The Authors or Publisher are not responsible for typographical errors within the contents of this book.
PREFACE
This is the First Edition of WARNING: Drugs in Sports. The purpose of this handbook is to provide basic information regarding (1) the misuse of drugs by some athletes to enhance their performance in competitive sports and (2) the potential dangers to which these athletes are exposing themselves. This misuse of drugs of in sports is called Doping in Sports. This practice by athletes is inappropriate, morally wrong, foolish, and can be lethal. By taking these chemical substances the athletes are willing to place themselves in harms way.
WARNING: Drugs in Sports contains 5 chapters. Chapter 1 addresses the appropriate and inappropriate use of drugs; it explains what a drug is and how the discovery of drugs has aided in the eradication and control of various diseases and symptoms. The latter part of this chapter focuses of the issue of doping in sports. Chapter 2 provides a basic introduction to how a drugs works in the body and how drugs are eliminated from the body. We hope that this chapter will aid in the understanding of some very basic concepts concerning drug action in the body. Chapter 3 contains an overview of the problem of doping in sports and outlines a number of drug categories that are misused by some athletes to enhance their performance in competitive sporting events. This chapter is written in an introductory manner and is not intended to be a complete listing of drugs misused by athletes. The chapter provides a general discussion of a problem that is quite extensive throughout the sports community. Chapter 4 present another disconcerting fact that has permeated sports, i.e., the experimentation and use of drugs of abused by athletes. These drug are taken for their euphoric effect (a feeling of well-being or a "high") and other effects that they have on the central nervous system. This chapter provides a discussion of drugs of abuse such as alcohol (ethanol), marijuana, cocaine, and LSD.
Chapter 5 is the largest section in the handbook. It contains individual drug monographs which (a) show the name of the drug, (b) indicate the common trade name of the drug, (c) state the classification to which the drug belongs, (d) whether or not the drug is banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), (e) lists the drug's approved therapeutic use, (f) indicate the inappropriate use of the drug by some athletes, (g) indicate some of the adverse reactions that can occur by the improper use of the drug, and (h) contain a few comments regarding the drug and some combination products if they exist. In addition, Chapter 5 has a section that lists a number of Over-The-Counter (OTC) preparations (that an athlete may purchase to treat such conditions as a cold, the flu, or allergies) and contains a drug that is banned by the USOC.
We hope that WARNING: Drugs in Sports will provide substantial knowledge about the problems of doping in sports to all athletes so that they will stop and think before misusing a drug. A drug is not a harmless substance when it is used improperly. It has the capability to produce serious detrimental effects and, above all, these drugs can cause a lethal effect in the hands of its unsuspecting victim. For those athletes, the road to victory can come to a DEAD STOP. What can be perceived as an innocuous substance, can extinguish the life of a promising human being.
AUTHORS
Andrew P. Ferko, Ph.D.
Associate Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine, MCP Hahnemann University - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Edward J. Barbieri, Ph.D.
National Medical Services - Willow Grove, Pennsylvania
Adjunct Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine, MCP Hahnemann University - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
G. John DiGregorio, M.D., Ph.D.
National Medical Services - Willow Grove, Pennsylvania
Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine, MCP Hahnemann University - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
