Withdrawal symptoms from anabolic steroids most closely resemble withdrawal from which drug?

• A. Alcohol
• B. Opioids
• C. Cannabis
• D. Cocaine

Answer: (D)

Withdrawal from anabolic steroids most often produces a mood-related crash: depressive mood, irritability, fatigue, sleep disturbances, reduced energy, and loss of interest or pleasure. These symptoms reflect a neurochemical rebound as the body shifts away from the steroid’s effects on mood and hormone regulation. The pattern most closely parallels cocaine withdrawal, which also centers on a pronounced mood crash after stopping the drug—fatigue, depressed mood, anhedonia, increased sleep, and changes in appetite. The other options are associated with different withdrawal syndromes (for example, alcohol with autonomic hyperactivity and risk of seizures; opioids with flu-like symptoms and GI distress; cannabis with irritability and sleep disruption), which don’t fit the steroid withdrawal profile as well as the cocaine pattern does.