Find out what are the features and differences between the storage of oral and injectable steroids and whether the drugs can be stored after the ampoule has been opened. No one will dispute the fact that anabolic steroids are the most affordable form of sports pharmacology today. They have been used for a long time not only by professional athletes, but also by amateurs of bodybuilding. When available, they can significantly accelerate an athlete's progress. Often, novice builders are interested in how to store steroids at home? Today, this is exactly what will be discussed.
How should steroids be stored at home?
We will not delay for a long time and will immediately tell you how to store steroids at home. In addition, we would like to draw your attention to other popular types of sports pharmacology.
- Steroids. These drugs must be stored in a securely dark place, where the temperature does not exceed 30 degrees.
- Insulin. This drug is not often used on an amateur level, but it is worth remembering about it. If you are not going to use insulin in the near future, then store it in the refrigerator (but not in the freezer!) At a temperature of 2 to 8 degrees. Under these conditions, insulin does not lose its biological value for 2.5 years. If you use it, the storage conditions may be similar to that of anabolic steroids.
- A growth hormone. If you have not diluted the drug, then store it in the refrigerator. You should do the same with unused solution, but you will have to inject it over the next five days. Remember that at an ambient temperature of more than 18 degrees, the active ingredient of the drug begins to break down.
- Human chorionic gonadotropin. The main rule for storing the drug is a place protected from light. The recommended temperature is between 2 and 15 degrees, although this range can be increased up to 25. This applies to the powder. If you have already prepared a solution, then you should use it right away. Otherwise, you can put it in a refrigerator with a temperature of about 2-8 degrees, but no more than 10 days.
- Insulin-like factor. In powder form, this drug can be stored for 36 months at a fairly wide temperature range - from minus 20 to plus 37 degrees. But the unused solution can be stored for a maximum of 24 hours at a temperature of no more than 8 degrees.
Can expired steroids be used?
We know the answer to the question of how to store steroids at home? However, many athletes also want to know about the possibility of using stitched preparations. All information in this section is fully applicable to any medications. Do not forget that all types of sports pharmacology, in fact, are. They were created to solve certain problems in medicine and only then athletes paid attention to them.
First, let's define the concept of "expiration date". This is a certain time period during which the drug retains all its properties. Of course, for this it is necessary to strictly follow the storage rules specified by the manufacturer. At the same time, no research has been carried out in this direction. Each manufacturer of pharmacological agents independently sets this period.
Thus, we can talk about the complete conventionality of this concept. If you bought, say, aspirin, the shelf life of which is still long, then this does not mean at all that the drug will be one hundred percent working.
If mistakes were made during its transportation or during storage in warehouses, then the active ingredient can be destroyed. Accordingly, even a slightly expired drug, if properly stored, may well be as efficient as possible. Let's look at this issue from several points of view.
Manufacturer
Imagine a situation in which there are a lot of consumer complaints about a pharmaceutical company's products. This will lead to the need to recall a batch of defective drugs and financial losses. Let's not forget about the reputation, which will also be tarnished. At the same time, the shelf life of a medicine must be sufficient to be sold through a retail pharmacy network.
However, it cannot be made very large, because otherwise consumers will not need to update their home first-aid kit. Based on these three factors, manufacturers set expiration dates for their products. Note that inert formulations such as activated charcoal have nearly the same shelf life as those containing variable ingredients. In fact, the same activated carbon can be stored forever and nothing will happen to it.
Chemical and pharmacological properties of drugs
The following changes can occur in the chemical structure of drug molecules:
- Decomposition of the active ingredient, which as a result may increase the number of side effects.
- Oxidative processes are activated after contact with air.
- Hydration when stored in places with high humidity.
- Stratification or precipitation in the case of various non-tabletted forms.
It should be noted that all the processes described above begin to proceed immediately after the creation of the drug, but their speed is significantly different. Employees of pharmaceutical companies know about all these nuances, and drugs are manufactured under conditions that allow for maximum stability of the active ingredients. For example, in all tablet preparations, an average of 5-10 percent more active ingredients are added than the formulation requires.
As a result, by the end of the shelf life, the dosage of these ingredients corresponds to the nominal. The same is done in the production of injectable medications. The average rate of disintegration of substances in tablet form is 5 to 10 percent over three or four years. All this suggests that after three years the drug will contain a couple of tens of milligrams less of the active ingredient in comparison with the initial dosage. The difference is small and the drug can be used.
Consumer
Each person, purchasing any medication, must pay attention to its expiration date. As we already know, only the manufactured drug has a large amount of active ingredient, which makes it more effective. Also, at the time of the expiration date, it continues to remain functional, but taking into account the decay time of the active substances. The question arises, is it possible to distinguish a drug suitable for use from an already lost one? We have already noted above that any substance gradually disintegrates.
If your pill crumbles in your hands, has changed color or even shade, has acquired an unpleasant odor, you should definitely refuse to use it. One clarification should be made here regarding crumbling tablets - do not confuse a poorly manufactured drug with an expired one. This primarily concerns steroids produced in basement laboratories. When talking about injectable medications, you should pay attention to the precipitation and color change of the solution.
Tableted steroids
We've already covered how to store steroids at home. If you have followed them, then most often the drugs can be used after the expiration date, while getting good results. We are aware of cases where methandienone remained operational five years after its expiration date. There were no side effects when using it.
When purchasing any drug, including AAS, special attention should be paid to their packaging. Try not to buy pills in jars, sachets or boxes. They can easily pick up moisture, and the protection from contact with air is minimal. The best option is blisters. Moreover, the packaging must be of high quality so that the foil is securely attached to the plastic. Pay attention to the quality of the tablets as well. If they crumble while still in the package, then their quality will be extremely low.
Injectable steroids
Since most AAS of this group are made in the form of an oil solution, it is worth starting with them. In general, these drugs are well stored and retain their performance for a long time. During the production process, they are often sterilized by boiling. The ability of the active substance to withstand high temperatures indicates high physical and chemical resistance of the active ingredient.
Most often, problems arise with drugs that have high dosages, in which the active ingredient can precipitate. This can occur after freezing, leading to the crystallization of the active components. We do not recommend the use of such steroids, as the crystals are extremely difficult to dissolve and can cause pain.
If you choose to filter such a steroid in order to remove crystals from it, then it will have a low concentration of the active ingredient. We recommend that you simply heat the bottle or even boil it upright. It is quite obvious that when performing this procedure, it must be securely closed. As a result, you will get a completely working anabolic.
Sometimes oil solutions separate. We will not name the manufacturer, since there are no complaints about its products in general. We will only inform you that a similar situation took place with testosterone propionate. With a high concentration of the active ingredient, liquid balls appeared on the surface of the solution, which did not want to dissolve again. Perhaps this was due to the oil, which at the time of production contained a large amount of water. However, no problems were encountered with this propionate.
The last form of AAS is suspension. The most famous and demanded drug here is Winstrol. If you do not follow the storage conditions, or if it is stored for a long time, small particles of the active ingredient may begin to stick together. As a result, it will be much more difficult for you to loosen the solution, and even with vigorous stirring, stanozolol crystals may remain on the walls of the bottle. However, even such a drug has no contraindications and turns out to be workable. The only point you should pay attention to is the need to use a needle with a large hole diameter.
