Stop indiscriminate use of steroids

Steroids, whether naturally occurring in the body or synthesised in laboratories, are powerful chemical compounds with both life-saving and life-threatening abilities.

Used responsibly under medical supervision, they are indispensable tools in modern medicine. However, their misuse, particularly for cosmetic and performance-enhancing purposes, is a growing public health threat around the world.

Steroids fall into two broad categories: Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids (AAS) and Corticosteroids.

AAS are typically used to promote muscle growth and improve physical performance, often abused by athletes and bodybuilders.

Corticosteroids, on the other hand, are prescribed to reduce inflammation and treat conditions such as asthma, arthritis and allergic reactions.

While both types have legitimate medical uses, when misused, they can lead to devastating health consequences.

The physical side effects of steroid misuse are well-documented.

They include acne, hair loss, liver damage and cardiovascular issues such as high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes.

The psychological effects are no less severe, ranging from mood swings and aggression to anxiety and depression.

In adolescents, anabolic steroids can stunt growth and disrupt natural hormonal development, while in adults, prolonged misuse can lead to infertility and hormonal imbalances.

Equally alarming is the social and emotional toll, as users often suffer from body dysmorphia, low self-esteem and isolation.

Moreover, the use of injectable steroids with shared needles raises the risk of contracting life-threatening infections such as HIV and hepatitis B and C.

In a recent report published on the back page of the Daily Graphic (July 8, 2025), a nephrologist at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Dr Elliot Koranteng Tannor, warned of the dangerous rise in steroid use, especially through skin-bleaching products. He revealed that these products often contain prednisolone, a corticosteroid that severely interferes with the body’s insulin regulation. By elevating stress hormones that counteract insulin, prednisolone creates a diabetes pathway, a disease already rising sharply in the country due to poor lifestyle choices.

Prolonged topical or oral use of prednisolone can also thin the skin, cause permanent discolouration, lead to acne and infections, suppress adrenal gland function, and weaken the immune system.

It may also disrupt sleep, trigger mood disorders and cause abnormal weight gain.

Yet despite these clear dangers, products laced with steroids remain easily accessible on the open market.

The Daily Graphic is deeply concerned that Ghana is sleepwalking into a health crisis fuelled by the unregulated and irresponsible use of steroids.

Our youth, in particular, are vulnerable, because they are driven by unrealistic beauty standards, peer pressure and a lack of awareness about the long-term consequences of steroid abuse.

The country must not wait for this situation to become an albatross.

We must act decisively and collectively with dispatch.

We call on the Food and Drugs Authority and other regulatory bodies to strictly control the importation, advertisement and sale of steroid-containing products.

Random inspections, public disclosures and firm penalties must become the norm, not the exception. Law enforcement must be empowered to prosecute dealers and traffickers of illicit steroid products.

Public education is also crucial. Schools, churches, mosques and youth centres must be engaged in a sustained nationwide campaign that demystifies steroid use and promotes healthier alternatives.

Fitness should not be pursued at the cost of one’s liver or heart, and beauty should not be defined by the artificial lightening of skin at the cost of one’s health.

We urge opinion leaders, influencers and healthcare professionals to speak up.

The silence around steroid misuse is dangerous.

If we do not address this now, we risk breeding a generation plagued by preventable diseases such as diabetes, and hypertension, as well as organ failure and mental illness.

For those already dependent on steroids, we must provide rehabilitation services for them. Support systems, both medical and psychological, are essential to helping users break free and recover fully.

The health of our nation depends not just on the medicines we allow people to use, but how wisely we use them.

We must not trade temporary appearances or fleeting gains for a lifetime of suffering.

Let us enforce the responsible use of steroids while we put a stop to their irresponsible use.