Asthma Medication and Retired Riders

[thorny59]

With many Professional riders (over 50%?) "suffering" from Asthma it would be interesting study of how many retired riders have become curred? Would be some good support for the next book on drugs in the peloton. just my thoughts.

 

[BotanyBay]

With many Professional riders (over 50%?) "suffering" from Asthma it would be interesting study of how many retired riders have become curred? Would be some good support for the next book on drugs in the peloton. just my thoughts.

I think many riders abuse the "having asthma" excuse so they can puff on albuterol before the start of a crit, but as an asthma sufferer, I can say this:

I've only had 4 "attacks" in my life. All of them came about after or during intense cycling activity (3 of them during bike races in May or June). One of them was so severe that my lungs constricted such that I could not take one more breath. I thought I was dying for certain. I went to the doc and a pulmonary specialist, and the determination was "exercise-induced asthma". He said the condition had been with me since birth, but that on these 4 occasions, I was able to find the trigger. And looking back, I now know my triggers: Very intense exercise, maple pollen, heat & high humidity.

I was given an emergency inhaler, but knew darn well that you only use them when you get that feeling that your lungs are about to pull a bear-hug on you. I opted to avoid the triggers as my best course of therapy. I never want to have to rely on that emergency inhaler. What if it didn't work in time?

Anyone who lies about having asthma (easy to fake it with the doc) in order to get a TUE for the inhaler is a jackhole.

Pray that you never need one for real.

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

Here's a story for you, BB;

Years ago I was running a team that was at a WC. Things went pretty well, we got a fourth and some nice team-work was played out. Our fourth-placed rider got called for doping control (no big deal), but before that the randoms got announced while the last kms of the race were happening. One of our riders got called up.

This was a rider who apparently had asthma. That was what I was told, but the only time I saw the rider puffing was on race days. And not a little, I'm talking multiple 'shakey shakey puffs' on big days. This was a big day.

Anyhow, the rider got called for random. I grabbed the rider after the finish and told them that they'd been pulled for a random and that we have to go over there NOW. The rider's face blanched, but they came with me to the doping caravan.

We made our way over to the caravan to check the posted names and numbers, and we got turned away by a WADA official who told us that the random-call requisites were fulfilled. No test for our rider.

The rider turned to me and said, 'Whew, well that was a close one, eh XXX?'. I had to reiterate our team policy on doping (test pos, get fired). And this was a team that was 'clean'.

I can't imagine what the top-tier go through...

 

[brianf7]

Its not easy to get a TUE for Astmah meds you need full respiritery tests and certain values.
realy though Salbutermol is not performance enhancing try it in a Time trial and youn will soon see how good you feel.
If you going to get busted for drugs may as well do it on the hard stuff penalty is still same.

 

[theswordsman]

Its not easy to get a TUE for Astmah meds you need full respiritery tests and certain values.
realy though Salbutermol is not performance enhancing try it in a Time trial and youn will soon see how good you feel.
If you going to get busted for drugs may as well do it on the hard stuff penalty is still same.

The rule is changed a bit for next year (Translated by Google)

Control of Beta 2 agonists (whose active ingredient best known in our country is salbutamol) has evolved greatly in recent years, has long required a therapeutic use exemption thus allowing its use by the sportsperson added restriction, some years ago established a ceiling of salbutamol in urine, even though the athlete had a Therapeutic Use Exemption, for the year 2010, the World Anti-Doping Agency removed the need to apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption , which only must complete a Declaration of Use and maintained a quantitative analysis of the substance.
For 2011 eliminates the need to complete a Declaration of Use of Salbutamol, establishing a quantitative analysis according to which the athlete can not exceed a maximum dose of 1600 micrograms per 24 hours, yes, it is expedient to declare their use when conduct Doping Control.

http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=33619

 

[BotanyBay]

Its not easy to get a TUE for Astmah meds you need full respiritery tests and certain values.
realy though Salbutermol is not performance enhancing try it in a Time trial and youn will soon see how good you feel.
If you going to get busted for drugs may as well do it on the hard stuff penalty is still same.

The (very) few times I ever used the inhaler, I couldn't sleep until the next day. I can't imagine abusing this during intense exercise. I think my heart would explode out of my chest.

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

The (very) few times I ever used the inhaler, I couldn't sleep until the next day. I can't imagine abusing this during intense exercise. I think my heart would explode out of my chest.

Apparently you had the puffer with the alien spores in it.

No wonder you didn't sleep!