At our SCM meet this past weekend we had an out-of-state visitor swimming. She was a very serious swimmer, arrived a week early to acclimate, came with a bit of an entourage, and did some pretty amazing times (45-49). We also saw her taking frequent hits from a very large inhaler always just before her races as she was warming up and behind the blocks. Any thoughts?.
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Former Member
I too would assume this woman is taking albuterol or some form of it, as it is the most commonly prescribed inhaler. So is albuterol (or some other bronchodilator) performance enhancing?
I honestly don't think it would make that big of a difference if you did not have a breathing problem to start off with.
Just because you're taking it doesn't mean you're cheating. For all we know, she could have a legitimate breathing problem. I don't think they could ever outlaw taking legal medicine for legitimate health concerns or deny the swimmer over usage of the medicine. It is well known that swimmers have an increased rate of asthma due to irruption caused by the chlorine in the air.
Usually inhalers are instructed to be taken as needed. Additionally, the effects of Albuterol are very short lived, I would say at best 15 minutes. I also remember reading something that said whether you take a relatively normal breath or HUGE breath doesn't significantly improve the amount of oxygen you receive and the duration you can hold your breath (this was in reference to shallow water blackout).
Psychologically, I might see how having the feeling of easier breathing might make you more confident. I don't know. I don't think you can make accusations if you don't know her medical history and statistics (peak flow, etc), but if she is a healthy individual, I don't think albuterol would be a real performance enhancer.
- 3rd Year Pharm.D student
I too would assume this woman is taking albuterol or some form of it, as it is the most commonly prescribed inhaler. So is albuterol (or some other bronchodilator) performance enhancing?
I honestly don't think it would make that big of a difference if you did not have a breathing problem to start off with.
Just because you're taking it doesn't mean you're cheating. For all we know, she could have a legitimate breathing problem. I don't think they could ever outlaw taking legal medicine for legitimate health concerns or deny the swimmer over usage of the medicine. It is well known that swimmers have an increased rate of asthma due to irruption caused by the chlorine in the air.
Usually inhalers are instructed to be taken as needed. Additionally, the effects of Albuterol are very short lived, I would say at best 15 minutes. I also remember reading something that said whether you take a relatively normal breath or HUGE breath doesn't significantly improve the amount of oxygen you receive and the duration you can hold your breath (this was in reference to shallow water blackout).
Psychologically, I might see how having the feeling of easier breathing might make you more confident. I don't know. I don't think you can make accusations if you don't know her medical history and statistics (peak flow, etc), but if she is a healthy individual, I don't think albuterol would be a real performance enhancer.
- 3rd Year Pharm.D student
