Masters Swimming and Illegal Supplements

Originally posted by Swimmer Bill Certainly, athletes abuse these substances. There may even be Masters athletes who abuse them. Personally, I think it is much more likely that Masters aged athletes would take those drugs to treat actual medical conditions rather than enhance their athletic performance. I think you've missed my point. Yes, these banned substances have a role in the treatment of certain well-defined medical conditions. Dialysis patients or patients undergoing chemotherapy receive epogen to boost their red blood cell production. Typically, though, they are still relatively anemic. AIDS patients or others with chronic wasting diseases may be given anabolic steroids (which are Schedule IV controlled substances). However these scenarios are very uncommon among Masters swimmers who are actively competing. What I'm hearing is an argument that testing for banned substances among Masters swimmers is problematic, since we've been prescribed these drugs to treat legitimate medical conditions. I don't believe this argument holds water. The fact is, the vast majority of medications prescribed to Masters swimmers are not on the WADA list. As to the question of incentive--look, people do a lot of crazy things. Masters swimmers invest quite a bit of time and money in the sport. It's easy to lose perspective.

Originally posted by Swimmer Bill Certainly, athletes abuse these substances. There may even be Masters athletes who abuse them. Personally, I think it is much more likely that Masters aged athletes would take those drugs to treat actual medical conditions rather than enhance their athletic performance. I think you've missed my point. Yes, these banned substances have a role in the treatment of certain well-defined medical conditions. Dialysis patients or patients undergoing chemotherapy receive epogen to boost their red blood cell production. Typically, though, they are still relatively anemic. AIDS patients or others with chronic wasting diseases may be given anabolic steroids (which are Schedule IV controlled substances). However these scenarios are very uncommon among Masters swimmers who are actively competing. What I'm hearing is an argument that testing for banned substances among Masters swimmers is problematic, since we've been prescribed these drugs to treat legitimate medical conditions. I don't believe this argument holds water. The fact is, the vast majority of medications prescribed to Masters swimmers are not on the WADA list. As to the question of incentive--look, people do a lot of crazy things. Masters swimmers invest quite a bit of time and money in the sport. It's easy to lose perspective.