ABSTRACT

Athletes in the Caribbean depend heavily on their medical personnel to advise on the correct use of medications for their illnesses. Doctors, pharmacists and paramedical personnel that accompany or treat athletes must be knowledgeable of which commonly prescribed substances are banned in sport in order to correctly advise and treat the athletes under their care. The objective is to review the classes of banned substances, using common examples of medications, as defined by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in a simplistic manner in order to allow treating medical personnel to prescribe medications to athletes with the confidence of not violating doping regulations. The concept of Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) is introduced. Upper respiratory tract infections and asthma are discussed as they are both common in athletes. The use of corticosteroids and nutritional supplements are also discussed.