Would the Average Person Fail a Drugs Test?

[aces_up1504]

With the drug fails in the news.

It got me wondering

Would the average person on the street, taking off the shelf medicines / food supplements fail a sports drug test at some point?

 

[jarlrmai]

Depends on the testing body and which substances they test for.

 

[Davidc]

My role model is Keith Richards circa 1969:

pop 5 pills before breakfast

another different drug after breakfast

another couple of pills before eating in the evening

yet another pill after the meal

another two pills at bedtime

Guaranteed to fail any drug test yet devised!!!

 

[PaulB]

I thought my wife was on to something when I overheard her raving about 'EPO' and how good 'E' was. I took a sneaky look in her bathroom cabinet and found she did indeed partake of EPO and E so even at the risk of failing a drugs test I took some myself and could only conclude they were a total waste of time as they did nothing for my performance on the bike at all. Evening Primrose Oil and vitamin E. Save your money.

 

[User482]

Hayfever medicine?

 

[oldroadman]

Plenty of prescription medecines would do the trick. Which is why team doctors have to be so careful, and the TUE regulations allow certain medications for genuine treatment of an illness. This does not include special Spanish steaks, however!
A lot of over the counter cold cures have pseudoeph. as a major ingredient. This will be a non-negative result if tested.

 

[RichK]

Waiting for my son (playing football), I was reading a wall chart of FA banned substances. I spotted one I've been taking until recently and another I've had in the past 2 years.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

an example of an ingredient is DMAA, also known as 1,3-dimethylamylamine, banned in the uk, it's in lots of dietary-health supplements, it's on the WADA list ...

Hence sales of stuff like J4ck3d(sp) are now banned entirely. Case in point: Marathon runner Claire Squires

DMAA(an ingredient) is a vaso-constrictor(narrowing of veins and arteries) - exercise is a vaso-dilator(enlargening of veins and arteries). Poor girl was basically a pressure cooker just waiting to blow.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I'd need at least one, possibly 2, TUEs to race. (Diuretics and vessel dilators.) Oh, and a lot more muscles!

 

[User482]

Plenty of prescription medecines would do the trick. Which is why team doctors have to be so careful, and the TUE regulations allow certain medications for genuine treatment of an illness. This does not include special Spanish steaks, however!
A lot of over the counter cold cures have pseudoeph. as a major ingredient. This will be a non-negative result if tested.

That's what I thought, thanks. It's certainly in cold cures such as Day Nurse and Sudafed (!).

 

[jifdave]

i used to play a sport called korfball for great britain, which is under wada code.

i used to use a maximuscle energy drink that turns out was banned in ioc competition so had i given a sample i would have been banned.

i also used to take zma but when i found out it was made by conte and balco i stopped, turns out it was crap anyway...

 

[aces_up1504]

That's what I thought, thanks. It's certainly in cold cures such as Day Nurse and Sudafed (!).

Yeah I remember someone got a ban or warning/failed sample due to one of the above

 

[smutchin]

I would say yes...
there are a number of health and fitness products which have been removed from sale or had to be modified so athletes wouldn't fail drug tests plus regulation isn't as stringent...... but with so much money to be made, it's an industry worth billions, companies sail close to the wind when it comes to what's illegal-legal in the manufacturing of these products.... most professional athletes wouldn't, don't buy the over the counter supplements...

Any professional athlete who uses over-the-counter supplements or medicines without being very careful to make sure they know what's in them is an idiot. I know they sometimes change the formula, or have different formula in a different country (cf Alain Baxter), but that's not really a good enough excuse - if you're a pro sportsman, it's your responsibility to be hyper-vigilant about that kind of thing.

A good way to avoid being caught out by food supplements is to not use food supplements, stick to real food instead. As you say, it's a massive industry and a lot of the supposed benefit of these products is pure marketing guff designed to convince gullible people to part with their money.

Medicines are a slightly different matter, obviously.

 

[smutchin]

Asafa Powell seems keen to try this excuse on for size as well. I don't buy it.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

No-one competing at that level can seriously use that excuse.

I tend not to take medications at all if I can help it. I've had about two painkillers in the last year. I don't even drink much coffee. So, no, I would not fail a drugs test. However, I reckon the average American or Canadian probably would, having seen the vast quantities of painkillers and cold remedies they take. And I am still amazed by the constant advertising of all kinds of medicines for the most mundane symptoms, as if they were entirely normal and everyday things to consume.