topic Use of Medications and TUEs

TARGET National & International Athletes

GROUP

KEY LEARNINGS essential questions instructional tools KEY WORDS

 Explain how to determine if a

medication contains prohibited
ingredients  How to determine if a medication  The List
1. Interactive activiteis
 Use GlobalDro to check contains prohibited ingredients?  Strict Liability
2. Educational videos
medications for banned substances  How to Use GlobalDro to check  Therapeutic Use
3. Short quizes
 Identify the possible reasons to medications for banned substances? Exemption (TUE)
4. Case scinarios
apply for a TUE and list the criteria  How to apply for a TUE?  GlobalDro
that need to be met for a TUE to be
approved

Course content:
Medications can contain banned substances. This includes medications prescribed by a doctor or medical professional and the ones that you
can buy over the counter in a supermarket or from a pharmacy. If you intend to use a medication then you must check that its ingredients do
not contain any banned substances. This means all medications must be checked against the List before you take them, do not assume that if
it is prescribed by a medical professional that it is safe to take. You are ultimately responsible for what is found in your system (the principle
of strict liability)
So how to check your medication? First, find the ingredients list on your medication then check the active ingredients against the List.
Another straightforward way to check your medication is to use GlobalDro which provides an easy and fast way, GlobalDro is updated
regularly and provides you with states of the substance (please provide pictures of the website while searching different substances and show
a case of one prohibited case).
Remember! Use the active ingredients when searching not the brand name, and keep in mind that medication ingredients could be different
from one country to another.
Activity 1- short quiz: Use GlobalDro to check the status of the following medications (appendix1)
Activity 2- case scenario: Ahmed is an international athlete participating in a competition abroad, on the match day Ahmed felt sick, he
suffered cold and flu symptoms, one of his teammates advised him to take (Panadol green)/ Panadol cold+flu. He said it will help him with
his symptoms and he can buy it over the counter (no prescription needed).
Should he listen to his teammate? / No, he should not
Why not? Is this medication prohibited in sport (check GlobalDro)? / Yes, it is prohibited in competition
What should Ahmed do in this case (choose all; that applies)? He should consult his team doctor first (considering the doctor is aware of
anti-doping rules) (true)
He should check the medication for prohibited substances (true)
If possible, he should look for an alternative that does not contain prohibited substances (true)
He should use herbal medications instead (false)
All of the above (false)
 So, what happens if you need to take a medication that contains a banned substance because you have a medical condition or there is an
emergency or require an urgent treatment? In these cases, you can use a TUE, a TUE gives you an exemption to take a banned substance or
use a banned method to treat a medical condition that has been diagnosed by a physician but only if these no reasonable alternative
medications are available. However, there are 3 conditions needs to be meet: 1- the medication is necessary treatment for a diagnosed
medical condition 2- the medication is unlikely to improve your performance 3- there is no other alternative
For more information visit QADC website: https://qad.qa/athletes/therapeutic-use-exemptions-tues/
Activity 3- video: the aim of this video is to show the main mistakes an athlete might make when visiting a doctor. Script: a football player
feeling sick and visiting a doctor, the player does not explain to the doctor that he is an athlete and subject to the anti-doping authority and
that he should not take medications that contain prohibited substances. The doctor prescribes medications that contain banned substances.
Later, the player is tested by the Anti-Doping authority and faces a ban for committing a violation.
What mistake did the athlete make? Correct answer: he did not explain to the doctor that he is an athlete and subject to the anti-doping
authority
What should he have done? Correct answer: he should have informed the doctor that he is an athlete and should follow the List, he should
have asked the doctor to provide an alternative medication if possible.
What should he do if there are no alternative medicines? Correct answer: he should apply for a TUE

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Appendix1

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