Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids (sold as SARMs)
Epistane (Methylepitiostanol)
Methylepitiostanol; Havoc; E-Stane; Epi; 2α,3α-epithio-17α-methyl-5α-androstan-17β-ol; 17α-methylepithiostanol; Methyl-epitiostanol; 2,3-thioepoxy madol
11 min read · Updated July 10, 2026 · 7 references
Curated by PeptideInfo Wikilast reviewed how we verify
Epistane (methylepitiostanol) is an anabolic-androgenic STEROID — not a SARM and not a peptide — despite being sold as a "dry SARM" or "prohormone." It is a 17α-alkylated (oral) derivative of DHT (formula C20H32OS) whose 2,3-epithio group also gives anti-estrogenic/aromatase-inhibitory activity — the basis of its "dry"/"non-estrogenic" marketing, NOT any SARM-like tissue selectivity. It was never approved as a medicine anywhere. The 17α-alkyl group makes it orally active but HEPATOTOXIC: published human case reports document severe, prolonged cholestatic liver injury with profound jaundice and 14- to 61-fold bile-acid elevation in young men who used it (Petrov et al. 2020). Like all oral 17α-alkylated AAS it also suppresses natural testosterone, worsens lipids/cardiovascular risk, and causes virilization. It is frequently the undeclared adulterant in "SARM"/supplement products, is WADA-prohibited as an exogenous AAS, and is an explicitly named US Schedule III controlled anabolic steroid under the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2014. It is the OPPOSITE of "mild."
Evidence: Evidence is largely animal/cell studies, not humans.
- Anabolic-androgenic STEROID (17α-alkylated oral DHT derivative) — NOT a SARM, NOT a peptide, despite "dry SARM"/"prohormone" branding
- The 2,3-epithio group gives anti-estrogenic/aromatase-inhibitory ("dry"/"non-estrogenic") activity — this is a steroid property, NOT SARM-like tissue selectivity
- HEADLINE RISK is the liver — 17α-alkylation causes hepatotoxicity; published human case reports document severe, prolonged cholestatic DILI with profound jaundice and 14- to 61-fold bile-acid elevation (Petrov et al., Arch Toxicol 2020)
- Also suppresses the HPTA (endogenous testosterone), worsens lipids/cardiovascular risk, and causes androgenic/virilizing effects — class effects of oral 17α-alkylated AAS
- Never approved as a medicine anywhere; a designer anabolic steroid frequently found as an UNDECLARED adulterant in products sold as "SARMs"/supplements — a label is not a reliable statement of contents (Van Wagoner et al., JAMA 2017)
- WADA-prohibited at all times as an exogenous anabolic-androgenic steroid (S1.1a); separately an explicitly named US Schedule III controlled anabolic steroid under the CSA as expanded by the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2014 (listed in 21 U.S.C. § 802(41))
Epistane is an anabolic-androgenic STEROID (AAS) — it is NOT a SARM and NOT a peptide, despite being marketed as a "dry SARM" or "prohormone." Chemically it is methylepitiostanol (2α,3α-epithio-17α-methyl-5α-androstan-17β-ol), a 17α-alkylated (oral) derivative of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) carrying a 2,3-epithio group that also confers anti-estrogenic / aromatase-inhibitory activity — the basis for its "dry"/"non-estrogenic" marketing. It was never approved for medical use in any jurisdiction. The 17α-alkyl group makes it orally active but also HEPATOTOXIC — multiple published human case reports document severe, prolonged cholestatic drug-induced liver injury (DILI) with profound jaundice in young men who used epistane (Petrov et al., Arch Toxicol 2020). Like all oral 17α-alkylated AAS it also suppresses the HPTA (endogenous testosterone), adversely alters lipids/cardiovascular risk, and causes androgenic/virilizing effects. It is a designer anabolic steroid — the opposite of "mild" — sold under SARM/prohormone branding, and it is a known undeclared adulterant in "SARM"/supplement products. WADA-prohibited as an exogenous AAS (S1.1a); a US Schedule III controlled anabolic steroid explicitly named under the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2014. Not an approved medicine — a controlled designer anabolic steroid; educational information only, not medical, dosing, or legal advice.
Overview
Epistane (chemical name methylepitiostanol; also sold as "Havoc," "E-Stane," or just "Epi") is an anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS). Despite being marketed as a "dry SARM" or "prohormone," it is NOT a SARM and NOT a peptide — it is a full anabolic-androgenic steroid. Structurally it is 2α,3α-epithio-17α-methyl-5α-androstan-17β-ol: a 17α-alkylated (orally active) derivative of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) carrying a 2,3-epithio group. That epithio group also gives it anti-estrogenic / aromatase-inhibitory activity — epistane is the 17α-methyl derivative of epitiostanol, a compound historically used as an anti-estrogen in breast cancer in Japan. This "non-estrogenic / dry" effect is the basis of its marketing, not any SARM-like tissue selectivity.
Epistane appears on this reference because it is discussed, sold, and stacked alongside peptides and "SARMs" in the fitness and "research chemical" community — and because it is a known undeclared adulterant in products sold as SARMs/supplements — not because it is a peptide or a SARM.
Not approved — a hepatotoxic anabolic steroid sold as a 'mild SARM'
Epistane (methylepitiostanol) was never approved for medical use in any jurisdiction. It is a 17α-alkylated oral anabolic-androgenic steroid, and its defining hazard is the liver: multiple published human case reports document severe, prolonged cholestatic drug-induced liver injury (DILI) with profound jaundice and 14- to 61-fold elevation of serum bile acids in young men who used it (Petrov et al., Arch Toxicol 2020). Like all oral 17α-alkylated AAS it also suppresses natural testosterone (HPTA), worsens lipids / cardiovascular risk, and causes androgenic/virilizing effects. It is WADA-prohibited at all times and is an explicitly named US Schedule III controlled anabolic steroid. This page is educational and is not medical, legal, or dosing advice; nothing here endorses or guides human use. This is emphatically not a "milder, safer, or legal alternative" to steroids — it IS a steroid.
Chemistry and structure
Epistane is a 17α-alkylated DHT-derived steroid, not a peptide (an amino-acid chain) and not a nonsteroidal SARM scaffold.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Epistane (methylepitiostanol / "Havoc" / "E-Stane" / "Epi") |
| Class | 17α-alkylated oral anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS), a DHT derivative with a 2,3-epithio group — not a SARM, not a peptide |
| Molecular formula | C20H32OS |
| Molecular weight | 320.5 g/mol (PubChem CID 71752521) |
| CAS number | 4267-80-5 |
| Systematic descriptor | 2α,3α-epithio-17α-methyl-5α-androstan-17β-ol |
| Parent / related compound | 17α-methyl derivative of epitiostanol (a clinical anti-estrogen used in breast cancer in Japan) |
| Route | Orally active (17α-alkylation confers oral activity — and hepatotoxicity) |
| Elimination half-life | Not established / not found in sources |
Mechanism of action
- Androgen receptor (AR) full agonism. As a DHT-derived anabolic-androgenic steroid, epistane binds and activates the androgen receptor in muscle and other tissues, producing anabolic and androgenic effects. This is a nuclear steroid-receptor mechanism — fundamentally different from the tissue-selective partial agonism marketed for SARMs. In cultured human hepatocytes epistane activated AR even at low (0.01 μM) concentrations. [Human]
- Anti-estrogenic / aromatase-inhibitory activity. The 2,3-epithio group confers anti-estrogenic / aromatase-inhibitory activity (epistane is the 17α-methyl derivative of epitiostanol, historically used as a breast-cancer anti-estrogen). This "non-estrogenic / dry" property is the basis of its marketing — not any SARM-like selectivity. [Preclinical]
- Bile-acid synthesis and nuclear-receptor cross-talk (the cholestasis mechanism). Epistane upregulates bile-acid synthesis genes CYP7A1 (~65%) and CYP8B1 (~67%) via AR activation, and at higher concentrations activates LXR and PXR, driving accumulation of cholic-acid conjugates in hepatocytes — the mechanistic basis of epistane-induced cholestasis (human hepatocyte and patient data, Petrov et al. 2020). [Human]
- HPTA suppression. As an exogenous androgen, epistane suppresses endogenous LH/FSH and testosterone via negative feedback — a class effect of anabolic steroids. The compound-specific magnitude of suppression for epistane is not established; this is inferred for all exogenous AAS. [Human — class effect]
Research and evidence
The honest framing: there is little to no legitimate efficacy evidence. Epistane was first described in 1974 but was never marketed as a medicine; there are no approval-grade efficacy or safety trials. The human record is essentially adverse-event case reports (chiefly liver injury) and mechanistic studies — not therapeutic data.
| Finding | Model | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Epistane caused severe, prolonged cholestasis in four young men (mean age ~32); serum bile-acid pool elevated 14- to 61-fold (predominantly cholic-acid conjugates); jaundice and hospitalization | [Human] — case series + human hepatocyte mechanism | Petrov PD et al., Arch Toxicol 2020;94(2):589-607 (PMID 31894354) |
| Mechanism: AR-driven upregulation of CYP7A1 (~65%) and CYP8B1 (~67%), with LXR/PXR activation at higher concentrations, driving bile-acid accumulation | [Human] — cultured human hepatocytes | Petrov PD et al. 2020 (PMID 31894354) |
| C-17α alkylated androgens as a class cause a distinctive "bland cholestasis" — profound jaundice with only modest transaminase elevation (ALT/ALP often <2-3×, sometimes normal), insidious onset ~1-4 months — and are implicated in peliosis hepatis, nodular regeneration, hepatic adenoma and hepatocellular carcinoma | [Human] — class-level clinical reference | NIH LiverTox, Androgenic Steroids (NBK548931) |
| Products sold as "SARMs" are frequently mislabeled/adulterated: of 44 internet "SARM" products, only 52% contained a SARM, 39% contained a different unapproved drug, 9% contained no active compound, 25% contained substances not on the label | [Human] — analytical | Van Wagoner RM et al., JAMA 2017 (PMID 29183075) |
| 17α-methylepithiostanol detected (with desoxymethyltestosterone) as a non-ketoic designer steroid in dietary supplements — confirming its circulation as an undeclared/quasi-legal supplement ingredient | [Analytical] | Okano M et al., Drug Test Anal 2009 (PMID 20355167) |
| No approved medical use; no efficacy/safety established in controlled human trials (first described 1974, never marketed as a medicine) | [Human — absence of data] | Historical/pharmacology literature; no regulatory approval on record |
Human evidence in context. There are no controlled efficacy or safety trials for epistane. The human data that exist are adverse-event case reports — predominantly severe cholestatic liver injury — plus mechanistic studies in human hepatocytes. Any physique or performance claim rests on marketing and anecdote, not evidence, while the documented human effect is liver harm.
Status and regulation
- Regulatory approval: None. Methylepitiostanol was first described in 1974 but was never marketed for medical use anywhere. It is not an approved medicine, supplement, or food ingredient.
- Designer steroid / supplement adulterant: It circulates as a grey-market "prohormone"/"dry SARM" and is a known undeclared adulterant in products sold as supplements/"SARMs" (Okano et al. 2009; Van Wagoner et al. 2017).
- US control (CSA / DASCA): The Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2014 (DASCA) broadened Schedule III control to designer steroids, and epistane is not merely captured by the general definition — it is explicitly named. Methylepitiostanol (2α,3α-epithio-17α-methyl-5α-androstan-17β-ol) is listed by name in the US statutory definition of "anabolic steroid" at 21 U.S.C. § 802(41), making it a Schedule III controlled anabolic steroid under the Controlled Substances Act.
- Anti-doping: Prohibited by WADA at all times (in- and out-of-competition) as an exogenous anabolic-androgenic steroid (S1.1a) — a different anti-doping class from SARMs (which sit under S1.2). WADA is a sport-eligibility axis and is separate from legality.
Safety
Liver injury is the headline risk — a hepatotoxic 17α-alkylated steroid
Epistane's defining hazard is hepatotoxicity / cholestatic drug-induced liver injury (DILI). The 17α-alkyl group makes it hepatotoxic. Published human case reports describe severe, prolonged cholestasis with profound jaundice, marked bile-acid elevation (14- to 61-fold), and hospitalization in young men (Petrov et al., Arch Toxicol 2020, PMID 31894354) [Human]. Consistent with the C-17α alkylated AAS class, NIH LiverTox describes a distinctive "bland cholestasis" — deep jaundice with only modest transaminase elevation — with insidious onset over ~1-4 months, and links the class to peliosis hepatis, nodular regenerative hyperplasia, hepatic adenoma and hepatocellular carcinoma [Human]. This injury can be prolonged and idiosyncratic.
Documented and expected safety signals (tagged by evidence type):
- Hepatotoxicity / cholestatic DILI [Human] — HIGH. The headline risk. Documented human case reports of severe, prolonged cholestasis with profound jaundice, marked bile-acid elevation, and hospitalization in young men; can be prolonged and idiosyncratic.
- HPTA / endogenous-testosterone suppression [Human] — HIGH. As an exogenous androgen, epistane suppresses natural LH/FSH and testosterone; may cause hypogonadism, and recovery is not guaranteed. Class effect of anabolic steroids. No dosing, "cycle," or post-cycle guidance is given here.
- Adverse lipid / cardiovascular effects [Human] — HIGH. Oral 17α-alkylated AAS characteristically suppress HDL and worsen the lipid profile, raising cardiovascular risk. The specific magnitude for epistane is not quantified in trials.
- Androgenic / virilizing effects [Human] — MODERATE. Acne, hair changes, aggression, and virilization; particularly hazardous for women (irreversible virilization) and contraindicated in pregnancy.
- Deceptive "mild SARM" marketing [Human] — HIGH. Marketed as a "dry SARM"/prohormone implying mildness. This is misleading — it is a full anabolic-androgenic steroid with steroid-class risks, not a tissue-selective SARM.
Contamination reality — a 'SARM'/'prohormone' label is not a statement of contents
Designer steroids like epistane are frequently the undeclared adulterant in products sold as "SARMs" or "prohormones." Van Wagoner et al. (JAMA 2017, PMID 29183075) chemically analyzed 44 products sold as SARMs: only 52% contained a SARM, 39% contained a different unapproved drug, 9% contained no active compound, and 25% contained substances not on the label. Separately, 17α-methylepithiostanol has been detected as an undeclared designer-steroid adulterant in dietary supplements (Okano et al., Drug Test Anal 2009, PMID 20355167). A label cannot be trusted to reflect actual contents, dose, or purity — an independent hazard on top of the drug's own steroidal risks, and a common source of inadvertent anti-doping violations.
Legal status
Legality not assessed here
This page does not assess the legality of buying or possessing epistane in every specific country. What is documented: it is not an approved medicine, supplement, or food ingredient anywhere; it was never marketed as a medicine; and in the United States it is an explicitly named Schedule III controlled anabolic steroid — methylepitiostanol (2α,3α-epithio-17α-methyl-5α-androstan-17β-ol) is listed by name in the CSA definition of "anabolic steroid" at 21 U.S.C. § 802(41) as expanded by the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2014. Separately, it is prohibited in sport by WADA at all times (S1.1a). "Prohormone"/"research chemical" status is a legal and safety gray zone — it is not a signal of safety or approval, and this is not a "milder, safer, or legal alternative" to steroids — it IS a steroid.
How it compares
Epistane is habitually grouped with "SARMs," but the honest framing separates chemistry from marketing:
- Ostarine and testolone (RAD-140) are true nonsteroidal SARMs — nitrogen-containing small molecules designed for partial, tissue-selective AR agonism. Epistane is different: it is a full anabolic-androgenic steroid (a 17α-alkylated DHT derivative) with nuclear steroid-receptor agonism and the hepatotoxicity of oral 17α-alkylated AAS. It shares SARMs' lack of approval and WADA-prohibited status, but not their scaffold or their "selective" pharmacology.
- Ligandrol (LGD-4033) and andarine — other true nonsteroidal SARMs frequently sold alongside epistane; again, epistane is a steroid, they are not.
- YK-11 — itself a steroid sold as a "SARM," but a different scaffold (a follistatin-inducing 19-norprogesterone derivative) from epistane's 17α-alkylated DHT scaffold.
The decisive point: epistane is a hepatotoxic anabolic-androgenic steroid, never approved for anything, whose most-documented human effect is severe cholestatic liver injury — not a benchmarked, evidence-backed physique therapy, and not a "mild SARM." See the Muscle, growth & hormones overview.
Common misconceptions
- "Epistane is a mild SARM." No. It is a full anabolic-androgenic steroid — a 17α-alkylated DHT derivative. "SARM"/"prohormone" branding implies mildness and tissue selectivity it does not have.
- "It's safer than steroids." No — it IS a steroid, and its 17α-alkylation makes it hepatotoxic, with documented human cholestatic liver injury, jaundice, and hospitalization.
- "'Dry'/'non-estrogenic' means it's gentle." No. The "dry" effect comes from its anti-estrogenic/aromatase-inhibitory 2,3-epithio group — a steroid property, not a sign of safety or SARM-like selectivity.
- "Epistane is a peptide." No. It is a synthetic steroid (C20H32OS), not an amino-acid chain. It is covered here only because it is discussed and stacked with peptides and "SARMs."
- "A 'prohormone'/'SARM' product labeled epistane is what it says." No. Independent testing found most products sold as SARMs were mislabeled, contained a different drug, or contained nothing (JAMA 2017); methylepitiostanol itself is a known undeclared adulterant (Drug Test Anal 2009).
This entry is educational and summarizes published research and public regulatory information as of the "updated" date above. It is not medical advice, not legal advice, a recommendation, or a guide to obtaining or using any substance.
References
- 1.PubChem CID 71752521 — Methylepitiostanol (2,3-Thioepoxy madol): formula C20H32OS, MW 320.5 g/mol, CAS 4267-80-5 — National Library of Medicine (PubChem), PubChem, 2026. source
- 2.Epistane, an anabolic steroid used for recreational purposes, causes cholestasis with elevated levels of cholic acid conjugates, by upregulating bile acid synthesis (CYP8B1) and cross-talking with nuclear receptors in human hepatocytes — Petrov PD, Fernández-Murga L, Conde I, Martínez-Sena T, Guzmán C, Castell JV, Jover R., Archives of Toxicology, 2020. source
- 3.Androgenic Steroids — LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury — National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), LiverTox (NCBI Bookshelf), 2020. source
- 4.Chemical Composition and Labeling of Substances Marketed as Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators and Sold via the Internet — Van Wagoner RM, Eichner A, Bhasin S, Deuster PA, Eichner D., JAMA, 2017. source
- 5.Analysis of non-ketoic steroids 17α-methylepithiostanol and desoxymethyltestosterone in dietary supplements — Okano M, Sato M, Kageyama S., Drug Testing and Analysis, 2009. source
- 6.Implementation of the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2014 (DEA final rule) — Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Register, 2023. source
- 7.Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2014 (overview) — Wikipedia contributors, Wikipedia, 2026. source
Frequently asked questions
- What is Epistane (Methylepitiostanol)?
- Epistane is an anabolic-androgenic STEROID (AAS) — it is NOT a SARM and NOT a peptide, despite being marketed as a "dry SARM" or "prohormone." Chemically it is methylepitiostanol (2α,3α-epithio-17α-methyl-5α-androstan-17β-ol), a 17α-alkylated (oral) derivative of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) carrying a 2,3-epithio group that also confers anti-estrogenic / aromatase-inhibitory activity — the basis for its "dry"/"non-estrogenic" marketing. It was never approved for medical use in any jurisdiction. The 17α-alkyl group makes it orally active but also HEPATOTOXIC — multiple published human case reports document severe, prolonged cholestatic drug-induced liver injury (DILI) with profound jaundice in young men who used epistane (Petrov et al., Arch Toxicol 2020). Like all oral 17α-alkylated AAS it also suppresses the HPTA (endogenous testosterone), adversely alters lipids/cardiovascular risk, and causes androgenic/virilizing effects. It is a designer anabolic steroid — the opposite of "mild" — sold under SARM/prohormone branding, and it is a known undeclared adulterant in "SARM"/supplement products. WADA-prohibited as an exogenous AAS (S1.1a); a US Schedule III controlled anabolic steroid explicitly named under the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2014. Not an approved medicine — a controlled designer anabolic steroid; educational information only, not medical, dosing, or legal advice.
- Is Epistane (Methylepitiostanol) approved as a medicine, and where?
- No. Epistane (Methylepitiostanol) is not approved for human use. The available evidence comes almost entirely from laboratory and animal studies.
- What is Epistane (Methylepitiostanol) studied for?
- Epistane (Methylepitiostanol) is most often discussed in the context of muscle & growth hormone. Research has examined muscle-growth-hormone. Being studied for an area does not mean it is proven or approved for it.
- Does Epistane (Methylepitiostanol) have human clinical trials?
- No. The evidence for Epistane (Methylepitiostanol) is almost entirely from cell and animal studies; there are no established human clinical trials.
Educational disclaimer. This article summarizes published research for informational purposes and is not medical advice. Epistane (Methylepitiostanol) is a research chemical not approved for human use. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.