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Performance Enhancing Drugs: The Risks an Athlete Takes

Tyler Claar

Whedon English 12 2nd hour 3 January 2014 Performance Enhancing Drugs: The Risks an Athlete Takes Performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) have become increasingly common in athletics in recent years. The use of performance-enhancing drugs by professional athletes, or "doping", has

Claar 2 been acknowledged as a problem since at least the 1960s (Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports). Most athletes will go to drastic measures to gain an edge against the competition. Some athletes choose to use PEDs, legally and illegally, to help them gain an advantage. What these athletes fail to see is the side effects and risks that come with using PEDs to help boost their performance. There are many types of PEDs that do different things to your body. Although some PEDs may increase your performance in athletics, there are also many risks that come with taking these drugs. Many athletes deal with a lot of pressure and stress competing at a high level. Some sports require athletes to be in a certain weight class. In addition, competing at such a high level can be exhausting to these athletes. To deal with this stress, fatigue or weight control, athletes may use stimulating, relaxing or weight-controlling drugs. (Freudenrich and Allen) (Performance-enhancing drugs: Know) Stimulants are most often used by athletes to help stay alert, reduce fatigue and remain aware. These drugs can help the body do things such as: increasing the heart rate, making the lungs and brain breathe and function faster and increase blood flow to muscles. A few examples of stimulants include drugs such as caffeine, amphetamines and cocaine. Possible side effects of these stimulants include nervousness, shaking, irregular heartbeats, high blood pressure, and in extreme cases, even death. (Freudenrich and Allen) (Moisse) Relaxants, also known as depressants, do the opposite of stimulants, putting the body in a relaxed state. A couple of examples of relaxants include alcohol and beta-blockers. Alcohol is a common relaxant because it reduces activity in the brain and nervous system. While it may help an athlete relax and deal with stress, too much of it can impair mental functions such as judgment, balance, and coordination. Beta blockers are used to treat high blood pressure by

Claar 3 slowing down the heart and relaxing blood vessels. Side effects may cause fatigue and lower blood pressure than normal. (Freudenrich and Allen) Diuretics are the most common drug when it comes to weight controlling PEDs. Diuretics act on the kidney to increase the flow of urine (Freudenrich and Allen). Diuretics are commonly prescribed to treat high blood pressure and are often found in diet pills. Diuretics are used mainly by athletes who participate in a sport that has weight classes or restrictions, the goal being to lose weight and compete at a lower weight class. Diuretics can also be used to mask the use of other drugs. Possible side effects include dehydration, dizziness, cramps, heart damage and kidney failure. (Freudenrich and Allen) (Performance-enhancing drugs: Know) The most common goal of athletes who use PEDs is to build mass and increase their strength. A few examples of drugs that athletes use to increase mass and strength include; anabolic steroids, beta-2 agonists and human growth hormone (HGH). In most sports that an athlete participates, it would be to the athletes advantage to be bigger, stronger and faster. These types of drugs can help athletes get to the level that they want much faster and with less effort than could be done naturally. These drugs also help athletes recover faster so they can begin weight training again after a shorter period of time. (Freudenrich and Allen) (Moisse) A steroid is a chemical substance derived from cholesterol (Freudenrich and Allen). The human body naturally produces steroid hormones, testosterone in males and estrogen in females. Catabolic steroids break down human tissue and anabolic steroids build up human tissue. Athletes use anabolic steroids because they can help build muscle mass and allow athletes to train harder and longer. (Freudenrich and Allen) (Moisse) Anabolic steroids are mostly testosterone (male sex hormone) and its derivatives. Examples of anabolic steroids include: testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, androstenedione

Claar 4 (andro), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), clostebol, nandrolone (Freudenrich and Allen). All of these anabolic steroids can be injected directly to the bloodstream or taken orally as pills. Anabolic steroids have many side effects such as liver damage, because they are usually broken down in the liver, mood swings and anger or depression, because they affect many different parts of the brain. (Freudenrich and Allen) (Performance-enhancing drugs: Know) Beta-2 agonists are most often used with medical consent to help treat asthma and are usually inhaled through an inhaler. They act on the beta-2 adrenergic receptor causing smooth muscle relaxation which dilates bronchial passages and blood vessels in muscle tissue and the liver. When these drugs are injected into the bloodstream they can help build muscle and reduce body fat. Examples of beta-2 agonists include; Clenbuterol, Terbutaline, Salbutamol, Fenoterol and Bambuterol. Only some of these substances are permitted in inhaler form with permission from a medically trained professional. The major side effects include: nausea, headaches, dizziness, muscle cramps and rapid heartbeats. (Freudenrich and Allen) (Moisse) Human growth hormone (HGH) has been increasingly popular because it is harder to detect compared to other kinds of PEDs. HGH is a naturally occurring protein hormone produced by the pituitary gland and is important for normal human growth and development, especially in children and teenagers (Freudenrich and Allen). Excessive amounts of HGH are supposed to increase muscle mass by increasing protein synthesis and reduce body fat by breaking down fat cells. However, it hasn't been shown conclusively to improve either strength or endurance. Human growth hormone (HGH), is available only by prescription and is administered by injection. (Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports). Side effects include joint pain, muscle weakness, high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure. (Performanceenhancing drugs: Know) (Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports) (Freudenrich and Allen)

Claar 5 Endurance is another attribute that is important in a lot of different sports. To increase their stamina, some athletes that participate in events that require a lot of endurance, such as marathons and triathlons, take drugs or engage in activities that increase the oxygen in their tissues. A few examples include erythropoietin (EPO), artificial oxygen carriers and blood doping. Erythropoietin (EPO) is a naturally occurring protein hormone that is secreted by the kidneys during low-oxygen conditions. EPO stimulates the bone marrow stem cells to make red blood cells, which increase the delivery of oxygen to the kidney (Freudenrich and Allen). Endurance athletes, such as cyclists and long distance runners use EPO to increase the amount of oxygen in their bodies, sometimes up to ten percent. Another reason why it is popular among endurance athletes is because it is difficult to detect. The increase in red blood cells that the EPO causes can then thicken the blood. The thickened blood is harder for the heart to pump increasing the risk of having a heart attack or stroke. (Freudenrich and Allen) Artificial oxygen carriers are human made substances the act the same as hemoglobin, which is a protein that carries oxygen in your blood. They are used medically to treat breathing problems in premature infants, patients with major lung injuries and deep sea divers. It is not exactly clear how artificial oxygen carriers benefit athletes. Possible side effects include immune-system problems, cardiovascular problems, iron overload and kidney damage. (Freudenrich and Allen) Blood doping is infusing whole blood into an athlete to increase blood delivery to their tissues. Training at high altitudes has a similar effect, increasing the transport of blood to their tissues. An athlete who infuses his own blood faces the risks of many cardiovascular problems. The excessive blood volume can cause high blood pressure, blood clots, heart attacks or strokes.

Claar 6 An athlete who infuses his blood with someone elses also faces the risk of a viral infection such as HIV/AIDS. (Freudenrich and Allen) The intense training and performing some of the top athletes in the world have to do sometimes lead to injuries. To deal with these injuries, athletes will use certain drugs to help mask the pain. Some of these drugs include narcotics, protein hormones and local anesthetics. (Freudenrich and Allen) Narcotics are used to help treat pain and include substances like morphine, methadone and heroin. Athletes that use these drugs to try and perform through an injury will run the risk of further damaging and complications to the same injury. The powerful painkillers can slow the heart rate as well as breathing. They can also lead to addiction (Moisse). Narcotics can be used by people to help get a high which can interfere with basic mental capabilities such as judgment, balance, concentration and coordination. (Freudenrich and Allen) (Moisse) Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) is a naturally occurring protein hormone that is secreted by the pituitary gland and stimulates the production of hormones from the adrenal cortex. (Freudenrich and Allen) These hormones help reduce swelling of injuries and also allergic responses. By using ACTH an athlete could reduce the amount of inflammation from an injury, helping them mask the injury and returning to competing and performing. Possible side effects of ACTH are stomach irritation, mental irritation and long term effects such as weakening of the bones and muscles. (Freudenrich and Allen) Local anesthetics are drugs that dentists and doctors use to numb pain and sensations without impairing mental functions. Athletes might use them to continue competing even while injured. The major problem with using anesthetics is the risk of further damaging the injury. (Freudenrich and Allen)

Claar 7 In most sports, leagues have rules against using PEDs to improve an athletes performance. There are drug tests that are done to help prevent the use of PEDs by punishing players who test positive. Most athletes who choose to use PEDs try and hide traces of them from their urine and blood samples by using masking drugs. These drugs include diuretics, previously mentioned as a weight controlling drug, epitestosterone and plasma expanders. Diuretics can be used to reduce the presence of drugs in urine samples; epitestosterone and plasma expanders can be used to reduce the presence of banned substances in blood samples (Freudenrich and Allen). Neither epitestosterone nor plasma expanders have any real serious side effects. (Freudenrich and Allen) (Performance-enhancing drugs: Know) The drugs and substances that were mentioned in this essay are only a small amount of the PEDs that athletes use. With sports becoming more and more competitive, and technology and science improving rapidly, athletes are finding new ways to enhance their performance. What these athletes fail to understand are the risks that come with taking these drugs and the damage that they could potentially do to their body. A PED scandal can also lead to a lot of costly fines, loss of endorsements and loss of respect from their peers and fans. The Biogenesis scandal is an example of how much trouble PEDs can cause. The MLB purchased documents from a laboratory in Florida and suspended over 20 Major and Minor League players for the use of PEDs. Although most athletes claim they do not use PEDs, the effort to try and keep sports clean is important to a lot of people. (Fish)

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Works Cited "Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports Fast Facts." CNN, 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2013. Fish, Mike. "Sources: MLB Hurt Fla. investigation." ESPN, 15 Nov. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2013. Freudenrich, Ph.D., Craig, and Kevin P. Allen. "How Performance-enhancing Drugs Work" How Stuff Works, 15 Sept. 2000. Web. 25 Nov. 2013 Moisse, Katie. "Performance-Enhancing Drugs: A Cheat Sheet." ABC News, 05 Aug. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2013. "Performance-enhancing drugs: Know the risks MayoClinic 2005. Web. 22 Nov. 2013