Is Your Teen Athlete Using Steroids? How to Find Out

Teen athletes using steroids is a lot more common then we know. Often as parents we get so caught up in the achievements of our children we miss some real warning signs. By the time they become evident, there are some serious problems occurring. In some cases the signs of teen athletes using steroids can go undetected more so than other illegal drugs. To help you educate yourself in this area we have listed some of the signs of steroid use.

Sign #1:

If you hear the words like pump, roids, juice or hype amongst conversations that your athletic teen is having with team mates, then listen carefully. This is the terminology used for anabolic steroids. These are the artificial muscle builders. In other words those muscles your son may be developing may not be as a result of working out.

Sign #2:

It's natural that if your child hasn't really been sports active but starts to, you will notice some positive body changes because of the increased activity. These changes should occur over a period of time. If you happen to notice a rapid increase in weight and muscles starting to pop out all over. Be cautious. The muscle issue is more noticeable if they are weight lifting. It's also a good excuse for the teen athletes on steroids to blame it on this.

Sign #3

Watch for a change in mood where you teen all of a sudden becomes aggressive in natural. Especially when it is out of character, to what the normal is for your teen. Often parents write this off to being over confident.

Signs #4

If you notice that you're teen is becoming more argument and ready to fight over nothing then this is another warning sign. This is a direct effect of steroids. The excuse for this one is often because he is overtired from not being used to so much activity.

Sign #5

This sign is not so easily written off. You may notice the skin becoming yellow or what is known as jaundiced. The teen may tell you it's from being outdoors practicing and playing it sports. As a parent your instincts will start to give you warning sides that this may be a teen athlete on steroids.

Sign #6:

In many cases with the teen athlete that is on steroids there is a very distinct breath odor that is very unpleasant. Often you will see the steroid user use breath mints or heavy mouth wash to try and combat it.

Sign #7

The teenager appears shaky. You will notice trembling when he goes to drink or eat. You may even notice a change in his hand writing. This is a sign that you will see your teen trying to hide as he will be well aware of it.

Sign #8

Swelling of the lower legs and feet is another tell tale sign. Unless it's during hot weather as a parent you may not get too much of a chance to observe this. If you have been noticing some of the other signs here, then try to pay attention to his feet when he is barefoot.

Sign #9

You may notice some other skin changes like the skin looks like it is going dark yet there has been no real exposure to the sun. Or you notice purple or red spots just erupting for specific reason. The teen athlete using steroids are well aware of these but will write it off to bumps and bruises from sports practice.

Sign #10.

Finally severe acne breakouts. Be careful with this one though as it is very common for teenagers to suffer from acne.