Withdrawal from anabolic steroids refers to the physical and psychological symptoms that can follow stopping anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) after a period of use. The most common symptoms include low mood, fatigue, reduced sex drive, and difficulty sleeping. For some people, withdrawal is brief and mild. For others, it is severe, prolonged, and a major reason they find it difficult to stop using AAS.
This article explains what causes withdrawal, which symptoms to expect, how long they can last, why withdrawal can lead people back to AAS use, and when to seek medical help.
What is anabolic steroid withdrawal?
Steroid withdrawal has two main components, which often overlap.
Hormonal withdrawal
Because anabolic steroids act like testosterone, as explained in our guide to the key facts about steroids, the brain senses high androgen levels during use and reduces the hormonal signals that tell the testes to produce testosterone. When use stops, external androgen levels fall, but the body’s own production may remain suppressed for weeks, months, or longer. The result is a period of low testosterone, called AAS-induced hypogonadism, which causes many withdrawal symptoms. Our article on testosterone recovery after steroids explains this process in detail.
Psychological withdrawal and dependence
Some people also develop dependence on AAS, continuing to use them despite harmful effects. Research suggests that around 30% of AAS users may develop dependence (Pope et al., 2014). In these individuals, stopping can also bring cravings and distress related to body image, such as fear of losing muscle size.
What are the symptoms of steroid withdrawal?
Symptoms vary widely between individuals. Commonly reported symptoms include:
Low mood or depression, ranging from feeling flat to more severe depressive symptoms.
Fatigue and low energy.
Reduced sex drive and, in some cases, erectile difficulties. Our article on libido after steroids explains why sexual desire can change after stopping.
Difficulty sleeping, restlessness, or irritability.
Loss of muscle size and strength, and concern or distress about these changes.
Cravings to resume AAS use.
In a study of former AAS users, men who had stopped using AAS years earlier still reported more symptoms associated with low testosterone, such as reduced sex drive and fatigue, than men who had never used AAS (Rasmussen et al., 2016).
How long does withdrawal from anabolic steroids last?
There is no fixed timeline. For some people, symptoms improve over weeks to a few months as natural hormone production recovers. For others, low testosterone and related symptoms persist for many months or longer, particularly after long-term or high-dose use (Kanayama et al., 2015).
How long withdrawal lasts can depend on the duration and intensity of AAS use, the compounds used, age, and individual differences in how the hormonal system recovers. Psychological symptoms can also persist independently of hormone levels.
Why does withdrawal make it hard to stop?
Withdrawal can create a cycle that keeps people using AAS. When use stops and testosterone levels fall, low mood, fatigue, and reduced sex drive can follow. Resuming AAS quickly relieves these symptoms, which reinforces continued use. Researchers have described this pattern as one of the main pathways to AAS dependence (Kanayama et al., 2015).
Understanding this cycle can help explain why some people find it much harder to stop than they expected, and why stopping is often more successful with support.
Can withdrawal from anabolic steroids be prevented?
There is no reliable way to prevent withdrawal entirely. The risk of significant withdrawal generally increases with longer use, higher doses, and repeated use, and the only way to avoid it completely is not to use AAS.
Practices commonly promoted in bodybuilding to prevent withdrawal, such as self-administered “post-cycle therapy,” have not been tested in controlled trials for this purpose, and some involve medications with their own risks. Supplements marketed as natural testosterone boosters have not been shown to prevent AAS withdrawal.
For people who use or have used AAS, the most effective step is involving a doctor, ideally before or when stopping, so that hormone levels and symptoms can be assessed and monitored.
Is withdrawal dangerous?
For most people, the main risks of withdrawal are psychological. Depression after stopping AAS can be severe, and it has been linked to suicidal thoughts and behavior in some cases (Pope et al., 2014).
Anyone experiencing persistent low mood, hopelessness, or thoughts of self-harm after stopping AAS should seek help promptly, from a doctor, a mental health professional, or a crisis line. These feelings can be treated, and they should not be dismissed as a normal part of recovery.
When should you seek medical help?
A doctor can help if withdrawal symptoms are severe, if they last longer than a few months, or if you are planning to stop AAS and want support. Being open about AAS use is important, because it helps the doctor interpret hormone tests and choose the right approach.
Depending on the situation, care may include blood tests to check hormone levels, evaluation by an endocrinologist (a hormone specialist), and support for mood or dependence from a mental health professional. In some cases, doctors may use medications to support hormonal recovery, although evidence from controlled trials in former AAS users is limited.
Changes in brain structure have also been linked to long-term AAS use and dependence, as described in our article on whether anabolic steroids affect the brain.
The bottom line
Withdrawal from anabolic steroids is caused mainly by suppressed natural testosterone production after use stops, sometimes combined with psychological dependence. Common symptoms include low mood, fatigue, reduced sex drive, and difficulty sleeping, and they can last from weeks to many months or longer.
There is no reliable way to prevent withdrawal entirely, and self-directed approaches have not been shown to work. Withdrawal can make stopping AAS difficult, and depression after stopping can be serious. Anyone struggling with withdrawal, or planning to stop, should speak with a qualified healthcare professional.
References
Kanayama G, Hudson JI, DeLuca J, et al. Prolonged hypogonadism in males following withdrawal from anabolic-androgenic steroids: an under-recognized problem. Addiction. 2015;110(5):823–831.
Pope HG Jr, Wood RI, Rogol A, Nyberg F, Bowers L, Bhasin S. Adverse health consequences of performance-enhancing drugs: an Endocrine Society scientific statement. Endocrine Reviews. 2014;35(3):341–375. Rasmussen JJ, Selmer C, Østergren PB, et al. Former abusers of anabolic androgenic steroids exhibit decreased testosterone levels and hypogonadal symptoms years after cessation: a case-control study. PLoS One. 2016;11(8):e0161208.
