Things that cause you to test positive.

[Carolina Extreme]

I am attempting to collect a list of both over-the-counter, everyday things that athletes have taken and caused them to test positive, as well as prescription medicines that are not listed on the USADA website (and there are many of both). For example, I have heard of someone testing positive for "Vicks Formula 44", and others for cold medicines but I don't know which ones.

Many of you are aware of my son Chase testing positive for Amphetamine which is in the A.D.D. medicine "Adderall". He is just one of many young athletes that have tested positive from taking either "Adderall" or "Ritalin". The penalty is currently the same two year suspension for these unfortunate athletes as it is for those who are trying to cheat, like the athletes using THG. It is sad but true. The current policy is saying our kids can't be students and athletes at the same time. NCAA allows you to be both student and athlete. USATF, USOC and IAAF should do the same.

IAAF doesn't care about our junior athletes. It doesn't matter if you've taken something for good reason. Prescription or not is irrelavent to IAAF. If you test positive you are suspended for two years, no excuses accepted. You can apply for early reinstatement which could take a year or more, if you get lucky. In the meantime, no USATF, IAAF or USOC meets.

This is a growing problem. USOC, IAAF and USADA know about it and acknowledge it, but no one seems to be doing anything about it. I was told that we are the only country that tests junior athletes. Neither USATF or USOC will stand up to IAAF on behalf of young athletes. USOC if afraid of IOC, and USATF is to afraid of loosing their funding from USOC to take a stand for our kids. We're supposed to be helping young athletes, not getting in the way. How many great young athletes have left track and field because of the mental trauma and stigma attached to having testing positive? A two year suspension to an 18 year old is a lifetime, not to mention the mental cost. So someone has to make an issue of it. Chase and I want to use his situation to bring this problem out in the open and hopefully effect positive changes. As difficult as it is for him going through this, he does not want to have anyone else go through the hell that he has been going through over this.

Please assist us by helping us to get this list together, so that we can help prevent other young athletes from going through the mental trauma and gossip mill from having tested positive. Junior athletes, parents and coaches are expected to already know about these things without being presented with clear detailed information in advance. It is nieve to think that anyone should just automatically know these things. NCAA schools typically teach athletes about anti-doping issues. No one is teaching junior athletes, and more importantly the elite junior athletes who are subject to being tested.

Our goal is to improve the way the information gets out to young athletes. We have suggested changes to someone with USATF who plans to address the issue at the national convention next month. We're not holding our breath though. We need all the ammunition you can give us.

We appreciate your help and support.

Rusty Shealy

[vaultguru6]

have you attempted to persuade Track and Field News into doing some investigative reporting into the matter? As I can see no one agreeing with what happened to Chase and the other junior athletes who tested positive for a prescription drug that they had no idea was on a "banned" list, i would imaganie that the more people are made aware of this, the better. A little public pressure put on the USOC and USATF might change the way the governing bodies of those organizations view this issue. And with all the drug scandals we have brewing in the sport right now, i could very well see this particular issue coming to the forefront as a demand for change among the majority of the members of USATF.

[achtungpv]

I thought that if you declare prescription medication beforehand then it's okay...provided you have a legitimate medical reason for it. Is this correct?

[rainbowgirl28]

I thought that if you declare prescription medication beforehand then it's okay...provided you have a legitimate medical reason for it. Is this correct?

I thought so too, but this girl declared it and got a ban also... http://www.usocpressbox.org/usoc/pressb ... enDocument

In this article about Gatlin ( http://www.canoe.ca/Slam020703/trk_us-ap.html ) the IAAF says it will not be granting exceptions for athletes who take adderall during a competition, even if they have a legitimate medical reason.

Some other articles I read about Gatlin's case said the drug was banned for USATF meets and IAAF meets, but not NCAA meets. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/ ... atrick.htm
http://www.trackprofile.com/2002/05-30-gatlin.html

[Carolina Extreme]

I thought that if you declare prescription medication beforehand then it's okay...provided you have a legitimate medical reason for it. Is this correct?

You can declare asthma medicine. The others, Ritalin, Adderall and such, do not apply. Even if you could declare, the majority of junior athletes do not know that it is a problem to take these, so they wouldn't declare in advance anyway. They would find out by testing positive.

A college sprinter that was tested a year or two ago wrote down on the USADA form that she was taking Ritalin for a sleeping disorder, which she had a prescription for. Without her medication she might fall asleep in class, at practice, or worse yet possibly while driving down the road. They told her she could not take it and the USADA form was used as an admission of guilt. USADA didn't even test her sample (no need since she admitted it). They gave her a two year suspension. She won the legal battle which followed but she was not allowed to compete USATF, IAAF or USOC during that period waiting on the decision. Fortunately she was allowed to compete NCAA. With USATF you are guilty until proven innocent, or guilty until cleared. All other sports you get to continue competing until the verdict comes in. Don't take this wrong though. If you test positive - you took the stuff, you are guilty. However USATF athletes are being punished while they go through the "Reinstatement" process to clear their name and become eligible to compete again. And all punishments should not be equal. Some need to serve some time while others should be cleared immediately, and still others need to be banned for life.

That's my two cents worth.

[Carolina Extreme]

have you attempted to persuade Track and Field News into doing some investigative reporting into the matter?...

I can't tell you how many times I have started to contact Track & Field News, and even Larry King and others, but we have been concerned about our pressing the issue, the timing of it, and it having negative consequences on Chase since we are still going through the reinstatement process. USADA has just forwarded their form letter (He was tested in June at USA Juniors, they told us about it being positive the first week in July.) to USATF saying he tested positive recommending the standard 2 yr suspension. USATF will forward the recommendation, from what I understand, "as is" with no changes to IAAF to make the final decision. Our attorney is trying to get it on IAAF's agenda for their March meeting to look at for "Early Reinstatement". There are no guarantees they will look at it then. If they don't we can keep requesting for them to look at it. If they don't look at it in March Chase will probably be out of luck to be reinstated by USA Junior's to have a shot at the World Team again this year. It already cost him a spot on the Pan American Junior Team and a shot at repeating as USATF JO national champion and the JO national record.

This isn't just about Chase's plight though. There have been many athletes to test positive when it could have been avoided, and there will be many more until something changes.

[rainbowgirl28]

How long does someone benefit from taking a stimulant? Something like steroids should obviously have a long ban because you could benefit from taking the steroids after the effects wear off. But does a stimulant give you any long term benefits? Or is this really about stimulants being used as masking agents?

I think if someone has a prescription for Adderall or similar substances, and the IAAF wants them not to be taking them during competition, fine. But they ought to reduce the punishment to a DQ from that meet, like they did for Modafinil.

[Carolina Extreme]

How long does someone benefit from taking a stimulant? Something like steroids should obviously have a long ban because you could benefit from taking the steroids after the effects wear off. But does a stimulant give you any long term benefits? Or is this really about stimulants being used as masking agents?

I think if someone has a prescription for Adderall or similar substances, and the IAAF wants them not to be taking them during competition, fine. But they ought to reduce the punishment to a DQ from that meet, like they did for Modafinil.

I'm not a doctor so most of that I can't answer, but I don't think it takes long for Adderall or Ritalin to get out of your system. I could be wrong though. I was told by the USATF athletes attorney that of everyone who tested postive for those two meds, no one had enough in there system to get a competitive advantage. Obviously someone, somewhere, sometime, took to much to land the meds on the banned substance list.

From what I understand, they gave Chase the"Long Test". I think that's what they called it. I was told if they had given him the "Short Test" he would not have tested positive.

[jmayesvaultmom]

Long Test/Short Test???? Did they define the difference? From what I have understood also, adderol and medications like that are out of your system within 24 hrs. My oldest daughter (20 yrs. old) was on Strattera. That is a non-stimulant, but it is a medication that builds and stays in your system. She had a problem with Strattera causing her to constantly want to sleep so they switched her to Adderol. The doctor asked what time of day her main classes were because he said she would need to take the adderol at least an hour before those classes for it to be effective. He then went on to say that she would need to do any homework as quickly after class as possible because the adderol effectiveness would be gone within 12 hours. We thought she was just tired from being in college full-time and then working full-time after class. But it was the Strattera. What I think athletes taking adderol/ritalin should do is just take it during the school year and quit taking it in the summer, if that is when most of the meets that they do drug-testing occur. If there are any during the school year, they need to find out how long before the meet they should quit taking the prescription. The sad part is that their school work may suffer for a few days in exchange for their athletic involvement. Does anyone know for sure how far back they would test positive if they had quit taking it? How many days/weeks?

[Carolina Extreme]

Long Test/Short Test???? Did they define the difference? ...Does anyone know for sure how far back they would test positive if they had quit taking it? How many days/weeks?

.
The way it was explained to me was that with the "Short Test" they can detect things taken within the past three days +/-. They told me that athletes who are given the "Long Test" would be VERY surprised to find out how long they can detect things. They told me that even when you think something is completely out of your system there are still very small traces to be found for a long, long period of time. You may not feel the effects but traces are still there. With the equipment they have now they'll find it. They would not say how long though.

[Robert schmitt]

One problem that you may potnetially be running into at the Int'l level is that it was my understanding (last year at least) that eurpoe and most of the international comunity dosn't recognize ADD or similar diagnosises as a disease. If there is no disease then there is no treatment. So I could imagine it wolud be difficult to convince a international govening body of the medical neccessity of the perscription sitimulants. This shouldn't effect US policy however.

[jmayesvaultmom]

I think the biggest problem is misinformation. Even here it talks about athletes stopping prescriptions before competition, but it doesn't say how long. They should specify.

http://www.usantidoping.org/files/Press ... 02_141.pdf