Robby Robinson details how steroid use almost killed him due to undiagnosed sickle cell anemia.
Bodybuilders today often stress the importance of getting blood work done for pro competitors. Robby Robinson learned that the hard way back in his prime – and it almost led to his death. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Robby Robinson explains how he almost died from steroids due to sickle cell anemia.
During our GI Exclusive series of interviews, we’ve heard a wide range of opinions and facts about steroid use in bodybuilding. Regardless of an individual’s preference on these performance enhancing drugs, one thing is clear, steroids are a very powerful and potentially dangerous drug.
This is why education, research, and bloodwork are so important for athletes who are considering steroid or PED use. No one body reacts the same to these drugs and depending on your specific situation – more immediate dangerous side effects can occur. Case in point, Robby Robinson.
In our video conversation with Robinson, we stumbled upon the topic of Robinson’s first time trying steroids. It turned out to be a traumatic and near-death experience. Robinson describes taking a shot of the drug, and within his 10 minute walk back to his home from Gold’s Gym, he became so sick that he collapsed.
Suddenly, Robby Robinson found himself unable to walk and barely able to talk. His girlfriend at the time was home, found him, and put him into a cold bath. Robinson credits the actions of his girlfriend as being the only reason why he is still alive today.
Upon visiting the doctors, Robinson discovered that he had sickle cell anemia. Due to this, his body reacted violently to certain steroid use – especially in concentrated doses.
“By the time I got back to my house here in Venice, I was pretty much done,” Robby Robinson states in our interview.
“Could of had a heart attack. Could have had an aneurysm of the brain. This is what the doctors were saying to me. They say, ‘You have sickle cell.’ And I say, ‘What is that?’ And then I started finding and reading information about it and I realized, hey, you’re not in a good place. You’re not healthy here.”
Robby Robinson went on to change the entire way he handled his health. He completely changed his diet and his routine. He also changed the way he used steroids. He didn’t stop completely, but needed to use much smaller doses in order to prevent dangerous outcomes.
Ultimately, this story comes as a warning to just how different each and every body is. As the experts and pros have said consistently, blood work is vital to understanding what you can and can’t put into your body.
You can watch Robby Robinson tell the full story in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
