Tranexamic Acid (Lysteda): Label, Melasma Studies
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Tranexamic Acid (TXA): label dosing, half-life and melasma studies

Tablet strengths · Approval status · Half-life ~11 hours (terminal)

Short answer: Tranexamic acid has a half-life of about 11 hours (terminal). Levels peak about 3 hours after a dose. People vary, so treat these as estimates.

What is tranexamic acid?

Tranexamic acid (TXA) is an antifibrinolytic: it slows the breakdown of blood clots. As 650 mg tablets, first approved as Lysteda in 2009, it is approved for heavy menstrual periods. Low-dose oral TXA for melasma, a patchy skin darkening, is an off-label use that has been studied.

Also known as: TXA, Lysteda.

Tablet strengths

Lysteda and generic tranexamic acid tablets are 650 mg.

Approval status and how it is used

The FDA tranexamic acid tablet label approves it for cyclic heavy menstrual bleeding. The label dose is 1,300 mg (two 650 mg tablets) three times a day for up to 5 days during the monthly period, swallowed whole, with or without food; it is lowered with kidney impairment (serum creatinine above 1.4 mg/dL).

Because it stabilizes clots, it is not used with combined hormonal birth control, or with an active blood clot, a history of clots (including in the eye), or a condition that raises clot risk. The label also warns about severe allergic reactions, brain swelling and stroke in people with a bleed around the brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage), and a rare eye inflammation (ligneous conjunctivitis) that cleared after stopping.

Use for melasma is off-label. In a 2018 placebo-controlled trial in 44 patients (Del Rosario, JAAD), 250 mg twice a day for 3 months plus sunscreen cut melasma severity scores by 49%, versus 18% on placebo; 3 months after stopping, the drop from baseline was 26% versus 19%. These are study protocols, not personalized advice; confirm any dosing with your prescriber.

Tranexamic acid half-life and time to peak

  • Half-lifeabout 11 hours (terminal)
  • Time to peak (Tmax)about 3 hours

The FDA tranexamic acid tablet label says peak levels come about 3 hours after a 1,300 mg dose, and about 45% of an oral dose is absorbed. After an IV dose, most of it leaves within the first 10 hours (an apparent half-life of about 2 hours), and the mean terminal half-life is about 11 hours. More than 95% leaves unchanged in the urine, which is why the label lowers the dose with kidney impairment.

Numbers shown are taken from the source above. Half-life varies from person to person.

How to track tranexamic acid in Dose Track

  1. Add tranexamic acid as a custom compound. Start typing its name and Dose Track fills in the details from its research library for you to check, and it sits next to everything else you take.
  2. Log each tablet when you take it, including split or fractional tablets, so your history shows exactly what you took and when.
  3. Set reminders on your own schedule, whether that is daily, weekly or every few days.
  4. Your log is stored on your phone and no account is needed. Data only leaves it for features you choose, like AI answers and lab reading.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the half-life of tranexamic acid?+
The FDA tranexamic acid tablet label says peak levels come about 3 hours after a 1,300 mg dose, and about 45% of an oral dose is absorbed. After an IV dose, most of it leaves within the first 10 hours (an apparent half-life of about 2 hours), and the mean terminal half-life is about 11 hours. More than 95% leaves unchanged in the urine, which is why the label lowers the dose with kidney impairment.
Can tranexamic acid be taken with birth control?+
Not with combined hormonal birth control. The FDA label says the two together may raise the risk of blood clots, so that combination is contraindicated.
What dose of tranexamic acid was studied for melasma?+
The 2018 placebo-controlled trial used 250 mg twice a day for 3 months, with sunscreen. That is a study protocol, not a recommendation; melasma is not an FDA-approved use.
Can I track tranexamic acid in Dose Track?+
Yes. Tranexamic acid is in Dose Track's research library, so when you add it as a custom compound its details are filled in for you to check. You can then log each tablet next to your other compounds, set reminders on your own schedule, and see your history next to your lab results. Your log is stored on your phone and no account is needed. Data only leaves it for features you choose, like AI answers and lab reading.

Sources

  1. Tranexamic acid tablets 650 mg prescribing information (Actavis), sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 12.3. DailyMed, March 2026.
  2. Drugs@FDA: Lysteda (tranexamic acid) tablets, NDA 022430.
  3. Del Rosario E, et al. Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study of oral tranexamic acid in the treatment of moderate-to-severe melasma. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2018;78(2):363-369.

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