Drugs and Sports

Drug Doping
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By The End Of Lecture You Should Know

• Definition of doping
• Types of doping
• Classes of commonly abused drugs in sport
• Why they are abused (benefit to athletes…
mechanisms of action)
• Side effects of the drugs when abused
• Mode of doping administration
• Testing for doping
 Sports and the IOC
• IOC ….International Olympic Committee
• Sport is meant for
-- good health
-- fair competition
-- universal friendship
-- fraternity
 Doping

• Dope ---- a stimulant alcoholic drink used in

South America at ceremonies.
• Doping --- use of performance enhancing
chemicals or methods that have been banned
by the IOC or relevant sport bodies.
 IOC Medical Commission
• Bans administration of substances belonging
to selected classes of pharmacological agents;
stimulants, narcotics, anabolic agents,
diuretics, peptides and glycoprotein,
hormones and analogues.
• BANS use of various doping methods, blood
doping, pharmacological chemicals and
physical manipulation.
 History of Doping
• Been around for > 2000 years
• First recorded death due to overdose doping
of a cyclist in 1904 using trimethyl
• Thomas Hicks used a mixture of brandy and
strychnine and almost died.
• Heroin, cocaine and caffeine were commonly
used until amphetamine and strychnine came
into use
 History of Doping
• Male hormones to increase strength and
power were used mostly in the 1970s
• Anabolic steroids also in the 1970s
• 1988 Olympics Ben Jonson broke the 100
meter record, stripped of gold medal next day
after testing positive for anabolic steroids.
N/B in most Olympics up to one third of teams
withdrew or expelled due to illegal drug use
 Doping
• Blood doping
• Two forms
- autologous….i.e. transfusion of one’s own blood
which has been stored, refrigerated or
frozen.
- homologous….i.e. transfusion of blood
from another person with same blood type
N/B Biological passports --- keep a record of an athlete’s
blood/biological variables over time.
-
 Doping
• Blood doping
- administration of blood or related blood
products other than for legitimate medical
treatment.
-- blood increases aerobic capacity
-- beneficial….endurance activity athletes,
e.g. long distance running, cycling, skiing or
swimming
 Doping
• Manipulation
-- manipulation or chemical use of
substances and or methods which may alter
the validity and or integrity of a test,
catheterization/tempering, inhibition of renal
excretion e.g. probenicid and or
epitestosterone
 Doping
• Stimulants
Examples …amphetamine, caffeine, cocaine,
ephedrine
-- direct stimulant effect on CNS
-- increase brain and spinal cord stimulation
-- increase cardiac out put
-- increase rate of metabolism
 Stimulants
Side effects
-- loss of appetite
-- insomnia
-- reduction of fatigue causing exhaustion
-- hallucinations (psychosis)
-- restlessness
-- high blood pressure, palpitations, arrhythmias
-- addiction
 Diuretics

• Used to achieve rapid weight loss e.g. in judo,

boxing, weight lifting, rowing.
• In body building used to “dry up” so muscles
show better
• Used to reduce [drug] in urine
 Diuretics
Side effects
-- dehydration
-- reduced circulation of blood volume
-- muscle cramps
-- renal disorders
-- dizziness
-- arrhythmias
 Diuretics
Risk of adverse effects
-- exhaustion
-- K+ deficiency
-- hypotension
-- loss of coordination and balance
-- heatstroke
-- death
 Creatinine
• Used as a food supplement
• It appears to help muscle make ATP and transport
energy in cells
• Possible side effects,
-- stomach cramps
-- muscle cramps
-- nausea
-- diarrhoea
-- weight gain
 Narcotics

• Reduce feeling of pain

• Mask sensation of pain
• Depress coughs
• Improve recovery time
 Narcotics
• Addiction
• Loss of balance and coordination
• Loss of sleep
• Slows down breathing
• Slows down heart rate
• Reduces ability to concentrate
• constipation
 Anabolic Agents
• Mostly derivatives of testosterone
-- enhance performance
-- androgenic anabolic steroids (taken in
large amounts)
-- used in strength needed b
sports….wrestling, weight lifting
 Anabolic Steroids
• Examples ---testosterone, clostebol, stanazolol,
nandrolone
• Two main effects;
-- promote muscle building (muscle mass and strength)
-- androgenic--- male traits, (facial hair, deeper
voice)
• Can make athletes recover from workout quicker– by
reducing muscle damage, therefore athletes work harder,
more often
• Make athletes more aggressive
 Anabolic Agents
• Side effects
-- greasy skin and acne
-- damage to reproductive system resulting
in infertility
-- high blood pressure
-- liver and kidney abnormalities
-- violent and aggressive behaviour
-- promotion of growth of tumors
 Side Effects of Anabolic Steroids
• In men
-- promotion of breasts
-- baldness
-- shrunken testicles
-- infertility, impotence
-- prostate gland enlargement
 Side Effects of Steroids
• In women
-- deeper voice
-- enlarged clitoris
-- increased body hair
-- baldness
-- infrequent or absent periods
 Side Effects of Anabolic Steroids
• Men and Women
-- severe acne
-- increased risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture
-- liver abnormalities and tumors
-- increased LDL cholesterol
-- reduced HDL cholesterol
-- high blood pressure
-- aggressive behaviour
-- drug dependence
-- inhibited growth and development in teenagers
Athletes take anabolic steroids at doses much higher than for medical
use
 Designer Steroids

• Synthetic steroids----(very dangerous)

• Made specifically for athletes
• Have no medical use
• Difficult to detect in tests
 Growth Hormones
• Peptide and glucoprotein hormones
-- cause promotion of production of
endogenous hormones (testosterone and
corticosteroids)
-- increases growth
-- reduces pain
 Human Growth Hormone
• Somatotrophin or somatrophic hormone
• Synthesized and secreted by the anterior pituitary
gland cells.
• Its role is to stimulate the liver to secrete insulin-like
growth factor IGF-1 which stimulates production of
cartilage cells…result is bone growth (also muscle
growth) all those enhance sporting performance.
• Side effects include … diabetes, joint and bone pain,
accelerated osteoarthritis, HBP
 β-blockers
• Known to lower anxiety
-- used by musicians, public speakers to
avoid performance anxiety and stage fright,
tremor during audition.
• In sport
-- because they lower heart rate and
reduce tremors, used by sports person in
disciplines where high accuracy is needed
e.g. archery, shooting, golf, snooker.
 Insulin

• Enhances glucose uptake

• Assists formation and storage of muscle
glucose
Misuse can lead to;
Very low blood sugar levels which can lead to
loss of cognitive, seizures consciousness
 Erythropoietin (EPO)
• A peptide hormone released from kidneys and
acts on bone marrow, stimulating red blood cell
production.
• It increases production of RBC and haemoglobin
• Therefore it improves 0₂ movement to muscles.
• Epoietin, a synthetic analogue normally used by
endurance athletes
 Erythropoietin

• Athletes inject EPO to boost [RBC] and

therefore increase aerobic capacity
• Risky ….. It has been associated with at least
18 deaths in cyclists
• It increases risk of stroke, cardiac arrest,
pulmonary oedema
 CERA
• Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator
(CERA) … a third generation EPO
• It requires less frequent injection because it
has extended half life
• Athletes take CERA to increase 0₂ carrying
capacity so as to boost endurance
• Also used after training to encourage faster
recovery
 Synthetic 0₂ Carriers

• Haemoglobin-based 0₂ carrier (HBOCs) or

perflurocarbon (PFCs)….these are purified
proteins
• The risk of blood infection is high
 Gene Doping

• Transfer of nucleic acids or nucleic acid

sequences and use of genetically modified
cells.
• Currently (2015)….. There are no testing
methods capable of detecting gene doping
 Mode of Administration
• Similar to medical regimen but at much higher
doses.
• Staking…. i.e. gradual increase in dose until
desired effect is reached….then maintain
• Pyramiding ….. i.e. gradual increase and when
desired effect is reached, then gradual
decrease to base.
 Testing Methods

• Participant provides urine sample

• The sample is divided into portion A and B
• One portion is preserved
• If A is positive then B is used to confirm test
• GENETIC PASSPORT
 Cheating the Tests
• Urine replacement
• Diuretics
• Blood transfusion
Reason for ban….when two or three criteria are
met,
-- enhanced performance
-- pose a threat to health
-- violate spirit of sport
 2015 test figures

• 283 304 tests were done under the

supervision of WADA, IAAF and IOC.
• 3,000 were found to have adverse results.
• N/B some prohibited substances can be
produced by the body
 Commonly Abused(2015)

• Anabolic steroids 48%

• Stimulants 15%
• Masking agents 13%
• Glucocorticoids 8%
• Metabolic modulators 5%
• Others 11%
 CYCLING (currently 2019)

Clenbutolol
Dinitrophenol (DNP)
-- causes rapid weight loss
-- people die of hypothermia

THE END