Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
The Trenbolo(g)ne Sandwich: An International Study Comparing Health Harms Among Men Who Use Anabolic‐Androgenic Steroids With and Without Trenbolone. |
| Authors: |
Bonenti, Benjamin (AUTHOR), Ahmadinejad, Bahareh (AUTHOR), Puljević, Cheneal (AUTHOR), Ferris, Jason (AUTHOR), Winstock, Adam (AUTHOR), Ganson, Kyle T. (AUTHOR), Nagata, Jason M. (AUTHOR), Bradshaw, Adam (AUTHOR), Piatkowski, Timothy (AUTHOR) |
| Source: |
Drug & Alcohol Review. May2026, Vol. 45 Issue 4, p1-11. 11p. |
| Subjects: |
Anabolic steroids, Psychological distress, Disease complications, Harm reduction, Cardiological manifestations of general diseases, Hepatotoxicology, Drug side effects |
| Abstract: |
Introduction: Trenbolone is a high‐risk anabolic‐androgenic steroid (AAS), yet quantitative evidence describing its psychosocial and physical harm profile remains limited. This study compared self‐reported concerns among men who used trenbolone in the past 12 months (trenbolone group) with those who used other AAS but not trenbolone (non‐trenbolone group). Methods: Data were drawn from male respondents to the Global Drug Survey 2024 who reported past‐year AAS consumption (N = 1146; Mage = 31.46, SD = 9.93). Participants were categorised as the trenbolone group (n = 237) or non‐trenbolone group (n = 909) based on past‐12‐month injectable trenbolone use. Chi‐squared tests examined between‐group differences in psychosocial and physical concerns. Multiple‐response frequencies and UpSet plots were used to assess number and co‐occurrence of reported harms. Results: Chi‐square analyses indicated that psychosocial concerns, including mood instability, irritability and depressive symptoms, were significantly more common among the trenbolone group (all p < 0.001), with small‐to‐moderate effect sizes (ϕ = 0.13 to 0.20). Physical concerns, particularly cardiovascular and hepatic effects, were also significantly more prevalent among the trenbolone group (all p < 0.001; ϕ = 0.18 to 0.20). UpSet plot visualisations showed denser clustering of harms among the trenbolone group compared with the non‐trenbolone group. Discussion and Conclusions: Trenbolone use is associated with a higher prevalence and co‐occurrence of psychosocial and physical concerns relative to other AAS use. These harms suggest trenbolone use is reflective of severe risk profiles within the AAS‐using communities. Targeted harm‐reduction messaging and clinical screening strategies may be warranted for this subgroup. Key Point: Men who use trenbolone reported markedly higher emotional volatility, depressive symptoms, irritability and interpersonal strain than those who use other anabolic‐androgenic steroids.Among men who use trenbolone, physical harms, particularly cardiovascular and hepatic concerns, were more prevalent and co‐occurred.Data visualisation demonstrated greater clustering of all harms in men who use trenbolone, indicating a more complex health burden.Trenbolone use warrants a targeted public health response which includes harm reduction messaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: |
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
