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How long does Degarelix Injection stay in your system?

Updated Sep 7, 20262 min readAnswer
On this pageShort answer Life on degarelix: what to track Common questions Related questions Sources
Short answer

**Degarelix leaves the body slowly: it has an average terminal half-life of about 53 days after a subcutaneous injection, so most people take roughly 8 to 9 months to clear it fully after the last dose.**

The injection forms a small gel depot under the skin of your abdomen that keeps releasing drug for weeks, which is why the tail is so long compared with a pill. How long you were treated, your dose, and reduced kidney or liver function can stretch or shorten that window. Clearance and effect are two different clocks: testosterone stays suppressed the whole time depot levels remain high, and many men need several months after the final injection before testosterone climbs back toward baseline. Your care team tracks this with testosterone and PSA blood tests rather than by measuring the drug itself. Keep injection dates in one place so you and your clinician can line up lab results with your last dose.

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Life on degarelix: what to track

1Track your dose dates:Write down every injection date so lab results can be read against your last dose.
2Watch the effect, not the drug:Testosterone and PSA blood tests show whether treatment is still working better than any drug level test.
3Expect a slow recovery:Hot flashes, low energy, and low libido can persist for months after the final injection while testosterone returns.
4Flag organ problems:Tell your clinician about kidney or liver disease, since clearance can take longer than the usual estimate.
5Do not stop on your own:Skipping a scheduled dose lets testosterone rise again, so talk to your oncologist before pausing.
6Report warning signs:Chest pain, fainting, an irregular heartbeat, or a hot swollen injection site needs same-day medical care.

Common questions

How long does Degarelix Injection stay in your system?

Degarelix forms a gel depot under the skin and releases slowly, which gives it an average terminal half-life of about 53 days. Using the usual rule of roughly five half-lives, the drug is essentially gone about 8 to 9 months after your last injection. The effects follow a separate schedule: testosterone stays suppressed while depot levels are high, and it commonly takes several months after stopping for testosterone to recover. Your dose, how long you were treated, and kidney or liver problems can shift the timing. If you are stopping treatment, changing therapy, or planning surgery, ask your oncology team when levels should be low enough to matter.

About this page. Written and maintained by the Pymander Health team. Last updated September 7, 2026.

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