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Sports Pharmacology

Pharmacology is very important in athletics. Pharmacuticals produce physiological responses in the body. These physiological responses can affect performance. However, exercise also causes physiological responses. Therefore, exercise can influence the actions of pharmaceuticals. In most cases, when athletes take prescription or over the counter medications, exercise does not have detrimental affects on the drugs actions, but the medications can have detrimental affects on performance and wellness. For instance, athletes often take over the counter cold medications. These medications contain chemical compounds that accelerate the heart rate, cause nervousness, and other physiological reactions. During exercise this can reduce an athletes ability to perform and can put them at risk for harm. Athletes compete with these medications in their systems all the time and have few reported problems, but in certain situations it can be harmful.

Races in the Olympics are won by thousandths of a second. Any edge an athlete can gain will in fact increase his/her chance of winning the gold medal and millions of dollars in endorsements. Performance enhancing substances have become increasingly popular. Triathletes have been known to abuse albuterol a drug used to treat asthma. They claim it helps them breath better when they compete. Sprinters, football players, and baseball players have all been recently accused of abusing anabolic steroids. They claim it makes them bigger, stronger, and more powerful. Therefore, by abusing these drugs and altering physiological processes in their bodies, these drug abusing athletes gain an advantage. Thus, rules have been made banning certain substances from competition. This puts everyone on a level playing field.

Doctors now have to be careful when prescribing drugs because most are banned by the International Olympic Committee, NCAA, and many other professional athletic organizations. Athletes who test positive for these drugs can be disqualified from an athletic event, suspended for up to a season, or banned for life from competition. The best and safest alternative for athletes is to compete in what is considered to be all natural competition (no performance enhancing drugs) and not to abuse drugs.

Below are areas available to members.

  • Pharmacology in Athletes
  • Drug Action
  • Drug Testing in Athletics
  • List of Banned Substances by the IOC 2001
  • Substances of Abuse or Social Drugs