De Anabolenpoli

In the Netherlands, an estimated 20,000 men abuse illegal androgens. The confrontation with a patient who uses illegal substances can evoke questions and emotions. We advise not to moralize users of anabolic steroids, but to strive for harm reduction by starting a discussion about the pros and cons of androgen abuse, taking into account your assumptions and judgments about this subject. Underlying psychopathology should be recognized and treated if the user is open to it. We recommend against prescribing anabolic steroids without medical indication and not to perform health checks routinely while the patient continues using anabolic steroids as long as it is not established that this can prevent health damage. If the user reports with health problems, this should be used as a starting point to (re) open the conversation about the advantages and disadvantages of use. Harmful effects of use must be handled according to appropriate guidelines.

Conflict of interest and financial support: none declared.