Dangerous Facts about Performance Enhancing Drugs
Performance enhancing or enhancement drugs are a type of drug that can be taken for increasing one’s personal performance.
These drugs are basically different types of steroids taken by athletes who are genuine professionals.
These drugs are recognized as a threat and certain testing and screening procedures have been developed to be used on athletes on a regular basis to determine if they have any of these drugs in their bloodstream.
All of these enhancement drugs have been banned.
Anabolic steroids increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue, especially in muscles.
The performance-enhancing drugs refer to certain types of anabolic steroids, but the anti-doping organizations have created a broader description for these drugs.
These enhancement drugs have been classified as:
Stimulants: Some of the commonly used stimulants are Amphetamines and Caffeine.
These stimulants are used by athletes to improve their performance by stimulating their bodies.
The use of stimulants can also help to increase awareness, mental alertness, and aggressiveness and decrease fatigue.
Lean Mass Builders: Anabolic steroids such as human growth hormones.
This type of performance enhancement is used for the growth and development of lean body mass and muscle, as well as helping to reduce body fat.
Sedatives: Sedatives can help to cope with nervousness and distress.
Marijuana, Beta Blockers, and alcohol are some of the common examples.
The drugs are consumed by athletes engaged in sports that demand performance.
Painkillers: Can be purchased (OTC) over-the-counter and include medications such as NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).
Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are commonly used and there are also certain narcotics that are prescribed.
The truth is these drugs are very commonly used on a regular basis.
Athletes use these drugs to hide their pain so they can maintain their performance level and compete.
Some of the drugs elevate the blood pressure levels and help to supply the body with oxygen to relieve pain.
Masking Drugs: It has been banned by many sporting authorities for being a potent masking agent for testosterone use, or rather an abuse.
These drugs and others are taken in order to prevent other classes of drugs from being detected. These types of drugs can evolve almost as fast as the methods of testing.
Diuretics: Some of the stimulants are believed to have secondary diuretic effects.
These drugs have one primary function and that is to help expel water out of athlete’s bodies. Wrestlers frequently use these drugs in order to meet their weight restrictions.
Most of the performance enhancement drugs are taken as pills, but some are injected or administered intravenously.
With the improvements in research and medical technology, many of the drugs that are used can be detected.
But as fast they can be detected, there are new drugs being used that have not become public knowledge, so there is no detection for them in place.
All major sports authorities are constantly working on ways to detect the use of any type of performance-enhancing drugs and hopefully someday soon, the World Anti-Doping Agency will put an end to this issue once and for all.