Exploring Anabolic Androgenic Steroid Use Among Cisgender Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Men

Importance Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are disproportionately used by sexual minority men, with the physical and mental health implications of AAS use incompletely understood. Objective To understand the reasons for use and health care needs of gay, bisexual, and queer cisgender men using AAS. Design, Setting, and Participants This qualitative study was conducted from November 2021 to May 2023 using self-administered questionnaires and semistructured interviews that were transcribed and coded using reflexive thematic analysis. Participants were recruited through convenience and snowball sampling from lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer clinical centers in New York, New York, as well as through online platforms. All patients self-identified as cisgender and gay, bisexual, or queer. Exposures History of nonprescribed AAS use for a minimum of 8 consecutive weeks was required. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcomes were reasons for and health implications of AAS use and interactions with health care practitioners, as determined through interviews. Interview transcripts were collected and analyzed. Results Thematic saturation was reached after interviews with 12 male participants (mean SD age, 44 11 years), with the majority of participants identifying as gay (10 participants 83%), White non-Hispanic (9 participants 75%), being in their 30s and 40s (9 participants 75%), holding a bachelor’s degree or higher (11 participants 92%), and having used steroids for a mean (SD) of 7.5 (7.1) years. One participant (8%) self-identified as Black, and 2 (17%) identified as Hispanic. Seven men (58%) met the criteria for muscle dysmorphia on screening. Nine overarching themes were found, including internal and external motivators for initial use, continued use because of effectiveness or fear of losses, intensive personal research, physical and emotional harms experienced from use, using community-based harm reduction techniques, frustration with interactions with the medical community focused on AAS cessation, and concerns around the illegality of AAS. Conclusions and Relevance In this qualitative study, AAS use among cisgender gay, bisexual, and queer men was found to be associated with multifactorial motivators, including a likely AAS use disorder and muscle dysmorphia. Despite all participants experiencing harms from use, men seeking medical help found insufficient support with practitioners insistent on AAS cessation and, thus, developed their own harm reduction techniques. Further research is needed to assess the utility of practitioner education efforts, the safety and efficacy of community-developed harm reduction methods, and the impact of AAS decriminalization on health care outcomes for this patient population.