Scaffolder who spent £35k on steroids speaks after fighting for life in coma

A bodybuilder, who spent £35,000 on a steroid addiction, was left fighting for his life in a coma and had to learn to walk again. Dad Zak Wilkinson had spent more than two years hooked on

steroids and followed extreme dietary habits such as weighing sugar-free syrups for his coffees and salt for his meals ahead of bodybuilding competitions. The 32-year-old's steroid

expenditure exceeded £750 per month, with substances like Anavar, Masteron, and Equipoise becoming part of his routine as he injected himself up to three times a day. Wilkinson adhered to an

intense diet regime that saw him consuming six meals daily, featuring a limited menu of broccoli, chicken, rice, egg whites, and steak. He'd also spend no less than 45 minutes doing

cardiovascular exercise at the gym each day. However, on March 23, Zak's punishing lifestyle took its toll when he began experiencing seizures, vomiting, and excessive sweating. In a

critical state, Zak was rushed to James Cook University Hospital's ICU in Middlesbrough, following quick thinking by his sister Chelsea Wilkinson, 37, who put him in recovery position

and called for an ambulance. At first, doctors thought it could be meningitis, but they soon realised the fits and symptoms had come as a result of Zak'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 devastated family were told

by medics to expect the worst but, after a long week of uncertainty, Zak defied the odds. The rope access scaffolder, from Middlesbrough, avoided neurological issues despite being non-verbal

for three days, in what medics have said is a "miracle recovery". After the ordeal, Zak faced the challenge of learning to walk again - having lost the strength to lift his three

year old son, Saint. Now he aims to warn young bodybuilders about the potential harm they could be doing to their bodies. Zak 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 per cent 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." His fixation on appearance began after leaving school at 16,

spurred by initial positive results from steroid use to increase muscle mass. 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." Zak estimated that between June 2009 and December 2022,

his monthly expenditure on steroids was at least £100, amounting to over £16k. However, it was in the two years preceding his hospitalisation - from January 2023 until March 2025 - that his

steroid usage escalated. In addition to Anavar, Masteron, and Equipoise, his daily routine consisted of taking T3 and T4 fat strippers, testosterone replacement Proviron, tablets for muscle

growth, and Clenbuterol as an anabolic agent, along with other substances. At the peak of his struggles during those two years, he was spending a minimum of £750 monthly on steroids and

supplements, accumulating a total cost of nearly £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

socialise 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." Zak 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 attending appointments for frequent brain scans and blood tests. His eventual goal is to

return to training in a manner that's both mentally and physically healthy. 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." FOR TEESSIDE UPDATES AND BREAKING NEWS DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX EVERY DAY, GO HERE TO SIGN UP TO

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