Adderall abuse article 12-01-12 Guy, Browner & Sherman?

Jville

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.... glimpse at a problem that is confounding the N.F.L. this season. Players are taking Adderall, a medication widely prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, whether they need it or not, and are failing drug tests because of it. And that is almost certainly contributing to a most-troubling result: a record-setting year for N.F.L. drug suspensions.

I think NFL network slipped up with the mention of Adderall as the cause of Browner's suspension. With Guy, Browner & Sherman all going thru suspensions, the linked recent article is worth a read for those wanting to get their arms around the problem.

Link >>> http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/sport ... d=all&_r=0
 

djb28

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My girlfriends son takes it. I dont see him going All State.
 

Seahwkgal

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My nephew takes it(prescribed). He hated how it made him feel when he was playing sports. It can cause panic attacks and makes the heart race. This is something an athlete does not need. It can be very dangerous when combined with exercise. I just don't get it.
 

the ditch

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This is totally an unconfirmed opinion but I thought that neither the NFL or the NFLPA could come out and say what banned drug the players were using. I'd imagine there's a lot of players who just say Adderall who actually tested positive for something else, as the stigma is less in public opinion.
 

SmokeyHawk

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From what I've heard, the NFL can't release what they tested pos. for; but the players can say whatever they want. I could be wrong though.
My buddy "body builds" and before anything was even released he said "they'll probably say adderall, body builders take it when they're juicing so they'll test pos. for adderall and have an "out" on anything else they test for". (I know, different class of chems; but it kinda makes sense if adderall isn't banned in body building, i dunno, is it?). Just sayin, he said that before Sherm and Browner even said anything about adderall.

-SH
 

bigcc

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Seahwkgal":7t4bu6z4 said:
My nephew takes it(prescribed). He hated how it made him feel when he was playing sports. It can cause panic attacks and makes the heart race. This is something an athlete does not need. It can be very dangerous when combined with exercise. I just don't get it.


your nephew isn't a professional athlete and if these guys WERE taking adderall, I highly doubt it was at prescribed doses...... coming from someone who has used it as a weightlifter/athlete
 

Bigpumpkin

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bigcc":21jw4nnd said:
Seahwkgal":21jw4nnd said:
My nephew takes it(prescribed). He hated how it made him feel when he was playing sports. It can cause panic attacks and makes the heart race. This is something an athlete does not need. It can be very dangerous when combined with exercise. I just don't get it.


your nephew isn't a professional athlete and if these guys WERE taking adderall, I highly doubt it was at prescribed doses...... coming from someone who has used it as a weightlifter/athlete

Valid point! I posted this question in an earlier post this week that we have not been told the amount of "Adderall" Browner and Sherman had been taking. Testing can show very small amounts in the system.
 

jkitsune

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Several doctors frequent these forums, and I think we would all agree that even at high doses prescription amphetamines are not likely to objectively enhance athletic performance. There are a lot of misconceptions about these medications, and this is one of them. Their main use as "PEDs" lies in the realm of academics, and even then the evidence is mostly anecdotal. In excess of prescription amounts, the side effects (palpitations, nervousness, appetite stimulation, etc) are likely to outweigh any benefits - similar to high doses of caffeine.
 

HansGruber

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Adderal is popular with athletes (and banned in sports) because it is a masking agent for "steroids"/PEDs; ie winny, dbol, etc.

Our guys were taking it to mask other things. They were juicing. No doubt in my mind.
 

Scottemojo

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HansGruber":2n1ac0w0 said:
Adderal is popular with athletes (and banned in sports) because it is a masking agent for "steroids"/PEDs; ie winny, dbol, etc.

Our guys were taking it to mask other things. They were juicing. No doubt in my mind.
Call me naive, but why would you take a masking agent that carries the exact same penalties as the product it is masking?
 
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Jville

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I think it likely we will hear more about this and other epidemics going forward. That's why I posted. Seattle and the Seahawks will be impacted.

Getting ahead is wired into the American psyche. America represents 4 percent of the world's population but produces 88 percent of the world's legal amphetamine (and a great deal of illegal methamphetamine and cocaine as well). Will Hill, a safety for the New York Giants who served a suspension this season for Adderall use, may have said it best: "How do we decipher the fakers from not? When you try to get an advantage over the next person, that's why we get into these situations we're in."

Mr. Hill is right on, but he's not just speaking about the NFL; he's talking about the United States of Adderall.

Link >>> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-dil ... _ref=false
 

HansGruber

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Scottemojo":364j7b22 said:
HansGruber":364j7b22 said:
Adderal is popular with athletes (and banned in sports) because it is a masking agent for "steroids"/PEDs; ie winny, dbol, etc.

Our guys were taking it to mask other things. They were juicing. No doubt in my mind.
Call me naive, but why would you take a masking agent that carries the exact same penalties as the product it is masking?

The only similar penalty is the suspension from the NFL. The loss of endorsements and potential future contract value is much greater for "steroids" than Adderall.
 

Scottemojo

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HansGruber":3ifcrj6h said:
Scottemojo":3ifcrj6h said:
HansGruber":3ifcrj6h said:
Adderal is popular with athletes (and banned in sports) because it is a masking agent for "steroids"/PEDs; ie winny, dbol, etc.

Our guys were taking it to mask other things. They were juicing. No doubt in my mind.
Call me naive, but why would you take a masking agent that carries the exact same penalties as the product it is masking?

The only similar penalty is the suspension from the NFL. The loss of endorsements and potential future contract value is much greater for "steroids" than Adderall.
That only explins why they would publicly claim Adderal. I still don't understand medically how it masks steroids, or why you would use it to do so.
 

SharkHawk

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HansGruber":3ra4fe9k said:
Adderal is popular with athletes (and banned in sports) because it is a masking agent for "steroids"/PEDs; ie winny, dbol, etc.

Our guys were taking it to mask other things. They were juicing. No doubt in my mind.

Since when did Adderall mask any form of testosterone either synthetic or not? They aren't in the same class of drugs at all. The main masking agent that is out there is basically estrogen to try to even out the ratios. That is what got Manny Ramirez busted and it is also the drug that got Brian Cushing busted (hcg). It's not an amphetamine salt, it's a hormone to restart production when coming off of a cycle. I don't see how an amphetamine salt can mask a hormone as amphetamines don't cause testosterone production to speed or slow, nor do they help to balance levels so that a player looks "clean" by having a test of the two testosterone levels and the estrogen level within the margin of error.

I have been tested monthly for 4 years and take adderall and some form of synthetic testosterone daily (and have for 6 years). I have tested positive for both adderall AND whatever form of testosterone I am taking every single month. One has never masked the other and vice-versa. In fact, if either my adderall test or my testosterone levels came back as not reading as if I had "juiced" then I'd FAIL the test and be taken off both medications as I'd be suspected of diversion.

There is no reason why anybody would take adderall to mask a steroid. If that were the case, they'd simply test positive for both and likely face much more serious consequences. Adderall has never been a masking agent to my knowledge. It is simply a banned substance based on its own merits. It is just the new name for "greenies" which were banned by the USOC and pretty much every sanctioning body back in probably somewhere in the early to mid-70's.
 

HansGruber

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Scottemojo":79a9y2k4 said:
That only explins why they would publicly claim Adderal. I still don't understand medically how it masks steroids, or why you would use it to do so.

I don't know the specifics of why or how amphetamines mask PEDs, but I do know it effectively masks HGH and a number of anabolic and other steroids.

And I can completely understand why a speed/stamina guy would use HGH. HGH doesn't "bulk you up", in fact, it causes the user to "lean down" by speeding up your metabolic rate, increases muscle glycogen uptake, etc. Even better is that it has very little impact on your growth plates unless abused heavily (see Barry Bonds' huge head for example).

The most important thing to a speed player like a CB is that it converts more glucose into glycogen and dramatically increases the effectiveness of stored glycogen during protein synthesis / muscle repair. You lose fat and increase lean muscle mass while simultaneously increasing muscle recovery. And the difference is dramatic.

There is a reason it is called the fountain of youth. Remember when you were 16 and you could eat 2 whole pizzas and all that happened was your arms and chest got bigger and stronger? Or how you could run all day long, then go do heavy squats, then do your all your house chores, and then go play football with your buddies for a few hours, and you'd never get sore? Imagine if you could have that at 40. Well, you can. Take HGH and that's what it will do for you.

Basically, your body is using all that glycogen directly for muscle repair. As you age, less and less glycogen is utilized and begins to be stored as "fat". HGH, in effect, turns you back into that 16 year old. Your muscles recover much faster, and your body uses food much more effectively (for repairing muscle tissue rather than storing it as fat).

When HGH was still legal, I tried it while working out (under the care and supervision of my PCP). The results were dramatic. Where I would previously struggle to get through 10-rep sets at a certain weight, I could now do 12. Where it previously took me 75-90 seconds between heavy sets to recover, I could be back on the bench in 50-60 seconds and feel fully rested. Any weight lifter can tell you the dramatic benefits of reduced rest times and increased rep count for stamina athletes (basically, increased muscle recovery). Issues like DOMS just disappear. A guy like Richard Sherman, who will spend much of his day doing sprints, would be able to come in the next day and run those sprints full-speed without any soreness or muscle exhaustion. HUGE benefits for speed players. I can easily see why the secondary would be using HGH to stay one step ahead of the competition.

And frankly, I believe HGH should be legal and do not see it as cheating. Many many doctors would tell you that HGH is the miracle drug discovery of the 20th Century. Amazing things can happen during proper use. HGH strengthens bones, increases muscle mass, reduces fat, lowers blood pressure, improves your skin and hair, and on and on. It was only banned because of ignorance and the bad press given it by Barry Bonds. I've personally witnessed fellow doctors in their 70s who have used HGH to deal with arthritis and degenerative muscular conditions (for which it is still legal), and even one doctor who used HGH to get himself into shape and compete in a triathlon against guys in their 30's. Fascinating stuff.

Even worse to me is that amphetamines are legal while beneficial drugs such as synthetic HGH are banned. Totally absurd.

Anyway, enough of my rambling.
 

HansGruber

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SharkHawk":2sxtxcfs said:
HansGruber":2sxtxcfs said:
Adderal is popular with athletes (and banned in sports) because it is a masking agent for "steroids"/PEDs; ie winny, dbol, etc.

Our guys were taking it to mask other things. They were juicing. No doubt in my mind.

Since when did Adderall mask any form of testosterone either synthetic or not? They aren't in the same class of drugs at all. The main masking agent that is out there is basically estrogen to try to even out the ratios. That is what got Manny Ramirez busted and it is also the drug that got Brian Cushing busted (hcg). It's not an amphetamine salt, it's a hormone to restart production when coming off of a cycle. I don't see how an amphetamine salt can mask a hormone as amphetamines don't cause testosterone production to speed or slow, nor do they help to balance levels so that a player looks "clean" by having a test of the two testosterone levels and the estrogen level within the margin of error.

I have been tested monthly for 4 years and take adderall and some form of synthetic testosterone daily (and have for 6 years). I have tested positive for both adderall AND whatever form of testosterone I am taking every single month. One has never masked the other and vice-versa. In fact, if either my adderall test or my testosterone levels came back as not reading as if I had "juiced" then I'd FAIL the test and be taken off both medications as I'd be suspected of diversion.

There is no reason why anybody would take adderall to mask a steroid. If that were the case, they'd simply test positive for both and likely face much more serious consequences. Adderall has never been a masking agent to my knowledge. It is simply a banned substance based on its own merits. It is just the new name for "greenies" which were banned by the USOC and pretty much every sanctioning body back in probably somewhere in the early to mid-70's.


I'm not sure about its masking effects for anabolic steroids.

I am 100% positive that it is used to mask HGH use. That is specifically why it is banned by the NFL.
 

SharkHawk

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HGH isn't illegal. That's why doctors can prescribe them. They are just as legal as amphetamines. They need to be taken under a doctor's care with a prescription. Now, if you're talking "illegal" in the sense that they are banned by sport, then that's different, because there are exceptions. There are lots of players who take synthetic testosterone. They are under the same "waiver" from a doctor system as those who take adderall and other medications. They have to do the same thing when taking male pattern baldness drugs, and so on. Anything that can trigger a positive must be documented and approved.

I thought you stated somewhere that you were a surgeon. I guess you were joking, or I am mistaking you for somebody else. But Adderall isn't a mask and you saying flat out that our players are "juicing" and the use of adderall as a mask as your reasoning doesn't make any sense. Sorry.
 

Scottemojo

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HansGruber, the NFL cannot even test for HGH yet. They and the union have not worked out a blood test that pleases both parties, and apparently in urine you can't test for elevated levels with any reliability. So hiding its use with a bannable substance doesn't make sense.
 
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