Have you been prescribed steroids for medical use? Or are you planning to use them to build muscle and boost your athletic performance? Either way, steroids often have a big impact on your body.

How long do steroids stay in your system? The exact timeline will depend on various factors. Many search for answers with potential testing or side effects in mind.

Our guide will discuss different types of steroids, ways to take them, and, ultimately, what you can expect in the medium to long term. Let’s get started!

Types of Steroids

Let us first explore the main types of steroids for bodybuilding.

Anabolic Steroids

These are synthetic versions of testosterone—infamous for side effects and banned for OTC sale and use in many countries. So, how long do anabolic steroids stay in your system? This will depend on how you administer them and your metabolism. They can be taken via injections and pills or even applied as creams.

While your doctor may prescribe these for specific conditions like muscle wasting, it’s crucial to refrain from using them on your own. Doing so can put you at risk of cardiovascular problems, liver damage, and hormonal imbalances [1].

Legal Steroids

These steroids aim to produce similar muscle-building effects as anabolic steroids but through natural ingredients. While you won’t get the same powerful effects as with anabolic steroids, they may help support muscle growth and athletic performance.

Legal steroids do not come with the dreaded side effects of anabolic steroids. Most legal steroids are bodybuilding supplements, while some can also help you shed pounds, with effects such as that of weight loss supplements.

How Long Do Steroids Stay in Your Body After You Stop Taking Them?

How long does it take for steroids to get out of your system? This is not as straightforward a subject as we’d like. The timeframes vary greatly based on the type of steroid you take and how long you’ve been using it.

There’s a big difference between how long prednisone stays in your system after taking it for 7 days and how long anabolics show after you use them for a month. Your body will generally clear oral corticosteroids more quickly, with their half-life usually ranging from a few hours to several days after the last dose.

On the other hand, if you’re using anabolic steroids, they usually remain detectable between a few weeks and a couple of months. Taking high doses for long periods can extend this timeframe even longer [2].

How Long Do Steroids Stay in Your System After Injections?

So, how long do IV steroids stay in your system? Your body will usually clear the likes of methylprednisolone more quickly compared to injections containing longer-acting esters. IV steroids are often fully processed in a couple of days up to a week. However, clearing other steroid injections typically takes several weeks and up to a couple of months.

How Long Do Topical Steroids Stay in Your System?

Are you using topical steroids such as hydrocortisone or betamethasone? Your body will absorb them more slowly than oral or injectable forms. However, using them over extended periods or in large areas can lead to systemic effects.

Generally, topical steroids remain in your system for about one to two days after use. However, the potency and duration of effects can vary depending on the specific steroid you’re using and the condition you’re treating.

How Long Do Steroids Affect Your Immune System?

Prednisone and many other steroids have powerful effects, helping control inflammation before anything else. However, they also reduce your body’s ability to fight off infections, and these effects continue even after the drug has left your body [3].

With short-term use, this typically lasts less than two weeks. Nevertheless, long-term use can mean you might take months to fully recover.

What Is the Half-Life of Steroids?

A drug’s half-life is the time it takes for its active compound to reduce by half in your body. This helps you know what to expect during and after treatment. Drugs with longer half-lives usually take longer to show effects and stay in your system for longer afterward.

When you ask your doctor how long does prednisone stay in your system after taking for 7 days, you’ll usually just get a half-life estimate of three to four hours. How long you continue to feel the effects will depend on your metabolism, but it typically leaves your system fully within three to four days.

Anabolic steroids have much longer half-lives, typically ranging between several days to weeks. Moreover, you can consequently expect these drugs to stay in your system much longer. They can often be detected in urine tests months after you’ve stopped taking them.

Potential Risks of Taking Steroids

There are many dangers synonymous with steroid use, which is vital to consider before taking them. For example, prednisone side effects include mood swings, weight gain, increased blood pressure, and elevated blood sugar levels. Even worse, the risks are higher with long-term use, possibly leading to serious conditions like osteoporosis and cataracts.

Anabolic steroids are known for particularly serious risks. Some examples are severe health complications like liver damage and cardiovascular problems. Additionally, you should also be aware of the possibility of hormonal imbalances and psychological effects like aggression and depression [4].

In a nutshell, here’s a summarized version of the effects of taking steroids:

  • Osteoporosis

  • Cataracts

  • Mood swings

  • Weight gain

  • Increased blood pressure

  • Elevated blood sugar levels

  • Liver damage

  • Cardiovascular problems

Steroid Alternatives

With that in mind, let’s explore safer alternatives that might help you achieve similar results to what you get with anabolic steroids but with a lower risk of serious side effects.

FAQs on Steroids

Let’s address some of your most common questions in fitness subs about steroid use and its effects.

What Are Steroids Used For?

Steroids are synthetic versions of hormones your body naturally produces. There are two categories: corticosteroids (which focus on fighting inflammation) and anabolic steroids (which enhance muscle growth and athletic performance). Steroids have a special chemical structure and can be used to treat different conditions.

There’s been solid research on steroid effects on autoimmune diseases, as well as quick relief of the effects of severe allergic reactions. While steroids have some practical uses, they could also bring about dangers that we will discuss below.

Does Your Body Go Back to Normal After Prednisone Use?

When you stop taking prednisone, you’ll need to be patient as your body readjusts. Depending on how long you’ve used it, getting back to normal function can take weeks. The common withdrawal symptoms include fatigue and muscle pain.

Why Do I Feel So Bad After Taking Prednisone?

If you’re feeling unwell during or after prednisone treatment, it may be either because of side effects or withdrawal symptoms. While taking prednisone, you might experience mood swings, insomnia, and weight gain. If you stop the medication suddenly, you may experience fatigue, dizziness, and low blood pressure. Generally, these symptoms will pass with time.

How Long Do Steroids Take to Work for Inflammation?

You’ll typically start feeling relief within a few hours of taking steroids like prednisone. However, don’t expect complete relief immediately. It may take several days to experience the full therapeutic effects, and this will also depend on the degree of inflammation.

How Long Does Prednisone Stay in Your System?

After your last dose of prednisone, it usually remains in your system for about three to five days. Of course, this varies based on your dosage, body metabolism, and how long you’ve been taking it. If you’ve been on a week-long course, you might continue to experience some effects during the next week.

How Long Will Prednisone Show Up on a Drug Test?

It depends. Prednisone typically shows up on a urine drug test between two to four days after you take the last dose, but this may take longer.

Final Thoughts: How Long Do Steroids Stay in Your System?

The length of time steroids stay in your system varies depending on the type you’re taking, how you take it, as well as your metabolism. Understanding how long oral steroids stay in your system can help you manage side effects. However, it’s important to stay on the safe side, where natural alternatives like CrazyBulk HGH-X2 may be a safer way forward.

References

  1. Albano GD, Amico F, Cocimano G, Liberto A, Maglietta F, Esposito M, Rosi GL, Di Nunno N, Salerno M, Montana A. Adverse Effects of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids: A Literature Review. Healthcare (Basel). 2021 Jan 19;9(1):97. doi: 10.3390/healthcare9010097. PMID: 33477800; PMCID: PMC7832337.

  2. Houtman CJ, Sterk SS, van de Heijning MP, Brouwer A, Stephany RW, van der Burg B, Sonneveld E. Detection of anabolic androgenic steroid abuse in doping control using mammalian reporter gene bioassays. Anal Chim Acta. 2009 Apr 1;637(1-2):247-58. doi: 10.1016/j.aca.2008.09.037. Epub 2008 Sep 20. PMID: 19286037.

  3. Mustafa SS. Steroid-induced secondary immune deficiency. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2023 Jun;130(6):713-717. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2023.01.010. Epub 2023 Jan 18. PMID: 36681272.

  4. Hartgens F, Kuipers H. Effects of androgenic-anabolic steroids in athletes. Sports Med. 2004;34(8):513-54. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200434080-00003. PMID: 15248788.

  5. Goli, P., Yazdi, M., Motahar Heidari-Beni, & Roya Kelishadi. (2022). Growth Hormone Response to L-Arginine Alone and Combined with Different Doses of Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Endocrinology, 2022, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/8739289

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This article appears in Dec 11-24, 2024.

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