GAA player test positive in drugs test.

[pintsofguinness]

Now answer me how is taking a salbutamol cheating when it doesn't do anything.

I'm not a medical expert, are you?

Why weren't you yapping about this in 2001?

[Reillers]

Now answer me how is taking a salbutamol cheating when it doesn't do anything.

I'm not a medical expert, are you?

Why weren't you yapping about this in 2001?

Are you serious.
Answer me. Salbutamol has side affects of dizzyness, tiredness, even in some cases nausea. It makes you tired, twitchy, it puts off your reflexes in some cases if you're not used to it.
So answer me, how is taking it cheating?

[pintsofguinness]

Reillers, again, I'm not a medical expert so I can't discuss the affects of Salbutamol, are you a medical expert?

What I do find interesting though is posts from Bud and Mainstreet in this thread providing evidence that suggests Salbutamol would be advantageous. 

I'll ask again, why weren't you crying in 2001?
Would you be prepared to throw away the grants to take all the inhalers you wanted?

[Reillers]

Now answer me how is taking a salbutamol cheating when it doesn't do anything.

I'm not a medical expert, are you?

Why weren't you yapping about this in 2001?

No room to breathe for asthma sufferers

Wednesday November 19 2008[/b]

GAA stars with asthma may be forced out of the game because of stringent new rules governing Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE).

As Kerry star Aidan O'Mahony prepares his case against a positive dope test that revealed adverse levels of Salbutamol in his system on the day of the All-Ireland final against Tyrone, doctors across a wide range of sports will meet in Dublin on Saturday to hear how the new rules -- applicable from January 1 -- will tighten protocols for asthma sufferers.

Dr Philip Carolan, chairman of the Gaelic Games Doctors Association and the incoming dean of the faculty of sport at the Royal College of Surgeons, says his understanding of the new rules, which seeks to harmonise WADA guidelines across all sports and countries, is that it will make it harder for sufferers of asthma to obtain TUEs .

He even predicted that some players, who won't gain exemption under the new system, may have to relinquish inter-county careers rather than risk playing without clearance for use of substances contained in inhalers.

"We have yet to ascertain what the seminar on Saturday will fully advise, but from what I gather, some form of respiratory testing -- as opposed to just doctor's clearance -- will be required from next year onwards," explained Dr Carolan.

"That will leave things a lot more difficult for those who suffer from asthma. To undergo such tests, players will have to be free of medication at the time, which is hardly ideal. I'd be worried that it could put off asthma sufferers from playing high-level sport, including Gaelic games.

"I'm on the anti-doping committee at the faculty of sports medicine in the Royal College of Surgeons and there are issues and concerns with all of this which we have been discussing on an ongoing basis," continued Dr Carolan.

Change

"Problems arise when a player is drafted into the squad late in a season or when team doctors changes from year to year in accordance with a change of manager."

The chairman of the Irish Asthma Society's medical advisory council, Dr Pat Manning, a respiratory consultant, said he too was aware that respiratory testing could be introduced in the near future but wasn't sure if it would be that detrimental.

"There are various forms of tests that we use, from exercise and breathing challenges to a methacholine challenge. We understand that regulation is going to go beyond just accepting a medical diagnosis on the basis of symptoms. I'm not sure if this would be detrimental however."

Dr Manning said Salbutamol, at the core of the controversy involving O'Mahony, was a "good drug to use in the case of an emergency as a reliever of asthma symptoms and as a prevention of exercise-induced asthma." But he did warn that over-use could be dangerous.

He also admitted it would be a "plausible" explanation for higher than normal levels of Salbutamol to be found in the system if he had been suffering from symptoms of flu in the week of the game.

"Obviously, if he had symptoms of flu, it could be a very reasonable explanation for a higher than normal reading, but we'll obviously have to await the outcome of the hearing to know that," he said.

O'Mahony was a doubt in the lead-up to the game and was considered to have performed below his normal standards as he struggled with the warmer conditions, especially when shadowing Tyrone's man of the match, Sean Cavanagh.

Almost one in five young teens have been diagnosed with asthma in Ireland since 2000 according to Dr Manning, but the society would never discourage participation in sport.

An average of two to three members of a 30-man GAA inter-county squad seek TUEs from the Irish Sports Council (ISC) every year.

Last year, the ISC cleared 526 abbreviated and 155 standard TUEs from participants across a wide range of sports, from athletics to swimming, Gaelic games, rugby and soccer. A small percentage of standard TUE requests were rejected.

Dr Carolan said he was surprised and worried that O'Mahony's name had got into the public domain so quickly and said it was a disturbing development for any GAA player.

"I feel sorry for the player in question that due process has not been observed in that regard."

O'Mahony will receive results from his 'B' sample in the coming days but he has already begun preparing his defence, which he is confident of being successful with.

O'Mahony yesterday issued a statement through his solicitor Paul Derham -- the man who successfully helped Frankie Sheahan to have a two-year ban pared back to three months in 2003 -- outlining how he was an asthma sufferer since childhood and had a Therapeutic Use Exemption for the four years he has been an inter-county footballer and which he renews annually.

Suffered

"I have suffered from asthma since childhood, I notified the Gaelic Athletic Association and the Irish Sports Council with regard to my asthmatic condition and the use of Salbutamol by way of inhaler to treat this condition and I obtained from the Irish Sports Council a Therapeutic Use Exemption," explained O'Mahony in the statement.

"I was randomly tested after the All-Ireland final on the 21st of September, 2008. A concentration of Salbutamol was shown in my sample and I must now show to the Gaelic Athletic Association/Irish Sports Council that this finding was the consequence of the therapeutic use of inhaled Salbutamol, and I and my medical advisors are absolutely satisfied that the level of Salbutamol in my sample is wholly consistent with my therapeutic use of inhaled Salbutamol.

"I would be happy to meet with the press to give further detail once my hearing has been concluded and it would not be appropriate to give any further detail until after the hearing."




This is what we're fighting. One in Five teens have it. Two to Three members of a 30 man panel. But the rules for an amateur sport are getting strickter, it's not like they're pros and are doing anything else but the sport, these lads have work and families and study to do and take care of, GAA on top of that, and when these tests are done, they've to be FREE of any medication at the time. It's a joke.

What are you fighting here pints, what are you fighting exactly?? It's not cheating, it's having the right to breath. Nothing else.

[boojangles]

Nobody was yapping about it Pints because there was no problem with anything.There still isnt a problem apart the fact that an Amateur association is being being expected to adhere to the same set of guidelines as Professional sports.And yes it was forced on the GAA,It was a directive from the Irish Sports Council or else Funding and Grants would have been cut.The GAA had been motoring along just grand without any drug-testing for 120 years.Now a storm in a teacup over nothing and all of a sudden these Sports Council Guidelines have to be adhered to or we'l end up with Ben Johnson and Waterford Crystal and Michele Smith all in Croke Park on All-Ireland Final day.I DONT THINK SO.

[Reillers]

Reillers, again, I'm not a medical expert so I can't discuss the affects of Salbutamol, are you a medical expert?

What I do find interesting though is posts from Bud and Mainstreet in this thread providing evidence that suggests Salbutamol would be advantageous. 

I'll ask again, why weren't you crying in 2001?
Would you be prepared to throw away the grants to take all the inhalers you wanted?

It didn't come up in 2001 now did it, but I was pretty pissed in 2003 when Frankie Sheahan got baned for it, thankfully it was reduced to 3 months, buit still.

What advantages..according to Wikipedia..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salbutamol

Side Effects / Health Consequences

   * Tachycardia (rapid heart rate)
   * Shakiness, nervousness
   * Hyperkinesis
   * Insomnia
   * Nausea and Vomiting
   * Reactive bronchospasm
   * Drowsiness
   * Aggression
   * Agitation
   * Allergic reaction
   * Anxiety
   * Back Pain
   * Excitement
   * Fluid Retention and Swelling
   * Flushing
   * General Bodily Discomfort
   * Headache
   * Heart Palpitations
   * Heartburn
   * Hives
   * Hyperactivity
   * Hypertension
   * Increased Appetite
   * Increased Difficulty Breathing
   * Indigestion
   * Insomnia, especially in children
   * Irritability
   * Lightheadedness
   * Muscle Cramps
   * Muscle tremor
   * Nasal Inflammation
   * Nervousness
   * Nightmares
   * Nosebleed
   * Rash
   * Throat irritation
   * Tooth Discoloration
   * Tremors
   * Unusual Taste
   * Urinary Problems
   * Weakness
   * Wheezing
   * Xerostomia (dry mouth)

Where's the advantages there??

You know it's a wonder why more people aren't taking it. 

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Cheating? Are ya taking the piss??
Wanting to BREATH is cheating?? Salbutamol is a drug in enhalers. It has little if no effect and usually the affect is a bad one. Dizzyness, tiring, jumpy sometimes. It affect is no more then water. You can't say, no one can say that he took the drug for anything other then wanting relief from asthma, so he could breath and we're punishing him for that. You think that's right??
So now, we're putting up a barrier between players and atshma sufferers.

It's incorrect to say that Salbutamol does not deliver a performance dividend:

Salbutamol: Ergogenic effects of salbutamol

The International Olympic Committee's high index of suspicion over the use of inhaled beta2- adrenergic agonists for the prevention and treatment of exercise-induced asthma is fully justified, if the results of a new study from the Netherlands are anything to go by.

This study of the effects of supra-therapeutic doses of inhaled salbutamol on endurance cycling in non-asthmatic athletes found the drug enhanced performance to a significant degree – enough to give users a real advantage in competitive events.

In a double-blind, randomised cross-over study, 16 athletes performed two trials – at least four days apart – in which they had to perform a certain amount of work as fast as possible on a cycle ergometer, 30 minutes after inhaling either 800µg salbutamol or placebo. In the second trial the conditions were reversed, with those taking placebo switched to the active drug, and vice versa. Performance times were recorded and a range of blood and respiratory measurements were taken before and after exercise.

The most important finding was that average performance time on salbutamol was reduced by 82.7 seconds – 3,927.6 seconds (65 minutes), compared with 4,010.2 seconds, a difference of just under 2%. As the researchers point out: 'The relevance of a more than 1-minute improvement in an approximately 1-hour time trial for competitive events is obvious.'

They can offer no explanation for this increase in performance, which was not explained by changes in plasma concentrations of free fatty acids, glycerol, lactate and potassium during exercise, or by changes in ventilatory parameters at rest and after exercise.

The significance of the study is that it is the first to show that inhalation of a supra-therapeutic dose of salbutamol improves time trial performance in non-asthmatic athletes, with previous studies showing no effects on endurance performance.

Why, then, did this one produce a positive result? The researchers suggest that their protocol for measuring endurance performance – performing a given amount of work as fast as possible – may be more sensitive than the time-to-exhaustion tests used in previous trials. Additionally, it seems that at the end of this type of trial subjects perform a 'finishing kick' which is absent during time-to-exhaustion tests.

'It is possible,' they conclude, 'that salbutamol specifically improves this finishing kick.'

Sourced Here


Though I do not believe O'Mahony is guilty here, and that the use of it was purely therapeutic since the lad is most definitely asthmatic (and does need it to help him breathe), but let's not be blind to the raw facts.

[pintsofguinness]

Reillers (from the article)

"We have yet to ascertain what the seminar on Saturday will fully advise, but from what I gather, some form of respiratory testing -- as opposed to just doctor's clearance -- will be required from next year onwards," explained Dr Carolan.

I dont understand what the issue is? A player needs to go and get a test to get an exemption.  What's the problem with this?

boo

Nobody was yapping about it Pints because there was no problem with anything.There still isnt a problem apart the fact that an Amateur association is being being expected to adhere to the same set of guidelines as Professional sports.And yes it was forced on the GAA,It was a directive from the Irish Sports Council or else Funding and Grants would have been cut.The GAA had been motoring along just grand without any drug-testing for 120 years.Now a storm in a teacup over nothing and all of a sudden these Sports Council Guidelines have to be adhered to or we'l end up with Ben Johnson and Waterford Crystal and Michele Smith all in Croke Park on All-Ireland Final day.I DONT THINK SO.

Yous didn't start yapping until someone failed the text.  I dont think there were drugs 100 years ago.  The sport's council guidelines had to be adhered to since 2001.  I welcome them.

[Reillers]

I'm sorry, I mean this in the niceist way possible, but what the hell is your problem.

IT's not cheating. What the hell is your problem. It's not cheating. It's called breathing. It's used in emergency cases when it gets so bad.

Ya nobody was complaining about it when nobody failed it, why would we go on about it if there wasn't a problem.

It's not something you take to improve your preformances, it's used in emergency cases. It opens up the airways quicker then normal ones do. But it wears off, in like a day.
People aren't taking it for the piss, to get high or to enhance their preformances. They are taking it so then can breath. How is that wrong??

[Puckoon]

It's not something you take to improve your preformances, it's used in emergency cases. It opens up the airways quicker then normal ones do. But it wears off, in like a day.
People aren't taking it for the piss, to get high or to enhance their preformances. They are taking it so then can breath. How is that wrong??

Listen, I agree with what you are saying in some parts - but what part of the factual information concerning the illicit use of salbutamol as a performance enhancing drug (and Im not saying it was used that way in O'Mahoneys case) are you either ignoring or do not understand?

Reference yourself back to FoSB s post.

[johnpower]

Cheating? Are ya taking the piss??
Wanting to BREATH is cheating?? Salbutamol is a drug in enhalers. It has little if no effect and usually the affect is a bad one. Dizzyness, tiring, jumpy sometimes. It affect is no more then water. You can't say, no one can say that he took the drug for anything other then wanting relief from asthma, so he could breath and we're punishing him for that. You think that's right??
So now, we're putting up a barrier between players and atshma sufferers.

It's incorrect to say that Salbutamol does not deliver a performance dividend:

Salbutamol: Ergogenic effects of salbutamol

The International Olympic Committee's high index of suspicion over the use of inhaled beta2- adrenergic agonists for the prevention and treatment of exercise-induced asthma is fully justified, if the results of a new study from the Netherlands are anything to go by.

This study of the effects of supra-therapeutic doses of inhaled salbutamol on endurance cycling in non-asthmatic athletes found the drug enhanced performance to a significant degree – enough to give users a real advantage in competitive events.

In a double-blind, randomised cross-over study, 16 athletes performed two trials – at least four days apart – in which they had to perform a certain amount of work as fast as possible on a cycle ergometer, 30 minutes after inhaling either 800µg salbutamol or placebo. In the second trial the conditions were reversed, with those taking placebo switched to the active drug, and vice versa. Performance times were recorded and a range of blood and respiratory measurements were taken before and after exercise.

The most important finding was that average performance time on salbutamol was reduced by 82.7 seconds – 3,927.6 seconds (65 minutes), compared with 4,010.2 seconds, a difference of just under 2%. As the researchers point out: 'The relevance of a more than 1-minute improvement in an approximately 1-hour time trial for competitive events is obvious.'

They can offer no explanation for this increase in performance, which was not explained by changes in plasma concentrations of free fatty acids, glycerol, lactate and potassium during exercise, or by changes in ventilatory parameters at rest and after exercise.

The significance of the study is that it is the first to show that inhalation of a supra-therapeutic dose of salbutamol improves time trial performance in non-asthmatic athletes, with previous studies showing no effects on endurance performance.

Why, then, did this one produce a positive result? The researchers suggest that their protocol for measuring endurance performance – performing a given amount of work as fast as possible – may be more sensitive than the time-to-exhaustion tests used in previous trials. Additionally, it seems that at the end of this type of trial subjects perform a 'finishing kick' which is absent during time-to-exhaustion tests.

'It is possible,' they conclude, 'that salbutamol specifically improves this finishing kick.'

Sourced Here


Though I do not believe O'Mahony is guilty here, and that the use of it was purely therapeutic since the lad is most definitely asthmatic (and does need it to help him breathe), but let's not be blind to the raw facts.

From another site .

19 November 2008


GAA asthmatics could be forced out of the game because of strict new rules governing Therapeutic Use Exemptions.

As Kerry's Aidan O'Mahony prepares for his GAA's anti-doping tribunal after traces of salbutamol were found in a urine sample he provided after the All-Ireland final, doctors across a wide range of sports will meet in Dublin on Saturday to hear how the new rules, which come into effect on January 1, will tighten protocols for asthma sufferers.



The chairman of the Gaelic Games Doctors Association, Dr Philip Carolan, says the new rules, which seek to harmonise WADA guidelines across all sports and counties, will make it harder for asthmatics to obtain TUEs, and has predicted that some players may have to end their inter-county careers rather than risk playing without clearance for use of substances such as salbutamol contained in inhalers.

"We have yet to ascertain what the seminar on Saturday will fully advise, but from what I gather, some form of respiratory testing - as opposed to just doctor's clearance - will be required from next year onwards," he said.

"That will leave things a lot more difficult for those who suffer from asthma. To undergo such tests, players will have to be free of medication at the time, which is hardly ideal. I'd be worried that it could put off asthma sufferers from playing high-level sport, including Gaelic games.

"I'm on the anti-doping committee at the faculty of sports medicine in the Royal College of Surgeons and there are issues and concerns with all of this which we have been discussing on an ongoing basis," he added.

"Problems arise when a player is drafted into the squad late in a season or when team doctors changes from year to year in accordance with a change of manager."

[Reillers]

I understand it all right, but it doesn't enhance preformance. I know lads who feel pretty crappy after using their enhalers with it in it. It's one thing to read the facts, it's another thing to see it at work.

[Puckoon]

I understand it all right, but it doesn't enhance preformance. I know lads who feel pretty crappy after using their enhalers with it in it. It's one thing to read the facts, it's another thing to see it at work.

You see Im going to have to call that bullshit. Youve mentioned the side effects a few times and if it was that bad a drug - it wouldnt be on the market.

As a salbutamol user - I have never encountered any of those side effects, and the drug becomes a welcome relief from the misery of feeling oxygen hungry.

[pintsofguinness]

I understand it all right, but it doesn't enhance preformance. I know lads who feel pretty crappy after using their enhalers with it in it. It's one thing to read the facts, it's another thing to see it at work.

So you knowing a few lads who take it makes you more of an expert on it's side affects than actually medically trained experts?

[Reillers]

I understand it all right, but it doesn't enhance preformance. I know lads who feel pretty crappy after using their enhalers with it in it. It's one thing to read the facts, it's another thing to see it at work.

You see Im going to have to call that bullshit. Youve mentioned the side effects a few times and if it was that bad a drug - it wouldnt be on the market.

As a salbutamol user - I have never encountered any of those side effects, and the drug becomes a welcome relief from the misery of feeling oxygen hungry.

Really, I'm sorry now, but one of my mates has one of the enhalers with it, and he feels dizy every time he uses it, maybe it's just him..he does have one or two things that could contribute to that besides the enhaler, so it really could be just him. It's works very quickly, but it has the one or two sideaffects a long with it, it's different for everyone though. My brother uses one, he had to change his enhaler not so long ago because it got worse, and he's fine with it, wasn't when he first got it again, it made him fierce drowsy.

I didn't come up with the sideaffects, that's from Wiki, hardly my fault. Like Pints said I'm not a doctor.