Steroids have a range of purposes, treating everything from severe poison ivy reactions to chronic arthritis. Over the past few decades, though, the most common use of steroids has been to enhance athletic performance. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, anabolic steroids are especially prevalent across all ages for male and female athletes.
Today, every major sport prohibits the use of steroids. They have also been classified as a Schedule III drug [1], though there are people across the country still using them. If you currently use steroids and are concerned about how it will impact your test, here is everything you need to know.
How Do Steroid Tests Work?
A urine test, or urinalysis, is the most common form of steroid testing. Laboratory technicians analyze the sample for the metabolites of steroids. If the laboratory were to detect one or more steroids or metabolite patterns, they would declare a positive result.
When a person ingests steroids, the substance is broken down into multiple metabolites and flushed out in the urine in small amounts. The testing screens for these compounds and separates them from the rest of the solvent. A positive test will exceed the cut-off level of two nanograms of steroid per milliliter.
While this article focuses on steroid testing in urine, it is worth taking a brief detour to mention that blood testing for steroids is equally popular. Laboratories test for testosterone and epitestosterone [2] levels to see if the ratio is something other than 1:1. Tests can detect metabolites in steroids or excessive levels of testosterone in a blood sample for two to four weeks after consumption.
How Long Are Steroids Detectable in the Body?
Not all steroids are made equal. Therefore, not all steroids stay in the body for the same amount of time. The most influential determinant is whether the steroids are short-term or administered via an oil-based injection.
Steroids in short-term pill form will only be detectable for a few days. If someone opts for an oil-based injection, however, laboratories can detect steroid use for between one year and eighteen months. The tests cannot pinpoint when the individual used the drug; instead, they only signal its presence.
How detectable steroids are depends on several considerations. For instance, high-usage rates mean the urine test is more likely to come up with a positive result. Other influential factors include age, height, type of ingestion, and metabolism.
How Stable Are Steroids in Urine Over Time?
Many organizations will acquire urine samples and store the untested contents for future testing. As technology and testing improve, these organizations can retest the samples to pass steroid use. Steroids are stable when refrigerated or frozen, and show little degradation, even after several years.
How Do I Pass a Urine Test for Steroids?
Diuretics
Is there advice on how to pass a steroid urine test? The most common solution is diuretics [3].
Diuretics increase the rate of urine excretion through increased fluid intake. In practice, diuretics dilute the concentration of the steroids in the pee.
Many professional sports have banned diuretics, too. They realized that diuretics masked the presence of steroids and eliminated that risk with outright prohibition. Many organizations even incorporated regular diuretic testing as part of their doping protocol.
Synthetic Urine
Other steroid users opt for synthetic urine. If you know you are going to fail a steroid urine test, it is worth trying to submit an artificial sample. In case you have to urinate in the same room as the tester, there are a few synthetic urine manufacturers who also provide fake penis for tests.
One of the most trusted synthetic urine products is the Quick Fix 6.2 synthetic urine. It comes with a 99.9 percent passing rate and works for both men and women. The fake urine looks identical to the real thing, and it includes urea, creatinine, protein, an acidic pH, and even a touch of foam on the top.
Substitutes
Some other resourceful individuals opt to acquire a clean urine sample from a family member or friend. Successfully pulling off this method requires discretely placing the sample into the container without raising suspicion. While there are hormones in urine that indicate whether the donor is a man or woman, few companies test for these, so if you use pee from the opposite sex, you might still be in the clear.
Abstinence
Abstinence is a must when it comes to passing a steroid urine test. Minimizing intake is an essential step, especially if you opt to dilute or mask your sample. The fewer traces of steroids there are in the body, the less likely it is for they will be detected.
Final Thoughts
If you have a steroid urine test on the horizon, remember that these substances will remain detectable in your pee from just a few days to up to eighteen months. The quantity of time depends on the type of steroid you ingest. The detection window can be shortened or extended based on age, metabolism, race, and frequency of use, too.
If you know you cannot produce a clean sample, your best choice is to use our synthetic urine for the submission. Fake pee is affordable and easy to use, and it comes with a pass rate of 99.9 percent. To learn more about synthetic urines, browse our inventory of options here.
Resources
Schedule 3 (III) Drugs https://www.drugs.com/schedule-3-drugs.html
Epitestosterone https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/epitestosterone
What to Know About Diuretics https://www.healthline.com/health/diuretics
