OTC meds as performance enhancers?

years ago we used to drink bromo at swim meets to buffer lactic acid I never noticed much difference I know several swimmers who drank a lot of coffee before races With all the anti aging centers popping up across the country combined with the affluence of some masters swimmers and the desire to swim fast. There has to be some USMS swimmers taking steriods and or HGH and other potions to slow down their aging process, get stronger and recover faster from training. I'm sure at some point in the future GENE doping might become an issue for USMS, when gene therapy might trick cells to stop counting as they divide. I vaguely remeber a 60 minutes or discovery channell type show that talked about how cells have counters on the ends of DNA or mitochondrial chains and as they divide, they have counters that keep track of how many divisions they make over a life time. So if a DNA therapy were developed to slow down cell division, stop these counters or trick the counters, humans might be able to live longer and feel younger to get stronger I cut out aerobic training Ande I had read somewhere (on the web) sometime back that chewing some 40 or 50 TUMS before an event would reduce or delay the lactic acid onset. Since I only sprint 50 frees, I once tried five Tums. Didn't notice any difference (and didn't want to risk 40 or 50).

One sudaphed, two excedrin extra strength, a red bull and a cup of coffee - someone told me that was the way to go.

One ibuprofen, one red bull and wash 'em down with a cup of coffee about 30 minutes before high intensity demand. Ready to go...

I'm sure at some point in the future GENE doping might become an issue for USMS, when gene therapy might trick cells to stop counting as they divide. I vaguely remeber a 60 minutes or discovery channell type show that talked about how cells have counters on the ends of DNA or mitochondrial chains and as they divide, they have counters that keep track of how many divisions they make over a life time. So if a DNA therapy were developed to slow down cell division, stop these counters or trick the counters, humans might be able to live longer and feel younger Those counters are there for pretty good biological reasons, and tricking them is dangerous turf. One of the steps of certain forms of cancer is to disable that counter, so that cells keep on multiplying.

Hello, I am a freelance writer as well as a swimmer. I am doing a piece on recreational athletes' misuse of over the counter medicines / products (sudafed, benadryl, Red Bull, advil, etc) and off label use of prescription drugs (inhalers, ritalin, etc) for performance enhancing purposes. The article will explore the prevalence of this behavior and the health consequences, if any. Being an athlete who has taken the occasional sudafed before a race, I'm not looking to flay anyone, The question is not whether that makes you/me a drug cheat, but whether in our desire for PRs or records, we are willing to go down a similar path as steroid and EPO users, just not as far. I would not use anyone's name in the article. If you would prefer to e-mail me privately, my e-mail is laurarob2@comcast.net. I am also interested in anecdotal evidence and your opinions on whether or not such behavior is widespread and/or okay. Thanks. I had read somewhere (on the web) sometime back that chewing some 40 or 50 TUMS before an event would reduce or delay the lactic acid onset. Since I only sprint 50 frees, I once tried five Tums. Didn't notice any difference (and didn't want to risk 40 or 50).

I would classify Advil as performance enabling rather than performance enhancing.

Viagra seems to work well for me for performance enhancing, but it is not OTC. So I guess I need some of those "herbal enhancements". :weightlifter: Comedy gold, and free for all.

I have spent too many minutes pondering the wording of the article assignment. How will you define misuse? Or performance enhancing? (Many postings on these forums show a rather large range of interpretations.) Off-label use of prescription drugs works for a lot of problems, as doctors know. Let's take a fairly simple and common example, leg cramps. I take an OTC anti-inflammatory (ibuprofen, aspirin, acetaminophen) as a precaution before long OW swims so I don't drown. I also take something before I climb high mountains so I don't seize up. Insofar as this OTC drug allows me to complete the task, it enables if not exactly enhances performance. (How would Advil be considered "misuse"?) But quinine was traditionally used for this purpose, and it may have had a historical label that it no longer has. The slippery slope thing I believe is a psychological issue and possibly a matter of interpretation. Where is your bright line? If I take an Advil tablet orally I'm OK but if I inject Advil I'm on the slippery slope? Watch out with the inhalers, 'cuz there is a layer of gas you don't particularly want to spend your life in immediately above the water surface in indoor pools. Some ppl react very strongly, and some research shows a higher likelihood of asthma developing in swimmers who spend hours per day for years training in indoor pools. I would recommend looking up some articles on PubMed and seeing if actual studies have been done on any of the things you are interested in. Good luck, but I think it is a hopeless task. Will true miscreants 'fess up? (Final note: the premise, namely, that athletes should be pure and not put anything in themselves , is probably an artificial construct that has been attached to "sport" in the service of something else whose meaning we are a little unsure of, "fair play." The original Olympians got high as a kite. Whatever it took.) Hello, I am a freelance writer as well as a swimmer. I am doing a piece on recreational athletes' misuse of over the counter medicines / products (sudafed, benadryl, Red Bull, advil, etc) and off label use of prescription drugs (inhalers, ritalin, etc) for performance enhancing purposes. The article will explore the prevalence of this behavior and the health consequences, if any. ... The question is ... whether ... we are willing to go down a similar path as steroid and EPO users, just not as far. Thanks.

Viagra seems to work well for me for performance enhancing, but it is not OTC. So I guess I need some of those "herbal enhancements". :weightlifter:

Viagra seems to work well for me for performance enhancing, but it is not OTC. So I guess I need some of those "herbal enhancements". :weightlifter: So, what's your record or PB?