Is PED use a problem among our elderly?
According to Gary Snyder, the national chairman of USA Track and Field’s masters committee, some people belonging to the older age bracket, are still using prohibited substances like performance-enhancing drugs. However, most of the elderly people are taking steroids for medical purposes.
Some common medications for asthma, hypertension, menopause and inflammation contain steroids that can cause disqualifications in sports competitions. If elderly athletes fail to present a written medical exemption for their maintenance medications, they might get banned from competition.
Take for example 56-year-old, American sprinter Kathy Jager, she was barred from competition for two years and disqualified of her winning title after she tested positive for anabolic steroids. According to her, she was taking a steroid substance for her menopause treatment known as Estratest HS.
Some medications often used by the elderly as maintenance treatments include Metformin HCl and Glipizide for diabetics; Lisinopril, an ACE inhibitor primarily used by hypertensive patients, cardiac patients and is used by diabetic patients for prevention of renal and retinal complications; and Viagra or commonly known as Sildenafil. This drug is not only used for erectile dysfunction but it is also prescribed for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
From Deadspin:
The Times takes an in-depth look at steroid use by competitors in USA Track & Field’s Masters Series, focusing on the 70-to-90-year-olds. The report gives no answers because it doesn’t particularly raise any questions. Are there prohibited substances taken by the old folks? Sure. Do they need these drugs for medical purposes? Probably.
