Ryan Harriss, now 24, nearly died when he suffered a heart attack on a night out. He is pictured before he started using steroids

A gym fanatic suffered a near-fatal heart attack on a night out after becoming addicted to the effects of taking a cocktail of steroids.

Ryan Harriss, from Harlow, Essex, collapsed on a night out with friends six months after first taking the performance-enhancing drugs.

Once in hospital, doctors discovered the then 22-year-old's heart had swollen to the point it was much larger than normal, and his blood pressure had gone off the scale.

They warned Mr Harriss he would die if he continued to place his heart under the strain of taking the drugs.

There and then he vowed never to touch steroids again.

Mr Harriss first began the drugs after seeing how well they had worked for friends he trained with at the gym.

While he had been working hard, he wasn't seeing the same results as others.

It was when friends told Mr Harriss that he would never achieve the results he wanted without the help of steroids, that he experimented for the first time.

'My metabolism is apparently really fast, so I shed weight really quickly and it makes it really hard to maintain muscle mass,' he said.

'There were guys around me who didn't seem to be trying as hard as me but were getting much better gains.

'I didn't even think about it. My next pay cheque that came in, I went to a friend of a friend and I ordered them in.

'For most of these guys, they suffered no problems at all.'

After starting taking anabolic steroids, Mr Harriss admits he became addicted to how his body reacted.

'The difference was instant,' he told MailOnline.

'I started noticing the gains immediately. You are supposed to do steroids in courses, but I saw myself getting bigger and bigger.

'My arms toned up, my chest and back muscles were more defined and I went from a pretty average body to hench in a few weeks.'

Determined to get bigger and bigger, he began to up the dosage.

'I started to do lots of different types of steroids - They call it stacking,' he told MailOnline.

'I didn't really stop or give my body any kind of a break.

'I'd started to get chest pains quite frequently, but I just ignored them and kept going to the gym.

'I didn't want to lose my new physique.'

Six months after first starting to take the drugs, Mr Harriss was on a night out, having a few drinks when he collapsed.

'I became breathless,' he told MailOnline. 'I started getting really hot and was sweating.

'My chest went so tight and I got that feeling you hear about in my arm. It is hard to explain.

'I didn't know what was happening to start with, it was similar to a panic attack.

'But as my chest got tighter and tighter I realised what was happening to me.

'Everything went blurry and that's all I remember, I blacked out.'

The then 22-year-old collapsed after six months of taking anabolic steroids to try and bulk up (pictured)

Doctors warned Mr Harriss if he continued to take the performance enhancing drugs he would die. He told MailOnline he made the decision there and then never to touch the drugs again

When he woke up in a hospital bed, his girlfriend was holding his hand and crying.

Mr Harriss spent five days in hospital while medics performed ECG tests and MRI scans on him.

'The doctors came in and informed me that I'd had a heart attack,' he recalled.

'They said my the rate my heart was beating, I was lucky to be alive.

'I'd collapsed in the bar and an ambulance had brought me straight to hospital, and I'd been unconscious since.

It was horrifying. I miss being big but I couldn't keep risking my life just for a few extra muscles Ryan Harriss

'It was horrifying,' he continued.

'I have never experienced anything like it in my life and pray I never do again.'

Mr Harriss spent five days in hospital, with doctors warning if he didn't give up the steroids, he was likely to die.

'My heart was massive,' he told MailOnline. 'It had swollen so much it was much bigger than normal.

'And my blood pressure was through the roof.'

It was while lying in his hospital bed that Mr Harriss made the decision - he vowed never to take the drugs again.

'What you see, the results from taking the drugs, it's addictive,' he admitted.

'It isn't very nice injecting them, you end up with a numb bum, but it is when you see in the mirror the results, and people start commenting on how big you look, that's what becomes addictive.'

Despite this, Mr Harriss has stuck to his word, in the last two years not one steroid has been injected into his body.

WHAT ARE STEROIDS AND HOW CAN THEY BE DANGEROUS? The Drug Steroids are drugs that mimic natural hormones that regulate and control how the body works and develops. There are two main groups - anabolic steroids and corticosteroids. Anabolic steroids are the type widely misused. They are similar to the male hormone testosterone and can improve endurance and performance, as well as stimulate muscle growth. Some people are tempted to take anabolic steroids to build their muscle mass, while others use them to improve their performance. The Effects Sports players and body builders have claimed the drugs help them: Train harder and longer

Recover from strenuous exercise faster

Build muscle mass, when taken while exercising strenuously But they have also been known to Make some users feel paranoid, irritable, aggressive and violent, inducing mood swings

Cause unwanted changes in appearance, including acne and shrunken testicles The Risks In the young, anabolic steroids can disrupt the way their body develops, stunting growth in some cases For men, the drugs can cause problems with erections, promote the growth of breasts and cause a man to become sterile. They can also cause men to lose their hair and develop acne, while others have suffered shrunken testicles. In women, the drugs can promote more masculine features. Women have been known to develop facial hair, a deeper voice, lose hair on their heads, notice their breasts shrink. They may also suffer an enlarged clitoris, as well as acne, menstrual problems and changes in their sex drive. Steroids also raise blood pressure, increasing the risk of illnesses including death from liver failure, stroke and heart attack. Regular users have reported having trouble sleeping, becoming paranoid and experiencing dramatic mood swings. Meanwhile, injecting drugs comes with its own risks, damaging veins, causing ulcers and gangrene. And injecting increases the risk of spreading HIV and hepatitis C. The Law Anabolic steroids are Class C drugs, which are sold by pharmacists but only with a doctor's prescription. It is legal to possess or import steroids as long as they are for personal use. Possession with intent to supply, including giving them to friends, is illegal and those found guilty face up to 14 years in prison. Source: Talk to Frank Advertisement

'I feel very lucky and unlucky in many ways,' he said.

'I am lucky to be alive, but, while I was stupid, this kind of reaction doesn't happen to everyone.

'I am so grateful I didn't die, it was the wake up call I needed.'

Since his heart attack, Mr Harriss struggles to do proper work outs, fearing his heart can't cope.

'I miss being big,' he said. 'But I couldn't keep risking my life just for a few extra muscles.

'If I was to use them again, doctors warned me I wouldn't last a month, my heart just can't take them.'

He told MailOnline he is sharing his experience to warn others of the dangers.

'A lot of people do steroids,' he said. 'I would advise never touching them, but you have to be realistic.

'There will be people out there who use them, and to them I would just say, don't abuse it.

'There are safer ways of taking them.