Father-of-one Romario Dos Santos Alves, 25, used the potentially lethal cocktail to pump up his biceps to 25in and he now faces a catalogue of serious health issues.

The former bodyguard said using the synthetic filler synthol cost him his sanity and nearly his life as he tried to kill himself when his wife was six months pregnant.

He said his swollen muscles terrify children in his hometown of Caldas Novas in Brazil and they call him a 'beast' and a 'monster'.

Mr Alves became obsessed with the drug after moving from his hometown to Goiania in Brazil three years ago.

'If you take it once there will definitely be a second time - it's addictive,' he said.

'I remember the doctor told me that they would need to amputate both arms - they said everything in there, all my muscles, were rock.

'I want other people to see the dangers, I could have died all because I wanted bigger muscles. It's just not worth it.'

-Daily mail