Mixing Steroids and Cocaine: What Are the Risks?

Mixing steroids and cocaine is a dangerous combination that can lead to serious health risks, including cardiovascular problems, liver damage, and mental health issues. This page explores the specific risks associated with combining these two substances.

What Are Steroids?

Steroids are substances that are naturally produced in the body or artificially manufactured. There are two different types of naturally occurring steroids: anabolic and catabolic.

Anabolic steroids are derived from male hormones and help to build bone tissue, muscle tissue, and other tissues in the body.

Anabolic steroids also have medicinal purposes and can assist individuals who have issues with tissue damage due to burn injuries, weight loss due to intestinal disorders or diseases like HIV. They can also help those who have lost muscle mass as a result of chemotherapy to build tissue and gain weight. These drugs can be taken in pill form or injected.Some of the commonly known anabolic steroids include:

• Dianabol (methandrostenolone)
• Winstrol (stanozolol)
• Durabolin (nandrolone phenylpropionate)
• Deca-Durabolin (nandrolone decanoate)
• Depo-Testosterone (testosterone cypionate)

Catabolic steroids, or glucocorticoids, are produced as a response to stress, and they break down and metabolize substances in the body. Examples of artificially produced catabolic steroids include hydrocortisone and prednisone. These steroids are not misused as often as anabolic steroids.

What Is Cocaine?

The central nervous stimulant cocaine (benzoylmethylecgonine) is a well-known drug of abuse that is manufactured from the leaves of the coca plant. Cocaine does have some medicinal uses in the United States but is more familiar as a drug of abuse. It is abused in a number of different ways, such as via injection, snorting it (e.g., powder cocaine), and smoking it (e.g., crack cocaine).

Risks of Misusing Steroids

Most anabolic steroids are classified by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as Schedule III controlled substances. While steroids aren’t usually associated with misuse in the same way that other prescription drug (e.g., oxycodone, Xanax) are, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that in 2015 approximately 3.5 percent of individuals in high school reported using anabolic steroids without having a prescription for them.

The United States Justice Department estimates that a little over 1 million adults over the age of 18 use anabolic steroids without a prescription. Individuals who misuse or abuse anabolic steroids are likely to be male.

Misusing anabolic steroids, often used to enhance muscle growth and athletic performance, carries a wide range of health risks, including:

• Cardiovascular issues.
• Liver damage.
• Hormonal imbalances.
• Musculoskeletal problems.
• Skin and hair issues, including acne and hair loss.
• Mood swings and aggression.
• Depression and anxiety.

Steroid misuse can also lead to dependence and addiction.

Mixing Cocaine and Anabolic Steroids

Any individual who uses anabolic steroids should not use cocaine due to the potential interactions that can occur as a result of using these drugs in combination. People who misuse anabolic steroids typically engage in some form of an athletic endeavor. People use cocaine to experience the stimulant and psychoactive effects of the drug.

The Neuropathology of Drug Addictions and Substance Misuse indicates that interactions as a result of this combination can include:

• An enhancement of the effects of either drug
• An enhancement of the side effects of either drug
• The increased potential to overdose on either drug, but particularly on cocaine that is most likely related to the psychological and cognitive issues that can occur when these drugs are combined
• The potential to develop idiosyncratic reactions as a result of mixing these two drugs
• Serious effects to several different organ systems
• Serious neurological or psychological complications as a result of mixing these drugs

In particular, the potential harmful effects associated with mixing these drugs could include:

• A rapid and potentially dangerous rise in blood pressure
• Significant cardiovascular damage, with an increased risk of both acute heart damage and long-term issues leading to heart damage
• A significant increase in the risk to have a heart attack or stroke
• An increased potential to become overheated or dehydrated
• Damage to the liver
• Significant damage to the kidneys
• Increased risk of developing blood-borne diseases as a result of needle sharing (e.g., hepatitis, HIV)

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