HOW TO PREVENT A DRUG TESTING NIGHTMARE
By Laura Draski, Ph.D., USOC Drug Education Manager
From the Spring 1999 issue of Synchro Swimming USA magazine

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When you come down with the symptoms of a cold or the flu, perhaps the last thing on your mind is whether the medication you are taking will cause a positive drug test. After all, your primary objective is to feel better and to be as healthy as possible before your next competition. However, as an athlete, you need to go one step further. After all, what good is it to feel well enough to compete if you risk being disqualified for failing a drug test?

In accordance with the International Olympic Committee's Medical Code, the United States Olympic Committee prohibits or restricts the use of drugs or substances according to their pharmacological class. There are five main classes of prohibited drugs, including (1)stimulants, (2)narcotics, (3)anabolic agents, (4)diuretics, and (5)peptide hormones, mimetics, and their analogues. In addition, there are five groups of drugs that may be subject to certain restrictions, including (1)alcohol, (2)cannabinoids, (3)local anesthetics, (4)corticosteroids, and (5)beta-blockers.

To help keep athletes better informed of these rules, the USOC Drug Education Program offers several publications that describe these drug classes in more detail. Currently, these resources are available either by mail (USOC Drug Education, One Olympic Plaza, Colorado Springs, CO 80909), from the USOC web site (www.olympic-usa.org), or from your National Governing Body. In addition, the USOC Drug Education Program operates a confidential and toll-free telephone line. Our rpresentatives will answer questions you may have regarding the status of specific drugs and supplements. Before ANY medications or supplements are taken we strongly urge you to call The Gold Line at 1-800-233-0393 between 8a.m.-5p.m. MST. In the event of an after-hours or weekend medical emergency, an operator will assist you in paging a qualified Drug Education staff member to answer your questions.

A few general guidelines may help you through the cold, flu, and allergy seasons. For aches and pains, aspirin, acetaminophen, ibruprophen, and naproxen are allowed. For runny noses and sneezing, the use of plain antihistamines is allowed in synchronized swimming. While this list is quite extensive, some common examples are chlorpheniramine, diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and Tavist-1, and the prescriptin medications Seldane, Claritin and Zyrtec. And for coughing, preparations containing either dextromethorphan or guaifenesin are allowed.

However, for the relief of nasal congestion and stuffiness, athletes must proceed with caution! According to FINA rules, the use of oral nasal decongestants is prohibited in or out of competition. Of this group, perhaps the most common and notoriously known decongestants are pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, an phenylpropanolamine. (However, nasal sprays containing a decongestant, such as Dristan, Sinex, Afrin, and Neosynephrine, are allowed at times.) The best advice is to avoid within several weeks of competition any pills, tablets, or capsules that claim to contain a decongestant. These include cold and allergy combination products that may contain a decongestant in addition to an allowed analgesic or antihistamine product. Read your labels, or, better yet, call the Gold Line with the product's name.

For asthma sufferers, some asthma inhalers are strictly prohibited, but many inhalers can be used following the submission of a completed medical notification form signed by your physician. Inhalers that are permitted include both corticosteroid inhalers and some types of inhalers classified as beta-blockers (albuterol, salbutamol, salmeterol, and terbutaline).

Remember, one of the primary goals of the USOC Drug Education Program is to provide athletes with the information necessary to avoid an accidental positive drug test. We are here to help you with questions you may have regarding the status of drugs and supplements, so keep our number close at hand!