A bodybuilder who spent over $46,483.50 (£35k) on a steroid addiction, which left him in a coma fighting for his life, has ditched the sport for good after having to learn to walk again.
Zak Wilkinson, 32, spent more than two years abusing steroids and adopting extreme eating habits – like weighing syrups in his coffees and salt on his food – to get ripped and prepare for bodybuilding competitions.
He would spend more than $996.07 a month (£750) on steroids – including Anavar, Masteron and Equipoise – injecting himself up to three times daily.
His extreme diet consisted of six meals a day, which comprised just five foods – broccoli, chicken, rice, egg whites, and steak – and he’d spend at least 45 minutes a day doing cardio at the gym.
On March 23, Wilkinson’s gruelling regime caught up with him when he started having seizures, vomiting, and sweating profusely.
He was rushed to the ICU unit at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, after his sister, Chelsea Wilkinson, 37, put him in the recovery position and called an ambulance.
At first, doctors thought it could be meningitis, but they soon realized the fits and symptoms had come as a result of Wilkinson’s steroid use and fat loss tablets.
He was put into a medically-induced coma for seven days, and he was diagnosed with “likely provoked seizures in context of multiple drugs.”
His distraught family was told by medical staff to prepare for the worst, but after a torturous week, Wilkinson pulled through.
He avoided neurological issues, despite being non-verbal for three days, in what doctors described as a “miracle recovery.”
Wilkinson has since had to learn to walk again, having even lost the strength to pick up his three-year-old son, Saint, and now he hopes to prevent young bodybuilders from damaging their bodies.
Wilkinson – a rope access scaffolder from Middlesbrough – said: “That two-year period was when it really started to spiral.
“I just thought if I was going to take things, I would do it properly. I put 100 percent into it – diet, training, drugs – and I didn’t even drink alcohol for a year and a half.
“It was an all-or-nothing approach – it’s frightening. It just gets hold of you. I thought I was the fittest, strongest, healthiest person, but on the inside, I wasn’t.
“It’s sad because I see a lot of young lads becoming affected by it. And that’s why a lot of the bodybuilders are dying prematurely, because it’s not healthy.
“I thought I’d never be able to play with my son again, that I’d never see him again.
“After the coma had ended, one doctor said that he couldn’t believe I was speaking with him because he thought I’d have brain complications for the rest of my life.
“I was so frightened that that could be the end of me.”
Wilkinson became transfixed on his appearance following some initial positive gains from taking steroids to bulk up, after leaving school at the age of 16.
Gradually, after seeing steroids as a quick fix to get bigger, his body dysmorphia developed, and soon, the extreme eating habits ensued.
He said: “The drugs were very accessible and I was weighing everything, even down to the sugar-free syrups in my coffees.
“It started as a hobby, and then it became body dysmorphia – I could barely look in the mirror, and I would put jumpers and hoodies on to avoid showing my body.
“And that explains the tattoos. I’m so body conscious. I’ve tried every diet out there, I’ve tried protein diet, meat and eggs diet, weight loss diets, the lot.
“It’s because social media creates competition, and you’re constantly comparing yourself to others and looking at others trying to emulate them. It’s a vicious circle.”
Wilkinson estimates he spent at least $132 a month (£100) on steroids between June 2009 and December 2022, costing him more than $21,249.60 (£16k).
But it was in the two years prior to his hospitalisation – from January 2023 until March 2025 – that his usage ramped up.
Alongside Anavar, Masteron, and Equipoise, his daily routine included taking T3 and T4 fat strippers, testosterone replacement Proviron, tablets for muscle growth, and Clenbuterol as an anabolic agent, as well as other drugs.
At his worst point in those two years, he was spending a minimum of $996.07 a month (£750) on steroids and supplements, racking up a total cost of nearly $26,562.00 (£20k).
He said: “The steroids were selfish, I didn’t care about my son or my friends or my family.
“But it happens ever so slowly, you start taking steroids, and the benefits you see on the outside make you want to take more, but it isolates you from your friendships and bonds with people.
“I didn’t want to socialize and spend time with my partner. I was just striving for perfection in the bodybuilding game when everything around me was falling apart.
“My family nearly lost someone who was important in their lives – it was a tough time for them.
“And it could still all affect me later on, and I’m probably going to be on constant medication for the rest of my life.
“I now have PTSD, body dysmorphia, a diagnosed eating disorder, regular flashbacks, and I’m having rehabilitation for trauma. I’ve also now become epileptic due to the coma.
“But now I want to spread knowledge and awareness of people with bodybuilding addictions. I want to help people who take steroids and their families who are affected as well.
“There’s a real taboo around men and steroid use – there’s AA for alcoholics, GA for gamblers, but not really a lot on steroid use and the gym.
“I want to show people who are struggling what I’ve been through, that these muscles are not worth the comas, seizures, constant brain scans, tubes out your mouth, possibly losing a member of your family – all because you want to look good and compare yourself on social media.”
Wilkinson has since given up bodybuilding and will likely have medical issues for the rest of his life.
He currently has two meetings a week from a home treatment care team, and has to take anxiety, sleeping, and epilepsy tablets, as well as attend appointments for frequent brain scans and blood tests.
Ultimately, he is hoping to find a way back into training, but in a healthier way.
He said, “I’ve given up steroids, but I’ve trained all my adult life, and challenging my body is important to me, so I need to approach it in a healthy way both mentally and physically.”
