SA Health says there has been a threefold increase in people being admitted to hospital due to black market products packaged as anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS).

In the four years from 2013 to 2017, SA hospitals saw 15 admissions for adverse reactions to steroids — compared to just five in the four years before.

Royal Adelaide Hospital endocrinologist Professor Gary Wittert said it was a sign that body image was driving steroid abuse.

He said users appeared not to understand the extreme danger, evidenced by the recent case of a 25-year-old man who became seriously ill from a product purchased online.

“This was a healthy young man who was given a vial containing an oily substance from a mate, who got it from the internet, that he injected because he thought it would help him bulk up,” he said.

“He nearly died from that. He ended up in hospital having seizures.

“That is a serious problem, given that the use is increasing.”

Professor Wittert said the contents of the vials did not match their labels.

“I think people buying things over the internet and injecting themselves with it are taking an enormous risk and I don't think one that justifies the outcome.”

He said steroid use could be a serious burden on public health.

“There's a whole lot of folklore about which one is better than the other but they are all bad to take,” he said.

Professor Wittert said some steroid users were forced onto other drugs to counteract the side effects like vascular illness, brain damage, acne and erectile dysfunction.