Affiliation:
1. Surrey Sports Park Professional Sport, University of Surrey, Downing Street Group Practice, Farnham
2. Email:
Abstract
Professional athletes push themselves to physiological states few can sustain. For this reason, some athletes use medical substances to push these states further to reach higher levels of performance. Using medical substances or methods to boost performance without medical necessity (known as ‘Doping’), is not only unethical, but also potentially harmful to an athlete’s health. For this reason, strict guidelines on prohibited drugs have been created. Nonetheless, athletes will experience illnesses that require treatment with medication, and thus, their clinician should help navigate treatment plans that enable them to compete fairly and safely. This article highlights banned drugs that might commonly be encountered, alongside the clearance for athletes with legitimate medical need for medication on the prohibited list.