# Blood Thinners For The Pro's ??



## pr0230 (Jun 4, 2004)

In the past 3 years I have suffered from DVT ( clots) in the legs... I have learned about blood thinners and am a lifer at this point. Enough about me. 

Im wondering, with the heavy demand on riders, dehydration, in a race like the Giro or the Tour... Do some of the boys use thinners to avoid DVT's. or is this not a issue for the Pro's...

Are thinners prohibited by the powers to be?


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## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

pr0230 said:


> In the past 3 years I have suffered from DVT ( clots) in the legs... I have learned about blood thinners and am a lifer at this point. Enough about me.
> 
> Im wondering, with the heavy demand on riders, dehydration, in a race like the Giro or the Tour... Do some of the boys use thinners to avoid DVT's. or is this not a issue for the Pro's...
> 
> Are thinners prohibited by the powers to be?


Only direct IV injections are illegal...eg, saline to thin the blood, rehydrate, and lower hematocrit.

I would assume they don't take blood thinners for any reason except to thin the blood due to doping reasons. Blood thinners slow recovery.


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## dagger (Jul 22, 2004)

*Really you ask about blood thinners for pros*



pr0230 said:


> In the past 3 years I have suffered from DVT ( clots) in the legs... I have learned about blood thinners and am a lifer at this point. Enough about me.
> 
> Im wondering, with the heavy demand on riders, dehydration, in a race like the Giro or the Tour... Do some of the boys use thinners to avoid DVT's. or is this not a issue for the Pro's...
> 
> Are thinners prohibited by the powers to be?


Uhmm...blood thinners will make u bleed to death.


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

I thought the preferred drugs for cyclists were blood thickeners- more red blood cells, less plasma.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

dagger said:


> Uhmm...blood thinners will make u bleed to death.


They won't make you bleed, but if you get cut or some sort of trauma, you'll be less less able to form a clot. I would think most cyclits aren't a DVT risk whatsoever.


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## bas (Jul 30, 2004)

spade2you said:


> They won't make you bleed, but if you get cut or some sort of trauma, you'll be less less able to form a clot. I would think most cyclits aren't a DVT risk whatsoever.



I think I've read if you say do a long ride - end up dehydrated - and chug down the beer - you are at risk for DVT.


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## DblA (Aug 16, 2006)

bas said:


> I think I've read if you say do a long ride - end up dehydrated - and chug down the beer - you are at risk for DVT.


I have read that too, that if you have a long drive home from a race, you should make sure you rehydrate and get out and walk around every couple of hours to keep the blood circulating. 

A pro, dehydrated after a long race, or especially a doper with elevated hematocrit, might have a higher risk of DVT than the average person. But in the absense of a known clotting disorder, I would still expect the risk of them taking anticoagulants to outweigh any protective effect.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

bas said:


> I think I've read if you say do a long ride - end up dehydrated - and chug down the beer - you are at risk for DVT.


Perhaps in theory, but DVTs are more related to poor circulation, age, sex (higher in women), poor ambulation, and obvious clotting factor disorders. In most cases, the DVT is formed because blood isn't moving in the legs, which can usually be attributed to the poor circulation, not moving the legs, or a combination. Given the physiology and nature of most cyclists, this really shouldn't be the a problem.


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## terzo rene (Mar 23, 2002)

In The Death of Marco Pantani, Rendell mentioned aspirin being used frequently during the EPO era. No reason to believe they aren't still using it.


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## rook (Apr 5, 2009)

dagger said:


> Uhmm...blood thinners will make u bleed to death.



Not exactly true. Excessive use of blood thinners could cause you to bleed to death, but that is very, Very, VERY rare. Blood thinners, (warfarin, heparin, etc). Seriously. Doctors administer blood thinners daily to patients that have clotting disorders. It is not to be used in any other method, though I can see it's unethical application in sports.

Armstrong received intravenous fluids after one of the stages of the Tour where Ulrich actually put time on him. Armstrong claimed he was dehydrated. I don't buy it.


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## zoikz (Sep 5, 2003)

Guys taking epo were often placed on coumadin to reduce the chances of them getting blood clots. Having such viscous blood is one of the main dangers of falsely elevating your Hct and the reason there were a of young pro's dying in he 80's. Incredibly these guys on coumadin were never tested for their INR, and just placed on a standing dose. It goes to show how little the agents of blood doping care about their athletes. If these guys crashed they ran a pretty high risk of dying from intercranial or intraperitoneal bleeding. Personally I would be terrified of riding my bike on anything more than a casual speed if I was on coumadin...but I guess we all make our choices and get used to the cards dealt.


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