Can Asthma Medicines Be Used as "Performance Enchancers?"

Should there be restrictions on albuterol in competition?
If albuterol is not performance enhancing, then shouldn't any competitive athlete be able to "give it a try?" Probably not. Like all medications, albuterol has side effects that can be harmful. That risk is far outweighed by the benefits for an asthmatic. For the non-asthmatic, the experimental use of albuterol could very well be banned -- it could place an athlete's health at risk, and taking it for kicks clearly violates the spirit of sport.

The sticking point is for athletes who have mild asthma or symptoms in certain situations or environments. Some athletes may train in clean air and feel fine but have asthma symptoms where there is more pollution.

This may well come up for the 2008 Olympics, where the Chinese government has already cut automobile use in the city by 50%, and may cut it down to 10% (which day residents can drive is determined by the last number of cars' license plates). There is a legitimate concern in the athlete community that individuals who are not taking regular medication and are not formally diagnosed with asthma may run into breathing trouble in Beijing, where their use of albuterol will be suspect as they do not carry a formal diagnosis.

Closing thoughts
There is clearly an "arms race" between athletes using performance enhancing drugs and the techniques they use to avoid detection and regulatory officials who want to maintain the spirit of fair competition and rightfully exclude those who violate the spirit of sport. However, there is no evidence that albuterol and other asthma medications can notably enhance performance.

Regulations should be enforced for all illicit use of medications. In my opinion, however, there would be a greater loss in a mild asthmatic missing out on a medal bid than a cheater potentially getting away with use of a medication that is unlikely to get them any farther or faster than going clean.

See also:

The 2008 Beijing Olympics Daily Update

Breathless in Beijing

Asthma and the Olympics: Air Quality May Be A Major Obstacle

Exercise Induced Asthma Is Just Another Challenge to Overcome