Become a member
Quick Registration
Full Registration Benefits -
Free Homepages for Doctors
Free Homepages for Hospitals
Free Homepages for Medical Conference
Free Homepages for NGO's
Personal Health Record Creation
Access to all Medical Slides
Access to all Jobs & Products Sale
Australian Olympic Athletes Banned from Using Sleeping Pills | |
|
| |
 |  |  | Comments |  |
 |  |
 |
 |
 |  |
 |
 Text  |
Australia bans sleeping pills at Olympics, report officials.
Australian Olympic Committee chief John Coates said prescription medications such as the powerful sleeping pill Stilnox would be banned for the first time at London after Hackett said he had developed a "heavy reliance" on the drug.
The AOC on Monday decided to amend its team medical manual "to make it absolutely unequivocal that we do not condone and indeed we prohibit the use of Stilnox by our athletes", Coates said Tuesday.
In North America the drug is marketed as Ambien.
Team doctors are being advised about the changes, which will also emphasise potential problems with caffeine use, and each discipline's squad will be briefed as they enter the Olympic village, Coates added.
"We are very worried about the vicious cycle of athletes taking caffeine as a performance enhancer and then needing to take drugs such as Stilnox to get to sleep," he told reporters in Sydney.
"We've done this because our primary obligation, our overriding obligation, is to protect the health of our athletes."
Coates said the changes were triggered by revelations from Hackett, dual gold medallist in the 1500m freestyle, that by the end of his career he had a "heavy reliance" on Stilnox prescribed by team doctors.
"I do not know the extent of it across the other sports and we're not going to conduct some sort of witch-hunt over this," the Australian official said.
But he said evidence about the possible risks of the drug justified the stance the committee was taking.
Coates said Hackett told him he was first prescribed Stilnox at the 2003 World Swimming Championships in Barcelona, and that it was doled out to swimmers as "normal practice" at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Australian team doctors stopped prescribing the drug in 2007 after becoming aware of its sometimes dangerous side-effects, which can include walking and driving cars while asleep.
But Coates said that Hackett had told him there was "widespread use" of Stilnox even at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Hackett has said he stopped taking the drug when his career ended after the Beijing Games.
The AOC chief said athletes would be encouraged to practise meditation and other relaxation techniques in London.
If "in extreme circumstances" they still needed prescription sedatives, the short-acting and less addictive agent temazepam would be used, Coates said.
Source-AFP
| |
|
|
 Comment & Contribute
|
Related Links
Sleep
Sleep is a behavioral state of restricted physical activity. It is controlled by our internal biological ...
Bolt For A Medal
In a dazzling display of dominance Usain 'Lightning' Bolt struck gold to become the fastest man on the planet and establish Jamaica's ...
Experts Warn Of Australian Youngsters Abusing Dangerous Chemical Cocktail Of Drugs
Some youngsters in Australia have started abusing dangerous chemical cocktails of tranquillizers, sleeping pills and other legal and illicit drugs, ...
New Drugs to Treat Sleep Problems
Scientists are in the process of identifying better drugs for sleep problems and metabolic disorders, says study. Scientists at ...
General News
Philippines Financial Capital Bans Plastic Bags, Styrofoam Food Containers
The Philippines financial capital has banned disposable plastic shopping bags and styrofoam food containers, as part of escalating efforts across the ...
Measles Epidemic Sweeps Parts of Northern Syria
Doctors Without Borders said that an epidemic of measles is sweeping through parts of northern Syria, with at least 7,000 people affected because the ...
How Will the New FDA Graphic Warning Labels for Tobacco Pass First Amendment Legal Challenge?
For tobacco products, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) imposes new graphic warning labels, they can survive a First Amendment ...
Connect With God Better Through New IPhone, IPad App
If confessing one's sins can create a better connection with God, what better way to do it in this internet generation than with a new App. It ...
Preventive Oncology Critical Part of Modern Healthcare
West Bengal Governor M.K.Narayanan said that with the introduction of sophisticated techniques in cancer detection and therapy like PET-CT scan, ...
US House Passes 20-week Abortion Ban
The US House of Representatives have approved a measure restricting abortion to the first 20 weeks after conception. The ...
- Health News Index
- News Quick Links
 | News Central | | Health Watch | |
| Latest Health News | | Health In Focus | |
| News Category (500+) | | Breaking Health News | |
| Popular News | | Celebrating Life | |
| Health News and Press Release | | Medindia - Exclusive | |
| News Photo Gallery | | India Special | |
| News Video Gallery | | Lifestyle and Wellness | |
| News From Other Resources | |||
 |
Sleep
Complete Medindia Resources
|
| News Categories: |
| » | New Drug Improves Sleep Disorder Among the Blind |
| » | Australia Imposes Interim Ban on Synthetic Drugs |
| » | Osteoporosis Drug Stops Growth of Breast Cancer Cells |
| » | Increase in Heroin Availability Across Washington State |
| » | Anti-Baldness Drug can Help Curb Mens Inclination Towards Alcohol |
| More Drug News | |
|
Ask an Expert
