S21 has a big meet this weekend and as I was signing the various permission forms, I noticed that they are going to be drug testing a random sample of students. He has not told his coach that he started taking Concerta. He feels awkward telling the coach about it but I am wondering if it is necessary.
The tournament rules say they prohibit “performance enhancing substances.” I’m hoping they just mean steroids and not stimulants too? I could not have him take his pill that day but it has really been helping his focus and behavior. Anyone deal with this before?
Professional baseball, I know, has had an issue with stimulant abuse, so they’ve started checking for it (I almost got rid of my Carlos Ruiz jersey when he was suspended for Adderall, but he ended up with a medical exemption). Given the current drug trends, I also feel like it would be more likely for a high school student to abuse stimulants than steroids.
Back before I killed my shoulder catching, they would drug test for alcohol and marijuana, which aren’t performance-enhancing drugs as much as “what the average high school student would consume that’s against WIAA rules”. Then again, our softball team was terrible, so higher levels of competition may be stricter.
I think it would be better to be on the safer end, and I think a psychiatrist’s note would go a lot further than word of mouth.
On the other half of it, as someone on Concerta, I would not recommend skipping a dose before engaging in any activity that requires focus (as most sports do). I woke up too late to take my dose on Monday (start of spring break, no real harm) and, instead of doing any of my chores, got stuck in a social media spiral for five hours and never really got out of bed.
My son went on to ncaa varsity sports. At that level too, adhd stimulants are considered PED,
but he easily got a waiver based on getting forms from his neurologist that prescribed.
Nothing embarrasing today, many kids on concerta and adderal.
I would tell the coach and ask what to do. Much better than getting “caught” and having to document later.
That said, my son was never asked nor tested in HS, only in college.
Contact the coach and doctor to find out what the coach needs to know about your son’s medical needs and prescription drugs and request the doctor write a letter or note to the coach. This should be one of those peaty things that has to happen.
Well at the college level, student athletes must have waivers signed by their home doctor for any kind of stimulant use. it is considered an unfair advantage if not medically necessary. I would get a note from the physician and run this by coach beforehand.