Fit for Flight: Medications That May Fall on USADA Prohibited List

We have partnered with the Sports Health experts at NYU Langone to bring you the “Fit for Flight” Series. As an official medical services provider and performance center for USA Nordic Sport, their renowned experts will answer questions from our Olympic hopefuls and give you tips on a variety of sports health topics. 

If you need help getting “Fit for Flight,” NYU Langone offers expert medical care and state-of-the-art diagnostic testing for athletes. USA Nordic members/readers receive exclusive concierge access to their multidisciplinary team—whether you want to improve your performance, have a nagging orthopedic injury, or just need an annual checkup. Fill out our appointment request form and one of their experts will be in touch to help coordinate your care.

For our first installment, we hear from primary care sports medicine specialist, Dr. Lauren Borowski on the best way to have a conversation with a physician about prescriptions during the competition season.

“This is a great question because knowing what you are ingesting and putting into your body as an athlete is incredibly important for performance reasons and, if you’re an elite(pro?) athlete, you also need to make sure you’re adhering to USADA and WDA standards or you risk sanctions if you get called for testing.

The USADA and WDA lists of prohibited substances can be broken up into several categories:

• Substances always prohibited
• Substances prohibited while in competition
• Substances prohibited in certain sports

The USA Nordic Sport physicians that travel with the athletes have all undergone training to familiarize themselves with these prohibited substances lists and how to access them in real time to double check before administering a medication. Even if you’re not an elite/pro athlete, it is still recommended that you discuss any concerns regarding banned substances whenever a physician may prescribe a medication for you. Physicians who do not regularly work with athletes may not be cognizant of these banned substances so it is important to ask what medications will be given during a procedure. Remember you can always consult with a specialist, like a sports medicine physician, if you have questions.”