What is the big deal?
Most medications on the Prohibited List can be bought at a pharmacy so they must be safe to use, right?
NO! Medications are for people with specific health issues not for healthy athletes. They were not approved to be used by healthy people, in high doses and in combination with other substances.
What about dietary or nutritional supplements?
"All-natural. Pure. Fast results." Beware!
Supplement companies are not highly regulated meaning you never know what you are taking. There could be a banned substance in your "all-natural" supplement.
What is at risk?
All medications have side effects but taking them when your body doesn`t need them can cause serious damage to your body and destroy your athletic career.
What else should you know?
Methods
There are also methods of administering substances or manipulating your physiology that are banned. These methods can also have negative effects on your body. For example: Blood doping, including having blood transfusions to change the way your blood carries oxygen to the rest of your body, may result in:
An increased risk of heart failure, stroke, kidney damage and high blood pressure
Problems with your blood like infections, poisoning, overloading of your white cells, and reduction of platelet count
Problems with your circulatory system
HIV/ AIDS
As with any injectable drug, using a syringe to dope puts you at a higher risk for contracting infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.
What happens to an athlete who uses?
Steroids
Steroids may make your muscles big and strong, BUT ..you may become dependent on them and they may:
Give you acne
Make you bald
Increase your risk of liver and cardiovascular disease
Give you mood swings
Make you more aggressive
Make you suicidal
EPO (erythropoetin)
EPO (erythropoetin) may help with the way your body uses oxygen, BUT......why risk it when it may lead to death?
Using EPO may make your blood more like honey thick and sticky than water. Trying to pump this thick blood through your veins may:
Make you feel weak not good when you are trying to train hard!
Give you high blood pressure
Make your heart work so hard that you have a heart attack or stroke (even at your age)
Stimulants
Stimulants are used to heighten the competitive edge, BUT .how edgy would you feel if you:
Can`t sleep (insomnia)
Have involuntary shaking or trembling
Have problems with your coordination and balance
Are anxious and aggressive
Develop an increased and irregular heart rate
Have a heart attack (imaging dying of a heart attack at your age!) or stroke
These are the effects that using stimulants may have on your body.
HGH (human growth hormone)
HGH (human growth hormone) may make muscles and bones stronger and recover faster, BUT..... it is not only your muscles that get bigger.
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Using HGH may lead to:
Acromegaly protruding forehead, brow, skull and jaw which can`t be reversed
An enlarged heart that can result in high blood pressure and even heart failure
Damage to your liver, thyroid and vision
Crippling arthritis
Masking agents
Some athletes try to cheat the system by using diuretics and other substances to cover-up the signs of using banned substances.
The side effects can definitely affect your ability to compete and train. You may:
Become dizzy or even faint
Become dehydrated
Get muscle cramps
Have a drop in blood pressure
Lose coordination and balance
Become confused and moody
Develop cardiac disorders
Marijuana
Marijuana, cannabis, pot whatever you call it, IT IS BANNED. Whether you are a pot-head or a casual user, marijuana may have a negative effect on your athletic performance and your health.
Using may:
Reduce your memory, attention, and motivation even result in learning disabilities
Weaken your immune system
Affect your lungs (chronic bronchitis and other respiratory diseases, even throat cancer)
Lead to psychological and physical dependence
Narcotics
Narcotics, like heroin and morphine, may help you forget about the pain, BUT .how competitive do you think you`d be with a:
Weakened immune system
Decreased heart rate and suppressed respiratory system (you can`t compete if you are dead)
Loss in balance, coordination and concentration
Gastrointestinal problem like vomiting and constipation
Narcotics are also highly addictive your body and mind quickly become dependent on them.
