11th Standard boy uses anabolics: Paid the price

Today’s story is slightly different—very different actually. Because nowadays, a lot of youngsters hit the gym with the goal of achieving the best muscular physique. They want those chiseled muscles, that perfect body, and in pursuit of that ideal physique, they often go to extreme lengths.

The problem is—they don’t think about the side effects. I’m really happy that today, I have someone with me—a young guy who has brought his story to this blog. And I want you all to learn something important: that sometimes, blindly following someone’s advice and taking things without proper knowledge can seriously harm your health.

It can lead to acne, gynecomastia, and other health issues. So yes, today I have Akshay with me. His story is powerful, and I hope it teaches you something. That’s the purpose of this message—if you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t do it blindly just because someone else said so.

Akshay

After working out regularly for about three to four months, I started noticing some serious changes in my body. I was training consistently and maintaining my diet. But then suddenly, my progress stopped. My body just wouldn’t grow beyond a certain point, naturally.

That’s when I felt I needed to talk to my gym trainer. During a conversation one evening, he said, ‘You’ve worked really hard, and your natural limit is almost there. Now I’ll tell you something—start taking Test and Dianabol.’

At that time, I didn’t know much about it. He gave me a full plan on paper—what to take, when to take it, and what workouts to do. First week: one tablet. Second week: two tablets daily. Third week: more dosage. He had it all mapped out.

He told me Dianabol might cause water retention, and yeah, I had some basic knowledge, but I didn’t know about things like PCT (Post Cycle Therapy). I trusted him blindly. I thought, ‘If my body can retain even 40% of the gains, that’s enough for me. Even if I lose some later, no big deal—as long as I build that body once.

So, I started the cycle. I didn’t even know exactly what Dianabol and Test do, but I still took them. My cycle lasted for 45 days. In just one month, I went from 67 kg to 114 kg. The transformation was crazy—like a dream. My body looked insane. I even had a bunch of photoshoots done during that time.

Everything was going well during the cycle. No side effects, no problems — everything seemed perfect. But as soon as the cycle ended, things started to change.

At first, I noticed acne breaking out on my back. It started lightly, and I thought, 'It’s fine, the body I’ve built is worth it.’ But then it got worse — really painful. Even if someone touched it lightly, the pain was unbearable. Sitting on a bench at school became difficult. It wasn’t just acne — it was painful, inflamed acne.

It spread to my arms too. I was so conscious about it that I started wearing full-sleeve shirts even in the peak of summer just to hide it. No one at school had any idea what I was going through.

Eventually, I had to see a doctor. But the problem was, I didn’t tell them I had taken steroids, so they couldn’t properly diagnose me. My blood reports came back with a lot of hormonal imbalances. Still, I thought it would pass.

Then after about 120-150 days post-cycle, I noticed something weird in my chest too. It wasn’t huge, but there was some soft tissue development at the bottom of my chest — an early sign of gynecomastia.

I told myself, 'It’ll go away eventually. Most guys get it after cycles, it fades.' I had built such a good body—I convinced myself that it was worth it.

But slowly, I began realizing — this wasn’t just about physical appearance anymore. Things were getting out of control, and I had no idea what to do next…

After I stopped the cycle, everything started going downhill. My gains began to fade, fat started piling up, and most importantly—I completely lost the motivation to go to the gym. The weights that I used to lift effortlessly earlier now felt impossible. There was no energy, no drive, no pump. I couldn’t feel the power I once had.

On top of that, the acne kept getting worse. Mentally, I was drained. I didn’t feel like doing anything. I even started avoiding the gym completely.

Eventually, I went to the doctor and for the first time, I told them the truth—that I had taken anabolic steroids. The doctor suggested a total testosterone test. When I got it done, my testosterone levels were shockingly low—somewhere between 200 and 220 ng/dL. That’s way below normal.

It made sense then—why I had no energy, no mood to work out, and no motivation for anything. My hormones were completely messed up.

The first thing I did after that was cut all contact with my trainer. I had still been in touch with him, but I ended it right there. I quit the gym too. My family saw what was happening and decided enough was enough. There was no background of gym or fitness in my family anyway, so they made me stop completely.

After that, I just continued with my school life. But honestly, the problems didn’t just end there. I still have acne scars, and some marks are still visible. The chest fat I gained—it's still there. It’s been around 19 months since this all happened.

Right now, I’ve started going to the gym again—but this time, I had to fight with my family to restart. They're still scared and think even protein powders are harmful. In their minds, the powder I took back then is the reason for all the damage, because they didn’t know I was taking anabolic pills. They thought it was just some supplements."

They didn’t object much when I asked for multivitamins and basic supplements for strength. They thought it was okay, so I got them. But later on, when it came to protein, they were strictly against it. Earlier, they had allowed it thinking it was harmless, but now even for protein, there’s hesitation. They're constantly worried it’ll lead to the same problems again.

So, what did I learn from all this?

Akshay, I want to be honest — I learned a lot from this experience. I went down a dark path, and when I tried to return, I faced even more problems. Sure, for a while, I had a great physique — I weighed around 75 kg, had good muscle mass, and felt confident. But it all faded.

And this was two years ago. If I had just stayed natural and trained consistently for those two years, I would’ve been in a completely different place right now. I wouldn’t be dealing with these health problems, with gynecomastia, acne, or hormonal imbalances. I could’ve just peacefully continued my fitness journey.

You asked why I mentioned two years specifically — it’s because I wanted to compete. That was the reason I pushed myself. But the frustration built up inside me — my body wasn’t responding, no matter how hard I worked. And when I told all this to the person, I considered my ‘mentor’ at that time, he said, 'Now that you’ve started, you can’t stop. You’ll have to continue taking it.'

Back then, I believed him. In my gym, there were guys who had been taking Dianabol for years — every single day. One or two pills daily. And nothing happened to them. No visible side effects. Their physiques were great too. So, I thought, 'If they can do it, so can I. Even if I don’t compete, I’ll just get a great body.' That was all I wanted — a good body."

I just wanted to post some pictures on Instagram, that’s all. I thought having a good personality would improve everything — I believed once I had a great physique, everything else would follow. And yes, for a while, I did feel confident, I thought my personality had improved. But in reality, it all became worse. I ended up dealing with side effects, and now when I look at myself, I don’t see any of that improvement.

Before all this, I didn’t have any problems — no acne, no weakness. But after that cycle, it all went downhill. It’s been two years now, and I’ve been treating my acne regularly — washing my face six times a day with special face washes, soaps, and prescribed medicines. Still, the problem hasn’t fully gone. I wanted to ask you, sir — when you were in 11th grade and went through all this, didn’t it affect your studies too?

For me, it did. Around March, when I had my final exams, my health was so bad that I had to take a one-month break from school. I couldn’t attend classes or focus. And because of that, I failed one subject and had to repeat the entire year. I had to do 11th grade again. After that incident, I became so mentally down that I couldn’t study at all. I lost interest in everything — my energy, my motivation, everything was gone. I kept watching my body shrink and my health get worse, and on top of that, my mental state and academics were also suffering.

After that, I used to feel very upset during the cycle too — my stomach was constantly disturbed, and I went through a lot of physical issues. Because of all that, I failed one subject in my exams and had to repeat the entire year. Just one steroid cycle forced me to repeat 11th grade. I lost a whole year of my life — all because of one small decision that turned into a huge mistake.

I always try to explain — the fault was mine, not the trainer’s, not the gyms. If I was preparing for a competition, then maybe using gear would have made sense — there would be a reason behind the urgency. You could say, ‘I have to grow, I have a competition next month, please help me.’ But I did it just to look good on Instagram. I wanted a few good photos. That’s it.

And there are many guys like me who might be watching this — thinking about taking the same route just to look good for social media. To impress someone, to show off like: ‘Look at me now, I used to be skinny in school, now I’m ripped.’ I get that. But look where it got me.

Now, my parents are suffering with me. Especially my mom — she’s the one who took me to all the doctor appointments, who stayed home and watched me lie there all day without energy. I used to be active, going to the gym every day, but now I barely feel like getting out of bed.

Even now, I apply medicated powders and creams every night — specific ones for acne. My mom still helps with that, still takes me to the doctor. And the worst part is, people blame her — saying things like, ‘You’re the one who ruined him by giving him money.’ That hurts. Because it was never her fault. I made the decision. But she still suffers for it.

People used to blame my mother — and the truth is, she didn’t even know what I had taken. She didn’t even understand what steroids are. How would she? She had no idea what ‘test’ or anything like that meant. She didn’t know what side effects could come from these things.

And the saddest part is — I got into all of this thinking I was improving my health. But instead, it turned out to be the most damaging thing for me. Especially when I think back — like, Akshat, remember when we started talking, it was back in 11th grade. That time, you had a good smartphone, stable internet at home, and access to everything.

If someone gives you a pill, the first thing you should do is research it — but I didn’t. I was so blinded by the results that I didn’t even stop to think. And let’s be honest, some trainers — not all, but some — they paint this picture for you: ‘Take this, I’ll get you ripped in no time.’ They’re doing their job — maybe selling products or chasing targets.

But the real job is ours — to understand that this is our body, our health. And whatever happens, others suffer too — like our families. So no, I don’t blame anyone else. I blame myself. I was the one at fault. Even if the trainer didn’t know how bad things could get, I should’ve taken responsibility.

I searched so much on YouTube and Google — I watched all those ‘Dianabol Transformation’ videos. You search ‘one month transformation after steroids’ and all these insane before-and-after pictures pop up. People showing how much muscle they gained in 30 days, how ripped they became — and it feels like magic. But no one tells you about the other side.

If you ever look up the side effects of Dianabol or steroids online — acne, liver issues, hormonal imbalances — they mention it, sure, but it's buried deep. The stuff that catches your eye? It’s the transformations, the hype, the lies.

Look, it’s not that those people you see in competitions are lying. They’re just trying to sell their art, their lifestyle, their journey. They’re making a living. And there’s nothing wrong with that — they’re doing their job, doing what they love.

But you, you’re not a competitor. You’re just a regular guy, a fitness enthusiast. You come from a middle-class family. Your family just wants you to eat well, stay healthy, live a good life.

But instead, you fall into this Dianabol trap — this steroid shortcut — just to get a better-looking body. And in the end, who suffers? YOU. Your family suffers. You pay the price for something that wasn’t even necessary.

That’s the only message I want to give through this blog — Don’t go down this path.

I know — even today — even if a trainer came to you and said, ‘Hey, what your old coach did was wrong, I’ll do it better,’ there’s a chance you’d fall for it again. Because we’re so vulnerable at this age — 19, 20 — when someone offers hope, we grab it.

I’ll be honest with you, even just three months ago, I met a new trainer. I switched gyms and showed him my reports and what I went through. And what did he say? ‘Oh, your old trainer made a mistake. But if you work with me, I promise this won’t happen.’

And in that moment, I felt tempted again — like maybe this time, it’ll be different. But no — I stopped myself. I told him straight: I don’t care if my body transforms or not. I’m here to give my 100%, but I’m not taking anything. Nothing.

Because bro, you’re 19. Your body is a testosterone machine. It’s producing more naturally than most supplements could ever give. 1556 ng/dL! That’s off the charts! You don’t need anything synthetic.

And in chasing shortcuts, you mess everything up — your body, your emotions, your future.

So, the final message of this blog is this:

Don’t ruin your health for a look. A six-pack isn’t worth a broken system. Your natural body is more powerful than you know. Respect it.

"This message is for everyone out there — if you don’t have proper knowledge, please don’t go for it.

Akshay is a real-life example of how things can go wrong if you blindly follow shortcuts without understanding the risks. Maybe his story will inspire you and help you realize what can actually happen.

If you're a class 11 student trying to impress a girl, trying to show off, thinking ‘let me build a great body before class 12,’ I get it. I understand how tempting that is. But this is not the right way. If you're going to do it, do it under proper guidance, with safety, and with full knowledge. Your body responds fast at this age — so be smart about your decisions.

I really hope Akshay’s story has taught you something meaningful.

And to everyone reading— the reason Akshay shared his story is because there are lakhs of kids out there just like him, either thinking about taking shortcuts, or already struggling after doing it. This story is for all of them.

So, guys, please understand — this isn’t just about showing your body or looking good in photos. It's about your health, your future, your family. Akshay went through all this just to say — don’t repeat his mistake. Learn from it.

Credit - Tarun Gill

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