Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators – When and if they do eventually obtain FDA approval, are going to prove to be a truly innovative aid for the sports world and bodybuilding.
Because there are actually massive physical benefits offered when SARMs are used.
They are almost equal to the benefits offered by anabolic-androgenic steroids – just with fewer side effects.
It’s no wonder so many competing sportspeople have tested positive for SARMs.
After all, they talk of muscle gains and enhanced cardiovascular performance.
It makes sense that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned them for use in competitions [1].
People using them had an edge over those who didn’t!
They might have been banned for athletes but it doesn’t mean they were illegal to buy.
Using SARMs in the Military: Do They Test for Them?
Since SARMs came onto the market, they have been available via legal loopholes
Customers buy SARMs under the name of “research materials” [2]. They buy them and then sell them on the black market.
You will find a growing number of SARM stores online that sell SARMs products.
Pro-athletes and bodybuilders know exactly what they are getting with SARM and have incorporated them into their fitness routines.
They achieve faster, bigger results. The anabolic properties of SARMS help them to promote their muscle growth and even strengthen their bone density.
People loved it when SARMS first appeared on the market
They loved the thought that they could replace dangerous steroids with the SARMs performance enhancer.
They knew or believed that SARMs would give them the transformation they wanted – but in much safer ways.
They stimulate anabolism in the same way anabolic steroids do [3]. And they possess limited androgenic powers.
They only activate androgen receptors in the bones and muscles, making them less dangerous than steroids.
Experts Say SARMS Don’t Share Similarities With Steroids
As far as side effects go, it cannot be said that SARMs are an exception.
Some health-related complications of SARMS are known to be a stroke, liver toxicity, and heart problems [4].
Therefore, the FDA does not approve all the chemicals in it. Researchers continue to study their safety.
The authorities are prohibiting SARMs for human consumption, but people are continuing to purchase them and use them.
They know how frustrating and time-consuming bodybuilding and muscle building can be. SARMs cuts all that frustration and time away.
Drug Testing For SARMs
Basically, if you do end up having a drug test, for whatever reason, you are not likely to be ‘caught out’ for using SARMS; not unless you actually tell anybody about it.
You can basically use selective androgen receptor modulators indefinitely. The normal type of drug test doesn’t cover SARMs.
You might be worried because you are in the military and wondering if they have selective androgen receptor modulator drug tests.
But they don’t test for SARMs. They will only know if you are going to brag about it; tell everybody about it.
Not only that, a SARM drug test can cost quite a fortune. A SARMs drug test can cost over $500 for a test.
When an organization has lots of people working for it, it’s not likely it will spend a fortune to see if its employees are using androgenic drugs.
In the sports world, of course, it’s another thing altogether. Sports organizations will definitely check you for the substance usage.
SARMs Tests Are Subsidized By The Government
When people find out they are going to be tested for drugs, they get scared.
But, really, two things can test positive if you are using any drug – your hair and your urine.
Even a blood test won’t be able to determine SARM usage.
A urine test is the most standard way you will be tested for SARMs. It’s the one you will be subject to if you are going to undergo a SARMs drug test.
There is no one who knows how long SARMs can be detected in your saliva either – probably no longer than around 12 hours.
Hair Test For SARMs
A hair test, although not a common route to take, is another way to detect SARM’s presence.
In fact, SARMs can be detected in your hair follicles for up to two months.
This is because there are androgen receptors in the hair follicles.
Just say your business was going to do hair checks to check for SARMs usage, you would need to ensure that you haven’t used SARMs at least two months before the test.
So What Do Drug Tests Look For Then?
Well, a SARM drug test will look out for SARMs. Other substances that are illicit will also show up in a SARMs drug test such as steroids, prohormones, and other androgen-related compounds.
A SARM test is a completely separate test that is certainly used by sports institutions.
Unless you are an athlete, it’s not really likely you have to worry about SARM testing being undertaken.
Like we said before, they are expensive as well. What are likely being checked for will be substances like marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamines, and benzodiazepines.
SARMs Will Show Up In A Urine Test
Urine tests are the most likely way that testing for drugs is done – probably 99% of the time.
They’re cost-effective too. So like a doctor will check for disease and problems going on in your body with a urine test, so urine tests will reveal if you have SARM in your system.
Ostarine, for instance, will be in your urine for around 9 days while Ligandrol, another SARM, can last for longer.
The best rule to follow is to consider that SARMs can be in your urine for up to 30 days after you had your last dosage.
That’s quite a lot of time, so plan accordingly if you know you are going to undergo a SARM drug test.
Passing A SARMs Drug Test
You’ve got two choices; either not taking any SARMs for 30 days before your test, or getting yourself some synthetic urine![5].
It is not recommended you do this as an athlete, though, as you don’t want to ruin your chances.
But for the regular guys who just want to get through a test and all they are really interested in doing is boosting their bodybuilding, then synthetic urine really exists!
What about Normal Military Drug Test – Do They Test For SARMs?
The military doesn’t often test for SARMs in your system. You would have to actually tell them you take SARMs if you wanted them to discover it.
Working for the military, they would write a letter to the drug testing agency actually requesting a urinalysis for SARMs.
Usually, the military doesn’t test for SARMs unless they have a solid suspicion. It’s because it’s a specific test.
Remember, too, as we said above, testing for SARMs obviously costs a lot of extra money.
If in the military you are in a unit where they don’t regularly waste money on things like that, they are likely not going to test you even if you have made it obvious you take SARMs.
Unless, of course, there is someone in your command that is determined to catch you out.
In closing here, yes, SARMs will be detected on a specific military drug test if, in the past 10 days, you have taken at least three SARMs dosages.
SARMs Can Be Detected By Specific Military Drug Test
But for a normal military drug test, they won’t be detected.
So the only way that you could get caught for SARMs is if they know for sure you are taking them because you have told them or for some other reason and they want to check through a specific SARM military drug test.
This is rare though. There are plenty of people in the military who use SARMs actively and who don’t get caught.
It’s because the specific SARMs tests are very rare and they are also expensive.
Besides, the normal military drug test doesn’t detect SARMs. At ease!
Conclusion
Most people, probably 99% of people reading this article don’t probably have much to worry about regarding drug tests, and SARMs showing up.
If you are not abusing the real illegal substances that the tests were created for, then you don’t have much to worry about with SARMs.
In some cases, athletes might even be consuming contaminated dietary supplements unknowingly.
Brian Ahrens says “The levels of SARMs we are detecting in many positive drug testing cases are low enough that one can speculate the source of these substances coming from supplement contamination.”
A good way to minimize the risk of supplement contamination with SARMs is to ensure you source only third-party tested and certified supplements.
SARMs were originally designed as a way to prevent muscle wasting in patients who suffered from cancer or end-stage renal disease.
That sounds wonderful indeed, and yet SARMs, to date, have not been approved for clinical use.
In fact, they are considered “unapproved drugs” at this stage.
If you do a quick online search for SARMs, you will discover that they are being promoted and sold as supplements.
But the FDA picked this up and recalled some products being sold as supplements.
The FDA has not approved or reviewed SARMs for safety or effectiveness.
So do SARMS show up on a drug test? Yes, but really only on tests that are specifically designed to test for SARMs.
References
- [1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0731708521005446
- [2] https://www.opss.org/article/sarms-whats-harm
- [3] https://medshadow.org/are-sarms-safe-to-use/
- [4] https://www.healthline.com/health-news/debate-heats-up-over-sarms-fitness-supplements
- [5] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30194711/