The chances of excelling at the collegiate level in one's sport has become extremely low, and those chances are even slimmer in pursuit of playing professionally. For these reasons, many athletes turn to various performance-enhancing drugs to gain an advantage over the rest of the playing field. Although these athletes may start to improve at a faster rate, many of these drugs can have lasting negative effects on their mental and physical health, especially when administered in the wrong way.

With so many athletes trying to gain a competitive edge, there has been a recent influx in performance-enhancing drugs and even the creation of drugs that are undetectable on drug tests. 

Related: Fueling Your Body for Performance

Anabolic Steroids
First, look at anabolic steroids. These are used to promote muscle growth and are banned at the collegiate level. At face value, it makes sense for many athletes to use steroids of this kind; however, many do not consider the long-term effects that may occur as a result of continuous use. 

For men, breast enlargement, shrunken testicles, and infertility may occur. 
For women, infrequent or absent periods, deepening of the voice, and baldness occur. 

On top of the gender-specific side effects, both men and women experience severe acne, liver problems, aggressive behaviors, depression, inhibited growth in teenagers, etc. 

Synthetic Steroids
There has also been an influx in synthetic steroids that do not show up on drug tests, but these lab-created drugs come with an even bigger price: an increased susceptibility to the side effects listed above.

Stimulants
Many athletes are also using stimulants (energy drinks with caffeine, cocaine, methamphetamines, etc.) as a way to increase their heart rate and blood pressure. This is an attempt to improve their endurance, increase alertness and aggressiveness, and suppress their appetites. However, stimulants can result in side-effects like dehydration, irritability, nervousness, heat strokes, and addiction. 

HGH and More
Many athletes also use drugs like creatine (provides short-term boosts of power), diuretics (monitors electrolytes in the blood system and is used to help pass drug tests), human growth hormones (improves muscle growth), and many other drugs in hopes of improving their abilities in their sport.

It makes sense that many athletes are looking for ways to take their skills to the next level, but as described in this article, taking performance-enhancing drugs comes with health effects that are not worth it. In some cases, one or another of these drugs may be necessary, but only when prescribed by a doctor. When in doubt, stick to heightening your ability the old-fashioned way: hard work. A player's health and safety should always come first. 

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* Originally published on February 16, 2022, by Royce Linder