As you probably know, many persons use steroids for different reasons. Some resort to them for medical purposes. Corticosteroids are regnant in this sphere. Others use steroid based meds to meet the requirements dictated by the sports industry (to gain mass, lose fat, and improve general performance). So people are wondering: “How long do steroids stay in your system?” They call for an answer to avoid possible interaction with other medications and undertake a steroid cycle properly (in case of using anabolics). In addition, sportsmen need to be familiar with the time of steroid deletion to pass anti-doping control successfully. So let’s try to clarify it.
Half-life of Anabolic Steroids
To ascertain how long it takes to remove steroids from the body, you first need to know the concept as half-life. The term signifies the duration of the substance staying in the body. It varies in different drugs. The list below shows that the difference is rather striking. For example:
- Stanozolol — about 24 hours
- pills of Winstrol and
- Halotestin (Fluoxymesterone) — approximately 8 hrs
- Primobolan (Methenolone) — 6 hrs
- Masteron (in the form of propionate) — 2-3 days
- Masteron (enanthate) — 2-3 days
- Primobolan (in the form of tablets) — from 4 to 6 hrs
- Primobolan depot (injection) — 10-14 days
- Equipoise (Boldenone-Undecylenate) — 15 days
Many athletes use testosterone medications. These medicines have different half-lives and detection time depends on the ether. For example, testosterone cypionate is usually half-eliminated from the body in two weeks after injection. Testosterone acetate half-life is 48 hrs, testosterone propionate – 72. Therefore, those, who wait for doping tests choose testosterone with simple ethers instead of complex ones.
Elimination of Anabolic Steroids
Of course, you should remember that the half-life is not equal to the period of complete riddance from the substance. There are several factors that determine the latter index, in particular, the amount of water consumed, administration route, the metabolism swiftness, steroid tolerance, esterification.
A complete list of factors:
The medication types: Some steroids are excreted faster than others. Testosterone without ether can be completely extirpated within a day, however, enanthate can remain for several months.
Properties of the preparation: Some of them can be detected in the urine but to reveal other steroids a blood test is required.
Dosage and duration of administration: The prolonged use increases the period of medicine’s presence in your system. The same applies to dosages. Your body is subject to significant stress while withdrawing a large amount of the medication. Thus, don’t exceed the recommended amount.
Drug’s form: Oral or injectable are the main types; the alternative ones comprise gel or transdermal patches, applied topically. Pills, powder, less popular implantation pellets, medicines for nasal or sublingual application quickly enter the bloodstream and don’t stay in it for a long time, their half-life is the briefest. They are alkylated so the liver can process them. Injection steroids slowly reach the blood and the body spends months to break free from them.
Attributes of steroid metabolism: Some preparations (“renitent” ones) are resistant to metabolism. They remain in the body for a long time and create traces in natural fluids. For example, Trenbolone generates markers that exist in the urine for a few weeks after the cycle’s termination.
Fat solubility: Steroids belong to lipids, which potentiate them to dissolve in fat. Therefore, fat deposits absorb the steroids residues, that remain there for months (for example, Deca can be discovered within one year of the last use).
Don’t muddle the “half-life” with the “active half-life”. The conflation of these variants is incorrect since active half-life means providing desirable influence by the particular product and “half-life” is not its shorthand.
There are several formulas for calculating the elimination period, however, they are sophisticated. Therefore, referring to the list based on the experience of thousands of bodybuilders is a better option.
So, the average time to remove steroids is as follows:
| Name | Generic name/ATC (Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification) | Elimination Time |
| Anadrol | Oxymetholone, A14AA05 | 2 months |
| Andriol | Testosterone undecanoate, G03BA03 | 7 days |
| Dianabol | Metandienone, A14AA03 / D11AE01 | about 5 weeks |
| Testosterone cypionate | G03EA02 | 3 months |
| Winstrol tabs | Stanozolol or Stanozol, A14AA02 | 21 days |
| Injectable Winstrol | Stanozolol or Stanozol, A14AA02 | 9 weeks |
We emphasize that these are average indicators. The period in your particular case is contingent on the peculiarities and aspects described above.
Half-life and Elimination of Corticosteroids
What are corticosteroids? These are steroid hormones produced by the cortical substance of the adrenal glands (glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, androgens); they are engaged in metabolism moderation and are responsible for adaptive reaction development. Their synthetic analogs are available in pharmacies. They are prescribed, in particular, to treat rashes of an allergic nature and dermatitis.
Here is a catalog of indications for the use of corticosteroids (partial sked):
- Atopic dermatitis
- Psoriasis
- Chickenpox
- Different lichens (for example, shingles and pink)
Urticaria (hives) - Red lupus (formation of sores on the lips)
- Vitiligo (a deterioration of skin pigmentation associated with immune disorders)
- Corticosteroids can have a long, medium and short half-life.
Corticosteroids with a long half-life (36-54 hours) include the following medications:
- Betamethasone
- Dexamethasone (approximately 56 hours)
Corticosteroids with a medium half-life (18-36 hours) include the following medications:
- Methylprednisolone
- Prednisolone (approximately 36 hours)
- Prednisone (approximately 36 hours)
- Triamcinolone
Meds with a short half-life (8-12 hours) comprise:
- Cortisone
- Hydrocortisone
The duration of utter riddance from these medicines is determined by the dosage, the drug’s kind, its characteristics, etc.
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