Adderall and Racing

Triathlon Forum
1

OK, I’ve been presented with a bit of a moral dilemma. I probably should just contact the WADA, but I had more questions than that, and hoped I could lean on the ST knowledgebase.

The background story:
I went to my doctor yesterday because I have been struggling with staying focused on life. It has become a big problem for me - I am at the point where I need to do something. Part of it is piss-poor life management, but part of it could be ADHD, especially since my daughter has been recently diagnosed with it. Anyway, my doc gave me a prescription for Adderall. I asked her if I should be concerned about it for racing purposes. She seemed to understand my concern, and noted that Adderall has a very short half-life and would be out of my system quickly. So, after my appointment, I immediately checked the WADA drug list and it appears to be banned in-competition, if I’m understanding what I read correctly. At this point, I have not filled the prescription or tried it yet.

Getting to the point, here are my questions:

  1. To just be clear on the concept of “in competition”, I could potentially take Adderall as long as it is not in my system on race day, correct?

  2. If it has a short half-life, what kind of gap would I need to have to make sure it is out of my system? Could I take it the day before and be fine?

  3. Aside from the legal aspects of Adderall, the side effects seem to be not all that great. The idea of elevated heart rate seems like a recipe for disaster on a training day. My thought is that if I were to take it, I would knock out my morning workouts, take it before work, and it should be more or less worn off before any evening workouts. The troublesome part is that I like to swim at lunchtime, when the medicine would still be in my system and my heart rate could still be up. But, this is pure speculation, as I haven’t tried it and haven’t seen how the side-effects may affect me. This is where I’m leaning on the ST crowd for an answer I can’t get from WADA - should I be concerned about the side effects?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and advice. I feel kind of dumb airing this out here - it’s not likely that I’m going to qualify for Las Vegas or Kona or anything, but I have had a very productive off-season with some good results for my races so far this season. Getting into my fifth season of racing now, I feel like I’m starting to figure some things out and it’s pretty exciting. I would hate for anybody to think it was because of something other than better training. I just want to sleep comfortably at night, knowing I’m doing what I feel is the right thing. Thanks again.

2

what kind of workup was done on you before you were handed an rx for adderall???
given the potential cardiac side effects I would not even want to train on it let alone race

if she is just going to hand you an rx why not try provigil first which has less potential issues

and you will absolutely need a TUE so I hope she documented the neuropsych testing to confirm a diagnosis of ADHD before giving you a schedule II drug

3

Get her to switch you to a non-stimulant ADHD treatment, like Strattera. Pretty sure it isn’t banned…

4

Well, regarding the workup - not much. We chatted about it, and she felt it would be worth trying. So, there wasn’t any neuropsych testing or anything like that. There isn’t even a diagnosis at this point.

I did mention that I was hoping for something available as a generic, since my insurance sucks. That may have influenced her decision to go with Adderall versus Provigil.

5

Honestly, I am so ignorant on this stuff, I did not know there are non-stimulant treatments. Thanks for the thought!

6

I don’t have ADHD (bipolar/schizoaffective), but I have trained on Provigil (taken in the mornings to counter the sedation of an anti-psychotic) and several meds that can cause arrhythmias/QT prolongation.

I’ve always been fine.

I think looking into a non-stimulant therapy is a good idea, and you may want a dx from a specialist, but if you do decide to train on Adderal - be aware the first few times to see how you react, but I wouldn’t worry too much about a side effect that is at this point still theoretical (i.e. will probably not happen to you).

But then I’m also pretty blase about side effects at this stage in my life. I know it’s scary at first when you get prescribed something.

7

OK, I’ve been presented with a bit of a moral dilemma. I probably should just contact the WADA, but I had more questions than that, and hoped I could lean on the ST knowledgebase.

The background story:
I went to my doctor yesterday because I have been struggling with staying focused on life. It has become a big problem for me - I am at the point where I need to do something. Part of it is piss-poor life management, but part of it could be ADHD, especially since my daughter has been recently diagnosed with it. Anyway, my doc gave me a prescription for Adderall. I asked her if I should be concerned about it for racing purposes. She seemed to understand my concern, and noted that Adderall has a very short half-life and would be out of my system quickly. So, after my appointment, I immediately checked the WADA drug list and it appears to be banned in-competition, if I’m understanding what I read correctly. At this point, I have not filled the prescription or tried it yet.

Getting to the point, here are my questions:

  1. To just be clear on the concept of “in competition”, I could potentially take Adderall as long as it is not in my system on race day, correct?

  2. If it has a short half-life, what kind of gap would I need to have to make sure it is out of my system? Could I take it the day before and be fine?

  3. Aside from the legal aspects of Adderall, the side effects seem to be not all that great. The idea of elevated heart rate seems like a recipe for disaster on a training day. My thought is that if I were to take it, I would knock out my morning workouts, take it before work, and it should be more or less worn off before any evening workouts. The troublesome part is that I like to swim at lunchtime, when the medicine would still be in my system and my heart rate could still be up. But, this is pure speculation, as I haven’t tried it and haven’t seen how the side-effects may affect me. This is where I’m leaning on the ST crowd for an answer I can’t get from WADA - should I be concerned about the side effects?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and advice. I feel kind of dumb airing this out here - it’s not likely that I’m going to qualify for Las Vegas or Kona or anything, but I have had a very productive off-season with some good results for my races so far this season. Getting into my fifth season of racing now, I feel like I’m starting to figure some things out and it’s pretty exciting. I would hate for anybody to think it was because of something other than better training. I just want to sleep comfortably at night, knowing I’m doing what I feel is the right thing. Thanks again.

I took Adderall 6-8 years ago for about two months. It worked wonders on my attention, forgetfulness and organization but made me insanely irritable and gave me palpatations. I don’t know how performance enhancing it is regarding endurance but I’m sure most of us would love to race you on your day off because you’ll be quite down in the dumps. You’ll be lucky to sleep on the stuff too. Best of luck.

8

Well, regarding the workup - not much. We chatted about it, and she felt it would be worth trying. So, there wasn’t any neuropsych testing or anything like that. There isn’t even a diagnosis at this point.

I did mention that I was hoping for something available as a generic, since my insurance sucks. That may have influenced her decision to go with Adderall versus Provigil.

I am frankly horrified that she handed you Adderall.

It is a highly addictive potentially dangerous substance that should not be prescribed like candy.

If it helps you focus it is NOT diagnostic.

Risks include psychosis, arrhythmias, stroke.

9

Honestly, I am so ignorant on this stuff, I did not know there are non-stimulant treatments. Thanks for the thought!

Most docs will tell you Strattera is bullshit. Ritalin and Adderall can change lives. Keep in mind, you will be basically taking pharmaceutical grade methamphetamine (in small doses).

10

I’m most definitely not an expert on this but I don’t think the “in competition” clause is intended to mean only on race day. I could use PEDs during training to get a higher training load in or recover faster than would be possible without them, then still race with my system ‘clean’ of the drug-- but it doesn’t matter, I’ve still cheated by arriving to the race with a fitness level that I was only able to reach by virtue of a banned substance.

As for Adderall itself, despite the fact that I often feel like I have ADHD myself I have a very negative view of it and how casually it is used, or especially miss-used as an academic performance enhancer among the college crowd. Adderall is contains amphetamines, the same crap that’s in speed and meth. That’s about all I have to say about that.

Now, for people who have a serious medical need of Adderall just to function, I’ve seen some discussion in the past about filing for a WADA exemption, should come up with a forum search.

11

Well, regarding the workup - not much. We chatted about it, and she felt it would be worth trying. So, there wasn’t any neuropsych testing or anything like that. There isn’t even a diagnosis at this point.

I did mention that I was hoping for something available as a generic, since my insurance sucks. That may have influenced her decision to go with Adderall versus Provigil.

I am frankly horrified that she handed you Adderall.

It is a highly addictive potentially dangerous substance that should not be prescribed like candy.

If it helps you focus it is NOT diagnostic.

Risks include psychosis, arrhythmias, stroke.

You may want to check out Wellbutrin. Not banned, not dangerous and helps a lot of people with ADHD.

12

Well, regarding the workup - not much. We chatted about it, and she felt it would be worth trying. So, there wasn’t any neuropsych testing or anything like that. There isn’t even a diagnosis at this point.

WTF is wrong with our society?

So many things are screwed up… but the solution isn’t to change how we live, but rather to take dangerous psyche drugs?! Sure… that will fix everything…

Especially for kids! Holy christ…

13

many if not most doctors will subscribe Adderall and the like after a brief consultation.

The real issue is the lack of responsibility many doctors take to treating patients. Treat the symptom with this new drug, the hot blonde that brought us lunch last friday said it should help.

14

Great question.
I have taken adderall for 10 years.
After training and racing with it for over a year, and training/racing with a HRM, I have found everything you are “guessing” to be true. It WILL elevate your HR.
I train in the morning, take my meds, and go to work. I do not do any Z2/70% HR work in the afternoons, mainly because of the elevated heart rate (in other words, I have to c r a w l to keep my HR in the zone). I don’t mind doing tempo/interval work in the afternoons when I have taken it. I am sure there are some ill effects from doing this, but it beats getting fired for staring at a wall all day :wink:
I have no ill effects the next morning (a night’s sleep should be all of the “gap” you need), but I do not know if I would pass a “competition” drug test the next morning, but IMO it would be in your best interest to not have it in your system during a race, anyway. FWIW, I did not like the XR (extended release) version, because it interfered with my sleep.
I hope that helps. Feel free to ask me any specific questions you may have.

15

Well, regarding the workup - not much. We chatted about it, and she felt it would be worth trying. So, there wasn’t any neuropsych testing or anything like that. There isn’t even a diagnosis at this point.

WTF is wrong with our society?

So many things are screwed up… but the solution isn’t to change how we live, but rather to take dangerous psyche drugs?! Sure… that will fix everything…

Especially for kids! Holy christ…

I hear ya - I expected her to point me to a psychologist or a counselor, get some testing done, etc. first. We spent close to a year doing that type of stuff with our daughter before resorting to medication.

But, changing how we live is not profitable, I guess.

16

Thank you for the thoughts - I’m already insanely irritable and have a hard time sleeping.

This is definitely swinging towards the “it’s not worth it” side of my brain. Thanks again to everyone for their thoughts!

17

Thanks for sharing your experience - that definitely helps a lot. I’m pretty much giving up on this Adderall idea - it just doesn’t seem worth it.

18

Great points about the “in competition” clause. I must be misinterpreting it. Thank you for the thoughts!

19

Honestly, I am so ignorant on this stuff, I did not know there are non-stimulant treatments. Thanks for the thought!

Most docs will tell you Strattera is bullshit. Ritalin and Adderall can change lives. Keep in mind, you will be basically taking pharmaceutical grade methamphetamine (in small doses).

Our family consists of 5 (out of 5) truly ritalin-worthy peeps, wife and I included, only two of whom take meds (oldest kids). My wife and I went through quite a lengthy process with numerous iterations of trying to avoid “doping up” our kids, but came to the realization that we were hurting their ability to focus, function, and adjust in school due to our own personal biases as crunchy granola health nut types. For some, ADHD is absolutely real, causes significant problems, and stimulants are the best solution.

Through the lens of our kids and the retrospectoscope, I recognized my own historical, unrecognized and untreated ADHD and its impacts on my own adjustment. But I flew under the RADAR at the time, as there were kids (most of them my buds!!) who were worse. Taking a bathroom break in the middle of every single class period so I could take a lap or two around the school and settle down went unnoticed. Swimming 2-4 hours a day definitely helped. But I had issues that were not addressed that had negative consequences for me. I’ve now adjusted in my own way, and my own 3 month trial of stimulants did nothing to substantially improve my day-to-day functioning. If it had, I’d still be on them.

OTOH, I do agree that the diagnostic process can be sloppy at times; stimulants are overused in a way that is at times Orwellian, and risks are underplayed or not sufficiently worked up.

JMHO: If you legitimately need it for other areas of your life, then you do. ADHD is not entirely BS. Get a TUE. And talk to your MD re the risks. And take a good look at cardiac rhythm/blood pressure issues.

20

many if not most doctors will subscribe Adderall and the like after a brief consultation.

The real issue is the lack of responsibility many doctors take to treating patients. Treat the symptom with this new drug, the hot blonde that brought us lunch last Friday said it should help.

This is a very broad, ignorant and offensive statement. Primary care physicians have a very difficult job. They have to see patients, perform H&P’s, document thoroughly, order tests, write prescriptions, look up records all for very little reimbursement. Their overhead is high with office rent, ancillary staff salaries, benefits, billing costs, and administrative costs, high student loans to pay back and their reimbursement from medicaid/medicare is being cut-back frequently.

The other truth is, Americans don’t want to see a doctor that tells them: “go home and meditate to help your stress. Change your diet and start exercising to lose weight. Oh, you are coughing all the time? Maybe smoking cessation will help.”

John Smith didn’t pay his $20 co-pay to hear this from his doctor! He WANTS A PILL! He wants a quick fix for his problem and anything short of that is unacceptable!

Is it good medicine for the above PCP to hand out Adderall like candy!? Absolutely, not, but a lot of patients will just get another PCP if they don’t like the answers/advice provided. PCP’s don’t want to lose patients over this.

Is it appropriate for me to prescribe hydrocodone (Vicodin) to the guy with a sprained ankle? Heck no, get some ice and anti-inflammatories. But, I also get complaints to administration from patients I didn’t give narcotics to! Americans want a quick fix, RIGHT NOW! They don’t care that I spent 12 years of my life and $200,000 on college, medical school and residency. They have Google and they know best.

Before you crap on physicians, look at the bigger picture. Not all physicians are evil pill dispensers…

Rant over