Herb & supplement monograph

Epistane Drug Interactions, Uses, Effectiveness, Safety & More

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS ·Updated July 2026

What is this page for?

First and foremost: how Epistane interacts with medications. The heart of this page is the interaction list — every drug Epistane is known to interact with, and how serious each one is.

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Epistane is, what people use it for and how strong the evidence is, its safety and side effects, and answers to the questions we’re asked most — written and reviewed by the clinical staff at HelloPharmacist. It’s educational information from our licensed clinical databases, not medical advice, and we don’t sell or endorse products. Our editorial policy

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On this page

Epistane Drug Interactions: The Bottom Line

From the HelloPharmacist Editorial Team · Updated July 2026

Based on the available evidence, Epistane drug interactions carry a moderate level of concern for most people, driven almost entirely by the potential for added strain on the liver. Every listed interaction is rated moderate rather than major, and all of them trace back to the same liver-related concern rather than many separate problems.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The interactions that matter most involve medications that can harm the liver. Epistane belongs to a family of man-made steroids known to stress the liver, and it is chemically similar to a related steroid that was linked to liver injury in a small group of patients. Combining it with other liver-taxing medicines could, in theory, add to that burden. This concern is theoretical rather than proven, but liver harm is serious enough that it deserves respect.

What the rest of the list means

The long list of interacting medications reflects one shared concern, not hundreds of separate proven problems. Because so many common medicines can affect the liver, each one is flagged as a precaution. None of these combinations has been shown to cause harm in well-controlled human studies, so the true risk for any single medicine may be lower than the list suggests.

Check your medications against Epistane

Based on HelloPharmacist’s Epistane interaction data and reviewed under our editorial standards.

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Epistane

372 medications have a known interaction with Epistane, graded by severity. Select any drug for the full evidence-based detail.

Don’t want to scroll the list? Just ask.

Tell us the medications you take and we’ll check each one against Epistane using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Epistane interaction data for education only — always confirm with your pharmacist. How we use AI

2,830 drugs

Read The List Like a Pharmacist

What Severity, Likelihood & Evidence Mean

Severity — How Serious It Can Be

Major. Clinically significant; generally best avoided, or used only under direct professional supervision.
Moderate. May need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one.
Minor. Generally not clinically significant, but still worth noting and mentioning to your pharmacist.
No known interaction. Checked against our sources with nothing documented — not the same as proven safety.

Likelihood — How Well It’s Documented

Likely. Well-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction
Probable. Interaction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
Possible. Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists
Unlikely. Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.

Where This Data Comes From

Interaction records are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database (TRC Healthcare), the same reference used by pharmacists and hospitals.
Each drug listed above links to the full report for that exact Epistane combination — clinical detail, likelihood, evidence level, and citations.
Content is reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

The big picture

The kinds of drugs Epistane affects

Every type of medication (drug category) Epistane is known to interact with. Open any category for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

All 1 drug category Epistane interacts with

Hepatotoxic Drugs

Theoretically, concomitant use might have additive adverse hepatotoxic effects.
Epistane is an anabolic androgenic steroid, and more specifically a 17-alpha-alkylated androgen. Therefore, there is concern that epistane has hepatotoxic effects. Also, epistane is structurally similar to epitiostanol, which has been associated with hepatotixicity in a case series of four patients.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Monograph

Epistane: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Reviewed July 2026 ·

The bottom line

Epistane is a synthetic anabolic steroid (a methylated 'designer steroid'), not a true dietary supplement or herb, even though it has been sold as a 'prohormone.' It is liver-toxic, can disrupt your natural hormones, and is illegal to sell as a supplement in the US under the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act. We strongly recommend avoiding it and talking with a doctor or pharmacist.

Part used: Synthetic compound (not a plant)
Common forms: Capsules, tablets (sold as a 'prohormone' or 'designer steroid' supplement)

People commonly use it for

Building muscle mass
Increasing strength
Cutting or losing body fat
Bodybuilding cycles

Popular and traditional uses — not proof it works. See “Uses & effectiveness” below for the evidence.

Safety at a glance

OverallBest avoided

Epistane is a liver-toxic anabolic steroid, not a safe supplement, and is banned for sale as a dietary supplement.

PregnancyPossibly Unsafe

When used orally. Anabolic androgenic steroids, such as epistane, can disrupt the body's hormonal balance and cause various adverse effects including...

Read the full pregnancy detail

BreastfeedingPossibly Unsafe

When used orally. Anabolic androgenic steroids, such as epistane, can disrupt the body's hormonal balance and cause various adverse effects including...

Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center). Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

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Overview

Epistane is the common name for a man-made anabolic steroid (a chemically altered version of a testosterone-like hormone). It is not a plant, herb, or natural dietary supplement, even though for years it was sold in stores and online as a 'prohormone' or muscle-building supplement.

Because it is a 'methylated' steroid, it was designed to survive being swallowed as a pill. Bodybuilders and gym-goers have used it in 'cycles' to try to build muscle and lose fat. In the United States, products like Epistane are now classified as controlled anabolic steroids and are illegal to sell as supplements.

How it works

Epistane is thought to act like other anabolic-androgenic steroids. It binds to androgen receptors in muscle tissue, which can increase protein building and muscle growth. It is also reported to resist conversion to estrogen, which is part of why it was marketed for 'lean' or 'dry' gains.

Because it is methylated to survive digestion, it puts extra stress on the liver. Like other anabolic steroids, it also signals the body to slow or stop making its own testosterone. These effects are based largely on how similar steroids work and on user reports rather than controlled research on Epistane itself.

Effectiveness

Does Epistane work?

Here’s what the research actually shows for each use — graded by Natural Medicines and reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD.

Evidence overview · 7 uses evaluated

7 Insufficient evidence

How to read these evidence grades

Natural Medicines’ 7-point scale. We show each rating’s label word-for-word.

1EffectiveStrong, consistent evidence it works.

2Likely EffectiveGood evidence, though not yet conclusive.

3Possibly EffectiveSome evidence suggests a benefit.

4Possibly IneffectiveSome evidence it may not help.

5Likely IneffectiveFairly strong evidence it doesn’t help.

6IneffectiveStrong evidence it doesn’t work.

7Insufficient Reliable Evidence to RateToo little research to say either way.

For Epistane, current evidence isn’t strong enough to rate any specific use. The conditions it has been studied for are listed below.

Also studied for 7 conditions — evidence insufficient to rate

Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Athletic performance