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Could My Recent Anxiety, Low Mood, Loss Of Appetite, And Nausea Be Caused By The Anavar Steroid Course I Took Three Weeks Ago?
Hello doctor, I have been in and out of hospital for the past 5 days. My troponion levels were up to 40 on my bloods, they came down to 35 and sent me home, two days later I found myself in a&e again my levels had gone up to 39 then dropped to 36. They did two chest X rays two ECGS and an ECHO yesterday they all came back clear. They have given me 40mg of propranolol as I’m really suffering with anxiety. I stupidly started doing a course of anavar steroids but stopped it at after one week the was 3 weeks ago, I didn’t take the recommended amount of 2 a day I took one. I stopped them a week ago, I’m now on day 7 and I’m feeling really low, emotional, anxious, lost appetite and sometimes feeling sick, do you think this could all be down to the steroid?
posted on
Tue, 1 Aug 2023
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Thu, 20 Nov 2025
Answered on
Tue, 2 Dec 2025
Last reviewed on
Hello,
From what you described, the results of all your heart tests came out completely normal: ECGs, chest X-rays, and even the echocardiogram. Mildly raised troponin levels sometimes can happen from stress, anxiety attacks, intense physical strain, or even minor irritation to the heart muscle which is not dangerous. Since they repeatedly came down and no structural heart problem was found, this makes a serious cardiac cause very unlikely.
Can Anavar cause the symptoms you are feeling now? Yes, it can. Although you used a relatively small dose for a short period of time, anabolic steroids like Anavar can cause anxiety and agitation, low mood, or even a “crash,” after cessation, emotional instability, loss of appetite, nausea, and sleep disturbance.
When you stop the steroid, your hormone levels experience a temporary imbalance. In most cases, that will trigger exactly the symptoms you are describing. This is especially true for anyone already feeling stressed. Many people report this “post-steroid crash” even after short cycles. Your anxiety alone can also amplify body sensations and make you feel physically unwell, which may explain why the propranolol was prescribed. That medicine helps settle the physical symptoms of anxiety but does not fix the emotional dip completely.
The good thing is, these symptoms usually settle within a few weeks once the body is hormonally reset. But you must avoid restarting any steroid again, even casually — they are much stronger on the mood and heart than people realize.
Keep an eye on yourself. If your low mood worsens, with feeling of hopeless, or uncontrollable anxiety, see your doctor or mental health team. Counseling or mental health support can make the recovery smoother. For the time being, your symptoms are in very good agreement with a combination of post-steroid withdrawal and heightened anxiety, rather than a heart problem. And given that your hospital tests are clean, that does further support this.
Take care. Hope I have answered your question. If you have any further query I will be happy to help. Wish you good health.
Regards,
Dr. Usaid Yousuf, General and Family Physician
From what you described, the results of all your heart tests came out completely normal: ECGs, chest X-rays, and even the echocardiogram. Mildly raised troponin levels sometimes can happen from stress, anxiety attacks, intense physical strain, or even minor irritation to the heart muscle which is not dangerous. Since they repeatedly came down and no structural heart problem was found, this makes a serious cardiac cause very unlikely.
Can Anavar cause the symptoms you are feeling now? Yes, it can. Although you used a relatively small dose for a short period of time, anabolic steroids like Anavar can cause anxiety and agitation, low mood, or even a “crash,” after cessation, emotional instability, loss of appetite, nausea, and sleep disturbance.
When you stop the steroid, your hormone levels experience a temporary imbalance. In most cases, that will trigger exactly the symptoms you are describing. This is especially true for anyone already feeling stressed. Many people report this “post-steroid crash” even after short cycles. Your anxiety alone can also amplify body sensations and make you feel physically unwell, which may explain why the propranolol was prescribed. That medicine helps settle the physical symptoms of anxiety but does not fix the emotional dip completely.
The good thing is, these symptoms usually settle within a few weeks once the body is hormonally reset. But you must avoid restarting any steroid again, even casually — they are much stronger on the mood and heart than people realize.
Keep an eye on yourself. If your low mood worsens, with feeling of hopeless, or uncontrollable anxiety, see your doctor or mental health team. Counseling or mental health support can make the recovery smoother. For the time being, your symptoms are in very good agreement with a combination of post-steroid withdrawal and heightened anxiety, rather than a heart problem. And given that your hospital tests are clean, that does further support this.
Take care. Hope I have answered your question. If you have any further query I will be happy to help. Wish you good health.
Regards,
Dr. Usaid Yousuf, General and Family Physician
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