The Edinburgh Steroid Clinic is a specialist NHS clinic that was set up to provide a service for people using image and performance enhancing drugs (IPEDs). These include androgens formerly known as anabolic-androgenic steroids. This service is for adults only, aged 18 years and over.
When
The clinic operates every Monday, except public holidays, between 1700 and 1900 for harm reduction around IPED use. This clinic operates by appointments and has a drop in. If too many attend for the drop in, then you will be asked to re present on another Monday evening.
Appointment time slots are 1730, 1815, and 1900 hours.
There will be no Clinic on Monday 30th of December
Public Holidays: Monday 21st April 2025 – There will be no clinic on this date
Where
Spittal Street Centre
(Lady Lawson Street Entrance)
22-24 Spittal Street
Edinburgh
EH3 9DU
Spittal Street is within the Edinburgh Low Emission Zone. Low Emission Zone – The City of Edinburgh Council. You may incur a charge.
What
Like other harm reduction services, all services provided at the steroid clinic are done so confidentially and anonymously, therefore, no information is stored on medical records or shared with any other services. At this clinic, healthcare professionals can provide:
- Harm reduction advice such as alternatives to steroid use, safer injecting, side-effect minimisation, safer dosaging advice, advice around post-cycle therapy drugs, and advice about individual steroids and other image and performance enhancing drugs.
- Provision of sterile injecting equipment.
- Mid-cycle and post-cycle blood tests. The tests offered are to check hormone levels which can be negatively affected by steroid use such as testosterone, luteinising hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, and oestrogen, as well as blood tests for cholesterol levels, kidney, liver and prostate functions, and full blood counts. We will also provide a baseline blood test for those who are thinking of using steroids.
- Free condoms via the C:Card service.
- Support to stop using.
- Assistance with physical health or mental health concerns.
Edinburgh Steroid Advice Leaflet is available for some basic harm reduction information.
Please note
If you are using androgens and attending for mid-cycle blood tests please ensure that you are at least half way through your current cycle.
If you are using androgens and attending the clinic for post-cycle blood tests please ensure that if you are using a post cycle therapy that you have finished this by at least two weeks.
If you are using androgens and not using a post-cycle therapy, usage has ceased for a minimum of 4 weeks before attending for post-cycle blood tests.
In addition to those using IPEDs, some people use hormones for gender related matters. If you are using hormones in this way, appointments for blood tests are only offered on a pre-booking basis rather than a drop-in. We offer appointments for this client group on the first Monday evening of every month (1700 – 1930). Each appointment will last no longer than 15 minutes; we would ask that you arrive no earlier than 10 minutes prior to your appointment and please do not bring friends with you. In order to offer the service to as many people as possible, blood testing will be limited to every six months per person. Repeat appointments will not be bookable at the time of attendance. We will request your address on attendance and results will be posted to you. If you have not received your results within two weeks please contact the Spittal Street Centre.
Contact
For Appointments, please call: 0131 537 8300
For General Enquiries, please email: IPED.Clinic@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
