Do these drugs affect women differently?
Yes, often more severely. Women are more sensitive to androgenic effects. Voice deepening, facial hair growth, clitoral enlargement, and menstrual disruption are common. Many of these changes are permanent, even after stopping use. Women also face higher risks of liver damage and cardiovascular strain relative to body size. Yet they’re often told ‘they won’t get too bulky’-a dangerous myth that leads to underestimating the risks.
How long do side effects last after stopping?
Some improve within months. Hormone levels may return to normal after 6-12 months. But not all damage reverses. Heart tissue fibrosis, tendon weakening, and some hormonal changes can be permanent. Male pattern baldness and voice deepening in women don’t go away. Liver and kidney damage may stabilize but not fully heal. The longer you use, the less likely full recovery becomes.
Are there safe alternatives to steroids?
There are no magic pills, but there are safe, science-backed strategies. Proper protein intake (1.6-2.2g per kg of body weight), sleep (7-9 hours), progressive resistance training, and recovery techniques like foam rolling and cold exposure all improve results naturally. Creatine monohydrate is one of the most researched supplements-it’s legal, safe, and improves strength by 5-15%. No side effects. No risk. Just real progress.
Why do so many athletes still use them if the risks are so high?
Because the short-term rewards feel undeniable. Gaining 20 pounds of muscle in 12 weeks is powerful. Feeling stronger, faster, and more confident is addictive. Social pressure, body image issues, and the normalization of drug use in fitness culture make it seem acceptable. Many don’t believe the long-term risks will happen to them. But the data shows they do-often sooner than expected.
Final Thought
You don’t need a drug to be strong. You don’t need a pill to be fast. The body is built to adapt-slowly, steadily, safely. The real athlete isn’t the one who takes the most drugs. It’s the one who shows up every day, respects recovery, and stays healthy long after the gains fade.
Vanessa Barber
23 January 2026Honestly? I tried one cycle just to see what it felt like. Lasted 6 weeks. Lost all the gains in 3 months. Still can't sleep right. Worth it? Nope.
Andrew Smirnykh
23 January 2026I grew up in a gym where everyone was on something. No one talked about it. Then my buddy had a heart attack at 26. Now I just lift heavy, eat clean, and sleep. Slow? Yeah. Alive? Also yeah.