Mr. Asthma

Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> My wife and I have been told that swimming is one of the best sports for > asthma sufferers. > Could [asthmatic swimmers] be experiencing inhanced ability because of > their medication? >It all depends what medication(s) they are taking.  For example, my doctor >has told me that "Intal" (cromlyn sodium) is _the_ drug of choice for >athletes of all kinds (not just swimmers), and that there are some >world-class asthmatic athletes who use it.   >I have been using "Intal" for years (3 puffs, 4 times/day).  I do not >feel any kind of "rush" or enhanced energy after using it.

(snip) I use Ventolin as my "escape" med and before competitions (I speedskate). It does give me a bit of a rush, but that is a hindrance rather than a help. For indoor inline speedskating (very similar to Short Trach ice), your movements have to be very precise. If you step wrong, you’re going down – hard! Having the Ventolin shakes really does not help in this situation, but it is better than a full-scale asthma attack. I forgot to use my inhaler once before a race and lost conciousness during the race. Now *that* was *not smart*! > … and is it fair?

I would say that Ventolin puts me on par with someone with normal lung capacity. I would not be able to compete without it (you have to be *conscious* to skate!) I think that inherently I’m at a disadvantage due to being asthmatic. I have recent evidence of this: My cardiovascular endurance used to allow me to outpace most people on long races. I got this way by doing some heavy-duty cross-training to get my lung-capacity up. Then, 4 1/2 months ago, I had a rather bad crash and ended up with a crushed wrist. I couldn’t train efficiently for 3 months. Now I can’t even outrun a 5-year-old because I lost my cardiovascular conditioning. It is going to be h*ll to get my lung capacity back to normal, especially as I only have 10 weeks before the next racing season starts. >Again, it depends what medication it is.  It also depends in what kinds of >meets the children are participating in.  At some level (state? >national?–I don’t know) all participants must take a drug test.  The >major athletic organizations have lists of permitted meds.  (There was a >really sad case some years ago of an asthmatic swimmer who was assured by >some national body or other that his medication was approved, but the >Olympic committee did not agree, and he was disqualified _after_ winning >an event.  Now _that’s_ unfair!)

CAUTION: ANY ATHLETE WHO IS TAKING ANY ASTHMA DRUGS WOULD BE WELL ADVISED TO CALL THE USOC (U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE). THEIR STANDARDS APPLY TO THE OLYMPIC LEVEL AND ARE THEREFORE THE MOST RESTRICTIVE. IF YOU ARE LEGAL UNDER USOC RULES, YOU ARE MOST LIKELY LEGAL UNDER NATIONAL AND STATE RULES. MOST SPORTS ASSOCIATIONS CONFORM TO USOC. (Yes I know I was yelling, but that was important). The USOC has a 1-800 number which you should be able to get by calling the 1-800 directory at 1-800-555-1212. If you can’t find the number, let me know, and I’ll look it up. It’s listed in every issue of Speedskating Times. There are three classifications of drugs under USOC rules: LEGAL means you can use the medication RESTRICTED means that your doctor has to fax a letter to USOC verifying your need for the medication, and you need to have a prescription or a vial with the proper pharmacy label on it. BANNED means you can’t use the medication under any circumstances. WARNING: A LOT OF OVER THE COUNTER MEDICATIONS ARE BANNED FOR MANY SPORTS: This includes the following: Bronkaid tablets (contains the banned substance ephedrine) Primatine mist (contains the banned substance epinephrine) Sudafed (contains the banned substance Pseudoephedrine) 99.9% of all cold and cough medications (anything listing pseudoephedrine      as an ingredient is banned) All herbal asthma medications (contain naturally derived ephedrine and      other alkaloids) MOST PHARMACISTS DO NOT KNOW THE USOC DRUG CLASSIFICATIONS . WHEN IN DOUBT CALL USOC! You do not have to be "legal" when you train. You just have to be off the banned stuff long enough for it to completely leave your system completely before the competition. The time required for this varies between different medications – ask your doctor. If you do have to switch medications to get legal, do "test-drive" on the new legal stuff first. It is not a good thing to just assume that it will work just as well as the old stuff and then have an asthma attack take you out of the competition. Annette

Response:

My wife and I have been told that swimming is one of the best sports for asthma sufferers. Weve noticed that the swimmers who are, are also very good swimmers. Could they be experienceing inhanced ability because of their medication? if so how? and is it fair?  in the same vein we know a mother of a a.d.d.boy who waits until just before the swimmeet to give her kid his medication? just interested, Erik in oc md always on vacation……

Response:

> My wife and I have been told that swimming is one of the best sports for > asthma sufferers. > Could [asthmatic swimmers] be experiencing inhanced ability because of > their medication?

It all depends what medication(s) they are taking.  For example, my doctor has told me that "Intal" (cromlyn sodium) is _the_ drug of choice for athletes of all kinds (not just swimmers), and that there are some world-class asthmatic athletes who use it.   I have been using "Intal" for years (3 puffs, 4 times/day).  I do not feel any kind of "rush" or enhanced energy after using it. > if so how?

Some inhalers do stimulate the heart (in addition to relaxing the bronchial constrictions).  My doctor will not prescribe this medication for me for this reason; he says that there are other and better inhalers for short-term relief that do not have this undesirable side effect (e.g., "MaxAire"). > … and is it fair?

Again, it depends what medication it is.  It also depends in what kinds of meets the children are participating in.  At some level (state? national?–I don’t know) all participants must take a drug test.  The major athletic organizations have lists of permitted meds.  (There was a really sad case some years ago of an asthmatic swimmer who was assured by some national body or other that his medication was approved, but the Olympic committee did not agree, and he was disqualified _after_ winning an event.  Now _that’s_ unfair!)

Response:

> My wife and I have been told that swimming is one of the best sports for > asthma sufferers. > Weve noticed that the swimmers who are, are also very good swimmers. > Could they be experienceing inhanced ability because of their medication? > if so how? and is it fair?

I doubt they are experiencing enhanced ability because of their meds, though they may be profitting, in a way, from having asthma.  I read an account by a swimmer who told of how she was always had a much greater lung capacity than her competitors, but was frustrated because at the end of the race, she was always exhausted, moreso than anyone else.  So she would train harder, and develop an even larger lung capacity.   Still she would be wiped out at the end of every race.  Then she started to have full-blown asthma attacks taking her out of competition–this is when they finally diagnosed her with asthma.  Her doctor put her on asthma drugs to control her asthma, and she had better endurance than the other swimmers, but that endurance came because she had worked her lungs so hard for so many years, not because she was taking meds (though the meds did allow her to use the capacity she had developed). So, is it fair?  Yes, it is every bit as fair as some people having asthma and other people not having it.  The non-asthmatics could work themselves to have as great a lung capacity as the asthmatics, but they don’t feel any dire need to, and so they don’t.  The meds don’t give the asthmatics any advantage that the non-asthmatics don’t already have–the ability to breathe freely– they simply allow the asthmatics to make use of their lungs. >  in the same vein we know a mother of a a.d.d.boy who waits until just before > the swimmeet to give her kid his medication?

Maybe that is the best time to give it to him.  I don’t know anything about how fast ADD drugs (ritalin?) are excreted by the body, or if hard work makes the process faster.  Maybe the mom could point you to a few sources on ADD. Laura

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