Guaifenesin withdrawal and detection times for horses

Guaifenesin is an expectorant. Below: how 6 show and racing governing bodies list it, every published detection time for the dose and route studied, and the document and page each value comes from.USEF: Permitted with conditionsFEI: Controlled MedicationHISA/HIWU: detection time 48 h (2 days)named in the rules of 19 state racing commissions

Published detection times for Guaifenesin

Each row is one study the governing body published: its own dose, route and formulation. A different dose or route was not studied, and the body says so.

Body and documentDose and route studiedFormulationHorsesDetection time
HISA / HIWU
Last updated on December 8th, 2023 p. 14
2 grams total body dose, orally twice daily for 5 doses · oral948 h (2 days)
plasma
HISA / HIWU
080624 p. 4
2 grams total body dose, orally twice daily for 5 doses · oral948 h (2 days)
plasma
RMTC (advisory)
Updated September 30, 2024 p. 4
2 grams total body dose, orally twice daily for 5 doses · oral948 h (2 days)

Advisory withdrawal guidance (RMTC)

The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium publishes withdrawal guidance built on HISA's detection times. It is advisory, not a rule, and ShowSafe Pro shows it beside the HISA result, never in place of it.

Dose and routeWithdrawal guidanceHISA detection timeSource
2 grams total body dose, orally twice daily for 5 doses · oral72 h (3 days)RMTC advisory p. 4

How each rulebook lists Guaifenesin

Transcribed from the governing bodies' own documents. Each entry links to the document and quotes the row it came from.

USEF (US Equestrian)

2026 USEF Guidelines & Rules for Drugs and Medications (with 27 Jul 2026 Guidelines Update) p. 9 · 2026 (last revised 1 Dec 2025; amendments effective 27 Jul 2026, published 10 Aug 2026)
Permitted with conditions
  • Listed as: Potentially Permitted with Medication Report Form (MRF) according to GR411 · Timing: not within 24 h (1 day) of competition · Medication report form: required
“Potentially Permitted with Medication Report Form (MRF) according to GR411: ... guaifenesin (Mucinex®)” — source p. 9

FEI

2026 Equine Prohibited Substances List p. 18 · 2026 (effective 1 January 2026)
Controlled medication
  • Listed as: Controlled Medication
“CONTROLLED Guaifenesin Expectorant” — source p. 18

From 2027-01-01: 2027 Equine Prohibited Substances List p. 19 lists it as Controlled Medication.

Equestrian Canada

Controlled medication
  • Listed as: Prohibited substance
“Guaifenesin” — source p. 11

NRHA

NRHA Medications Database · Database reflecting Board-approved changes effective 1 Jan 2026 (retrieved 3 Oct 2026)
Controlled medication
  • Listed as: Banned
“Guaifenesin ... Banned” — source

HISA / HIWU

Controlled medication
  • Listed as: Controlled Medication Substance · Screening limit: 1 ng/mL in serum or plasma · Detection time: 48 h (2 days) for 2 grams total body dose, orally twice daily for 5 doses · Routes: oral
“Guaifenesin (glycerol guaiacolate) ... 2 grams total body dose, orally twice daily for 5 doses ... 48 hours (9) ... 1 ng/mL in serum or plasma” — source p. 4
HISA Prohibited Substances List: Controlled Medications p. 14 · Last updated on December 8th, 2023
Controlled medication
  • Listed as: S7 Controlled Medication Substances · Screening limit: 1 ng/mL in serum or plasma · Detection time: 48 h (2 days) for 2 grams total body dose, orally twice daily for 5 doses · Routes: oral
“Guaifenesin (Glycerol guiacolate) ... 48 hours: 2 grams total body dose, orally twice daily for 5 doses. (9 horses) ... 1 ng/mL in serum or plasma” — source p. 14

ARCI

Controlled medication
  • Listed as: Class 4, Penalty C
“Guaifenesin (glycerol guiacolate) Gecolate 4 C” — source p. 32
ARCI Controlled Therapeutic Medication Schedule for Horses p. 4 · Version 4.2.1 (Revised December 2020); policies from Model Rules Version 15 (August 2026)
Permitted up to a threshold
  • Listed as: Controlled Therapeutic Medication · Dose in the rule: 2 grams twice daily for 5 doses · Screening limit: 12 nanograms per milliliter of plasma or serum
“Guaifenesin | 12 nanograms per milliliter of plasma or serum | 48 hours” — source p. 4

State racing commissions

Guaifenesin is named in the medication rules, threshold schedules or withdrawal guidance of 19 state racing commissions: Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, West Virginia. Most states publish thresholds (concentrations), not times, and several adopt the ARCI schedule by reference. ShowSafe Pro Racing layers each state's rules over HISA or ARCI the way that state applies them, for all 32 states with live pari-mutuel racing.

Detection time is not withdrawal time

A published detection time tells you how long Guaifenesin stayed detectable in a handful of horses given one dose by one route. It does not tell you when your horse is clear: a bigger dose, a different route, repeated doses, a joint injection or a slower horse all push the real figure out, and every governing body says to add a safety margin set by your veterinarian. Here is how to read the rulebook.

ShowSafe Pro takes the doses already logged for your horse, matches each one to the published row for that dose and route, adds the margin your vet set, and flags anything the studies never covered as Unknown, ask your vet instead of guessing. Every answer shows the document, page and line it came from, for every rulebook the show runs under.

A detection time is the approximate period a drug or its metabolite stayed detectable in the horses studied, at the dose and route studied. It is not a withdrawal time. No governing body publishes withdrawal times for you; your veterinarian sets the safety margin for your horse. Nothing on this page is a veterinary ruling or a promise that a horse will test clean. Rules change; the document, version and page behind every value are linked so you can check the current text.

Questions about Guaifenesin

Is Guaifenesin allowed at USEF shows?

The 2026 USEF Guidelines & Rules for Drugs and Medications (with 27 Jul 2026 Guidelines Update) list Guaifenesin as "Potentially Permitted with Medication Report Form (MRF) according to GR411". Not within 24 h (1 day) of competition. (Page 9.)

What is the FEI detection time for Guaifenesin?

On the 2026 FEI Equine Prohibited Substances List Guaifenesin is a Controlled Medication. The FEI states that a detection time is not a withdrawal time; the treating veterinarian adds a safety margin.

How long before a race can a horse have Guaifenesin under HISA?

HIWU's published detection time for Guaifenesin is 48 h (2 days) for 2 grams total body dose, orally twice daily for 5 doses (9 horses), screening limit 1 ng/mL in serum or plasma. RMTC's advisory withdrawal guidance for the same dose is 72 h (3 days). A detection time is not a withdrawal time; HISA leaves the safety margin to your veterinarian.

Does a published detection time mean my horse will test clean?

No. It is the approximate time Guaifenesin stayed detectable in the horses studied, at that dose and route. Your horse, dose, route and number of doses may differ. Every governing body tells you to add a safety margin set by your veterinarian, and none publishes a withdrawal time. ShowSafe Pro applies the published row for the dose and route you actually gave, adds your vet's margin, and says 'Unknown' when the studies do not cover what you gave.

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