Journal of Sports Medicine & Doping Studies

Involving Pharmacists in Japanese Athletes’ Self-Medication

Abstract

Rie Nakajima, Naoko Onuma, Megumi Abe and Miwako Kamei

Objective: Individuals commonly self-medicate without a prescription. Athletes, however, are prohibited from taking substances listed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Since it can be very difficult to verify whether a banned substance is contained in a particular medicine, athletes risk unintended doping when they self-medicate. This study documents young athletes’ self-medication practices, and the problems they encounter when doing so. It also makes recommendations for increasing their knowledge of self-medication, and discusses the role sports pharmacists can play in preventing young athletes’ unintended doping.
Methods: We asked university student-athletes to complete a structured survey that gathered basic personal information (sex, age), type of sport (group sport or individual competition), and level of sport (elite or general athlete), respondents’ attitudes toward purchasing over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, their nutritional intake, and their knowledge of and experience with doping.
Results: The survey was completed by 820 student athletes. Within the past year, 59.1% had used OTC drugs, 51.5% had used supplements, and 18.2% of the respondents said they checked or consulted with someone about whether a drug was prohibited before taking it. Of those, 62.4% used the Internet to get information, and 30.2% asked a pharmacist. Among all respondents, 43.5% had learned about anti-doping from a “school lecture,” and 2.2% from a “pharmacist.” Female athletes were more likely to take OTC drugs (p<0.01) than male athletes (p<0.01). Elite athletes and athletes involved in individual competitions were more likely to hesitate before taking drugs than general athletes and group sport athletes (p<0.01).
Conclusion: Athletes do not regard pharmacists as having a responsibility for providing anti-doping information. Pharmacists should provide information on prohibited drugs, anti-doping activities, self-care related to proper nutrition, and drug use according to each athlete’s individual needs.