Rare parameters in blood tests when using steroids

In this post, we’re going to try to explain the changes in parameters when reading a blood test after using steroids recklessly, without medical supervision, just as general info. We never recommend steroid use, but everyone’s free to do what they want with their health

I guess we all know what anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are, but just in case some aren’t familiar with the term, these are synthetic drugs similar to male sex hormones (structurally, they’re testosterone analogues), whose effect is based on promoting skeletal muscle growth (anabolic effect) and developing male sexual characteristics (androgenic effect).

Where do we start?

It’s important to be clear that AAS are drugs, not sports supplements like the ones we recommend and offer at HSNStore, so they produce multiple and diverse biological effects in many body tissues that will be altered by their use. Therefore, using these steroids outside therapeutic purposes can lead to serious side effects, both short and long term.

Testosterone was first synthesized in 1935, but by 1940 it was already clear it gave spectacular results in increasing both muscle mass and work endurance, although non-clinical use started in the mid-1950s.

In non-clinical use, doses are usually 40 to 100 times higher than therapeutic prescriptions, with visible consequences in practically every organ or system in the body.

In the last decade, studies have been done on the abuse of AAS for non-therapeutic purposes by athletes, especially bodybuilders and high-level competitors to boost performance, gym users, and young people just wanting to improve their looks.

In fact, according to a 2002 European Union study, 5.7% of gym users regularly consumed AAS, with the usual acquisition pattern being through trainers or friends practicing the same sport, with a very high rate of self-administration.

Side effects of steroid use

Parameters altered in blood tests due to steroid use

Someone using steroids who gets a blood test voluntarily, for a company check-up, or because they’re starting to notice side effects from “misusing” anabolics, should keep in mind that several parameters can be altered.

It would be smart for that person to tell the nurse or doctor they’re taking steroids when doing the test, since all the pathologies mentioned earlier, which could be caused by anabolics, would be ruled out, avoiding unnecessary medication.

In fact, it would save a lot of time, money, and unnecessary tests to diagnose a pathology that is known to be caused by AAS.

• Transaminases, bilirubin: Liver enzymes that tell us about liver health. When the liver is put under a lot of “work” from medication intake, liver cells start malfunctioning and “release” transaminases (GOT and GPT) into the bloodstream, which will be elevated at least while taking anabolics; during rest phases, the liver usually recovers quickly if there’s no underlying pathology, and GOT and GPT levels return to normal. Also, GOT is a muscle enzyme, so if tests are done the day after a tough, intense workout where muscles “suffered,” GOT might be elevated; there are tests to determine if the elevation is from liver damage or muscle origin, which is usually not pathological.
• Creatinine: Mainly informs about kidney health. Like with the liver, heavy medication abuse (AAS in this case) or even other dietary supplements, though not drugs per se, can impair kidney function, causing creatinine elevation. If the kidney doesn’t work well, fluid retention side effects may start to appear.
• Lipid profile: Cholesterol also rises, with an increase in so-called bad LDL cholesterol and a decrease in good HDL cholesterol, raising the risk of atherosclerosis.
• Glucose: AAS use decreases glucose tolerance, meaning the body struggles more to metabolize it, leading to higher blood glucose levels, which is dangerous for diabetics or those predisposed to the condition. This is due to increased insulin resistance, insulin being responsible for glucose metabolism. However, when anabolics are stopped, this resistance usually disappears and glucose levels normalize. Also, glucose increase often comes with higher triglycerides.
• Hematology: Studies report increased hematocrit values in AAS users; besides altered lab results, this increase in blood cells raises thrombosis risk.
• Thyroid: AAS administration reduces thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration and thus the hormones produced from it.
• Coagulation tests: It’s important to check coagulation because if altered, combined with liver changes and increased cholesterol, there’s a higher risk of adverse cardiovascular events.
• Prostate: This gland has many androgen receptors. Taking anabolics can cause BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia), raising the PSA marker used to study it.
• Suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis: (TSH-FT4L: thyroid hormones) decreases thyroid hormone production, causing hypothyroidism in most cases. Lab tests show increased TSH but inability to produce FT4, with endocrine consequences.
• Estradiol: When using testosterone esters, these can convert into “female” hormones like estradiol, increasing blood levels. This hormone causes side effects like abnormal breast gland growth in men, gynecomastia, increasing glandular and fatty tissue. Still, like other effects, it’s mostly reversible when steroid treatment stops.

The hormonal system of a normal individual

In adult males, average testosterone production is 7 mg/day, 95% secreted by the testes under LH stimulation, and the other 5% by the adrenal cortex (kidney).

The whole hormonal system works in a chain because gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulates pituitary production of LH and FSH, which in turn increases testosterone.

This is a closed feedback loop, meaning when GnRH production is stimulated, it causes necessary LH and FSH levels, each with specific functions.

In men, these hormones are involved in spermatogenesis (sperm formation), erection, and libido, as they stimulate testosterone production.

When we artificially increase testosterone (called exogenous testosterone), this breaks the cycle because the pituitary doesn’t get the signal to produce FSH or LH since there’s already plenty of testosterone, decreasing FSH and LH production (what we’ll see in tests) with the consequences mentioned earlier.

In principle, these are reversible effects once steroid use stops and lost functions recover, although depending on abuse duration, amount, and type of steroids, returning to normal function can be long and tedious.

The takeaway

It’s important to understand the endocrine system is a perfect machine where all hormones work in a chain, some stimulating and others inhibiting so the body functions perfectly. When you throw in such high steroid doses, the whole cycle breaks, disrupting the chain and causing all the side effects mentioned, and more.

You can get bigger, rock-hard muscles using AAS, but with a big risk of hypertension, baldness, acne, loss of libido and reproductive capacity, cardiovascular problems… it can cause more disasters than benefits in the medium/long term, and it’s probably never worth risking these consequences. But as we said, everyone’s free to do what they want with their health.

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• Blood Tests in Athletes
• Steroids in CrossFit
• Anabolics and Body Composition