# Has anyone here used performance enhancing drugs?



## izethewise (Sep 30, 2004)

I've tried ephedrine and amphetamine. I stopped using them because I got worse results.


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

izethewise said:


> I've tried ephedrine and amphetamine. I stopped using them because I got worse results.


I use caffeine all the time before and during races and I think it helps.


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## shawndoggy (Feb 3, 2004)

Yes, according to WADA. I've got arthritis and am frequently prescribed short duration, low dose courses of corticosteroids (medrol, specifically) during flare ups. Not sure how those steroids can be deemed "performance enhancing" to normal individuals (they are not the muscle building anabolic kind, and the list of side effects isn't pretty), but on the days when I've not been able to walk without a cane, they are definitely performance enhancing!

Though I've never done it, according to our USCF district rep, since the USCF has adopted the WADA doping standards, I should be applying for an in-competition waiver. Haven't gotten the waiver yet, but I suspect that if I ever go to masters nats I will.


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## bimini (Jul 2, 2003)

*A stiff triple expresso with 4 packs of sugar*

before the race.

Mega dosage of Ibuprophin afterward. 

Oh, did you mean illegal drugs?


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## biknben (Jan 28, 2004)

*I doubt Percodan is allowed...*

A few years ago, I did a MTB race while recovering from a minor surgery. I _intentionally_ took a perc before the race thinking, "This stuff reduces pain...During a race I feel a lot of that...Maybe it will work." It ended up being a very good race. So what if I'm not supposed to operate machinery and it could cause lightheadedness and dizziness.  

I typically take Tylenol or some other OTC med before races and a decent dose (probably not over the limit though) of caffeine gets me going too.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

*Does ****** count?*



izethewise said:


> I've tried ephedrine and amphetamine. I stopped using them because I got worse results.


Sorry, I couldn't resist...


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## Coolhand (Jul 28, 2002)

Caffeine here to, but it's off the list of naughty and possibly naughty things now as far as the UCI goes.


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## wookieontherun (Dec 16, 2002)

got a number of friends who smoked pot before they rode.... oh you said performance enhancing drugs....


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## otis24 (Sep 9, 2004)

Hello everyone. I think this might be my first post on roadbikereview. I've been around on MTBR for a while and thought I'd come over this way for a bit. I like the road quite a bit too. 
Anyway, I read an excellant article in Outside Magazine a while ago. The auther wanted to write about performance enhansing drugs. So while doing research he realized that tons had been written on the effects of using various drugs. Nothing had been written about what it was like to do them. So he sets out to find out. I think he was in his early 40's around 190 pounds, in decent shape, raced a little on the road. There is some crazy 600KM race in France that has a 90 hour cut off that doesn't test for drugs. This race was his goal . I think it was about 8 months away. The next step was to find a doctor. He found one and he was put on vitamins first, then a steriod called "deca" or something, then human growth hormone, then finally a little before the race EPO. Pretty scary stuff, I don't think I'd have the balls to put any of that crap in me. I'd rather be slow. So his performance skyrockets. He says how he can ride 300 miles a day and get up the next day fully recovered. He drops down to 6% body fat and gains 12 pounds of muscle without touching a weight. The HGH actually improves his vision so he doesn't need glasses anymore. So he does the race finishes and stops using drugs. His performance plummits and in the end he's pretty glad to be off these drugs. He mentiins something about feeling as if something that's not him is growing inside him. Not to mention the drugs cost something like 8 or 9 thousand dollars in 8 months. Very interesting, if you can find it,it's a good read.


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## 53T (Jul 20, 2002)

*"I've never tested positive"*

Yes, corticosteroids, for a nasty, ahem, rash. Cafiene, but probably within the old limits. Nothing else, as far as I know.


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## CLTracer (Aug 21, 2004)

****** once or twice just for fun.

Oh, you mean on the bike. Nah, never.


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## husun (Aug 14, 2004)

53T said:


> Yes, corticosteroids, for a nasty, ahem, rash. Cafiene, but probably within the old limits. Nothing else, as far as I know.


Sorry to disappoint you but corticosteroids will only hurt performance. Anabolic steroids are what builds muscle. Corticosteroids will have the opposite effect.


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

husun said:


> Sorry to disappoint you but corticosteroids will only hurt performance. Anabolic steroids are what builds muscle. Corticosteroids will have the opposite effect.


Whether it is actually performance enhancing or not is probably debatable, but pro cyclists definitely dope with corticosteroids (Kenacort seems to be a commonly mentioned one) by injecting a big dose the morning of a race. The idea being to increase reliance on fat and muscle for energy supply thus sparing glycogen, which is a good thing to have around if you want to go fast at the end of 5 or 6 hour race.


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## backon2wheels (Aug 9, 2004)

what an amazing story.

http://outside.away.com/outside/bodywork/200311/200311_drug_test_1.html


Cheers,
Kyle.


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## MShaw (Jun 7, 2003)

psuedoephedrine is the only one I've ever tried. Seemed to help some times and not others.

Granted, when I was taking the stuff I either had a cold, or was recovering from a cold so the data's a little skewed.

Tried Creatine for a bit, but it didn't seem to do anything for me so I stopped.

M


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## bikejr (Jul 30, 2004)

*yuko....*



backon2wheels said:


> what an amazing story.
> 
> http://outside.away.com/outside/bodywork/200311/200311_drug_test_1.html
> 
> ...


 Man I hate sites that do that... Suck you in they make you register to finish reading...


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## backon2wheels (Aug 9, 2004)

sorry about that, I didn't know the site did that.
i registered for free, just to finish the story. well worth it.
fyi
Kyle.


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## sherpa (Feb 11, 2004)

*Listen to Stuart Stevens interview -- interesting ...*

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1469670

click on the little speaker image









enjoy !


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## TroyRyder (Sep 30, 2004)

*Great article*

I agree, the article was really very interesting! it was a great illustration on the effects of doping. It's easy to understand that performance enhancing drugs are, well, performance enhancing, but the Outside article really gave an exact account of it all. Particularly interesting was how he described a recovery supporting drug which helped him, amongst other, to regain perfect vision and he could quit wearing glasses!!

BTW, the race is Paris-Brest-Paris and it is 1200k.


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