Thanks Smoove, much appreciated. Treatments are going well so far.
Igy
Thanks Smoove, much appreciated. Treatments are going well so far.
Igy
Smoove wrote:
What am I missing?
One person asked about racing while using it for a rash.
The asthma sufferers noted he's not going to race when using it for asthma.
A couple of commenters basically said "if you suck, no one will care."
Most everyone else said "not cool."
Iggy, sorry you're going through a serious illness. We are pulling for you to recover and get healthy.
The poster should have never brought up the subject in the first place. If you're a competitive runner and taking a Rx med that happens also be a PED, it's best to keep it quiet. Otherwise, it just creates a firestorm with some posters. The pros basically keep thier Rx meds & TUEs confidential...no surprises there. ?
You probably shouldn’t race in the Vaporfly 4% either and count is as your PR
legality aside, it causes water retention and you will be a little heavier. Wait till after.
I have taken methylprednisolone in the days leading up to a marathon pursuant to a valid prescription for a legitimate injury. As I recall recreational runners like me who are not in the testing pool or at a national level are NOT required to get a TUE before competing while taking it. I looked into this pretty carefully before to make sure. The second or third day you will feel pretty amped up, but by the time you are tapered off the effects are pretty marginal. I did not notice any significant benefit and my results were in line with other races (and not a PR). I have experienced some stomach cramping which may or may not have been related. I would not recommend taking it unless absolutely necessary to salvage a training cycle. I don’t think a skin irritation falls into that category.
Genuinely curious about this. Is there a distinction between "recreational runners" and others when it comes to what's legal and not legal (from an USADA/IAAF perspective)? Or is it just that we are not subject to random testing? My impression is that its he latter, not the former. As a practical matter, the lack of random testing for recreational runners means that there is neither any enforcement nor any meaningful mechanism for enforcement of the rules; but that does not, in the abstract, make the rules themselves inapplicable.
Given the number of "what makes you a hobby jogger" threads on this forum, I think we can all agree that determining who a recreational runnner is would be a real challenge. What if you end up with a small cash prize? What if you finish on the podium form your age group at a major race? Does it matter if that race is technically a national championship? What about a USATF state or association championship?
The rules don’t use the phrase recreational runners. I was just using that for shorthand. I believe the term used was “national” or “international” level. I think it also depends on whether you are competing in an officially sanctioned national championship race or a race that could lead to a spot in the olympics. The rules are very detailed and not all that easy to follow. You might want to consult your lawyer.
I figure the easiest thing to do is to just confirm to the rules.
Yooooooooooo wrote:
The rules don’t use the phrase recreational runners. I was just using that for shorthand. I believe the term used was “national” or “international” level. I think it also depends on whether you are competing in an officially sanctioned national championship race or a race that could lead to a spot in the olympics. The rules are very detailed and not all that easy to follow. You might want to consult your lawyer.
And to be clear, the issue is whether you need to get a TUE. For certain drugs real runners need a TUE before competing whereas hobbyjoggers don’t.
Still poking around, but it seems the USADA has a right to test, among others, those competing on US national teams. I haven't seen anything that specifically treats runners who don't fall into this category differently from a rules standpoint, just from a testing standpoint.
My guess is that non-national team runners would otherwise have to consent to testing, which they may do by participating in events sponsored by USATF or in events which are run in accordance with WADA standards - such as the world marathon majors.
https://www.usada.org/who-why-how-usada-testing/#1505327608711-1e61de73-026e
I had ulcerative colitis and was prescribed prednisone. I was to take 40mg/day for two weeks, then taper by 5mg/day every week until I was off - so 9 weeks total. My symptoms always returned when I was down to 10-15mg, so I had to re-up my dose. I ended up being on it for 18 months.
I was too sick to run effectively while I was on prednisone, but I can attest to its performance-enhancing properties. I did weightlifting, which was easier on my gut. I'd struggle through a workout when I was at the low end of my dose, re-up to 40, and not only hit my goals, it felt easy. I still had symptoms of UC in that first day, so I do not think that the improvement came from generally feeling better.
Having said that, prednisone sucks if you are on it for more than a couple of days. First of all, I could not sleep. If I took my dose at 8am, I'd be too alert to sleep until 4am. For this reason, I'd recommend waiting until after a big race before starting to use it. I also gained 25 pounds, developed a puffy face, and my tissues became very thin. These thin tissues led to stretch marks on my legs (which have mostly faded now that I have been off it for 3 years) and during surgery on my large intestine, my small intestine tore and I lost about 5cm of the small. I also became physiologically dependent on prednisone. I knew that the long-term effects of prednisone were terrible, but when I tapered to about 15mg, not only would my symptoms return, I would get terrible headaches.
I hated my experience on prednisone, and now I tell my friends that they should ask about alternatives if a doctor ever prescribes them a course that lasts more than four days. I was only able to stop using prednisone because I had surgery to remove my large intestine. The good news is that most of the effects reversed themselves once I stopped using it - my face is not as round, the stretch marks have mostly faded, I've lost 35 pounds, and the headaches are gone.
Good luck in Boston!
I understand that you take your running seriously but nobody cares about age group results. Thus no testing unless you are competing in the open or are setting national/international records as a master.
hills in the sky wrote:
nobody cares about age group results.
( except for the guy who wished adrenal cancer on the asthmatic)
I have Ulcerative Colitis as well (although not as severe as the previous poster). Long term I am on another drugs (Humira) , but during a flare I will take prednisone as well.
What I don't think was asked in response to the OP's questions is what is the dose? I was once on 40mg (at least - I don't recall exactly) and tapered over a number of weeks. I HATED IT. I couldn't sleep, I felt agitated all of the time, and ended up with a charlie horse type cramp in my calf that lasted for days. At the moment I am on 20 mg of prednisone, and feel great out running.
So, if it's for a condition that isn't intolerable or immediately dangerous, I would recommend waiting until after the race. From an ethical standpoint, if you want to go by the book you shouldn't take the drug without a TUE. However I agree with the previous posters, I probably wouldn't lose a ton of sleep over it (assuming you aren't an elite), because you would likely be granted one if you went through the process.
Prednisone can have small performance enhancing qualities, but at high doses you are much better off not being on it at all. Plus it has nasty long term side effects. It is a corticosteroid (as opposed to an anabolic steroid) that the body produces small amounts of naturally.
Good luck!
You guys actually think the prednisone will positively offset the impact of the irritation and burden on the immune system?! No way. Runner is NOT at an advantage if he truly needs it so close to the race to feel ok.
I'd go without it until after the race if you can, but if not, it's only helping runner get back to baseline health.
Prednisone really messes with your mood and appetite. Be careful.
Bashed on my first hand experience, yes. The immune system thing is only an issue if OP gets sick. Irritation will be minimized with the corticosteroid, as will all other irritating inflammations.
I still think your ultimate advice is right though: avoid it if you can manage, but take it if you cannot manage without it. Unless you are competing for a prize (and I'd include the top 20 age group prize), this isn't a big enough deal to forego the race based on some philosophical ideal.
Smoove wrote:
I don't know how significant they are, but I can tell you that I have been prescribed prednisone twice during marathon cycles, and whether it was the effect of the drug reducing all inflammation and eliminating all aches and pains or just the placebo effect, I absolutely destroyed my workouts during the prednisone cycles.
that's been my experience as well - took it following a severe asthma attack, was only swimming then but set PRs on every set I swim regularly, at some point during the prednisone.
It is also illegal in competition as others pointed out..
The majority of people in this thread are so one directional. Besides the narrowed statistics on performance enhancement there are also statistics on its side effects and allergic reactions. Prednisone can be one hell of a nasty drug!
patient wrote:
The majority of people in this thread are so one directional. Besides the narrowed statistics on performance enhancement there are also statistics on its side effects and allergic reactions. Prednisone can be one hell of a nasty drug!
I don't think athletes really care about that - so many are looking for any kind of an edge these days. I've known several runners over the years in the masters club that I use to belong to who saved up some of their Rx prednisone pills for certain competitions, and/or have used T from a low-T center. There are many master & senior athletes who think they're training for the Olympics or something - why would they care if they're putting harmful Rx substances in their body? It's all about the glory of finishing well & winning age-group races...nothing new there. Case in point: here's an 55 yr old master cyclist who tested positive for prednisone. ?
https://ukad.org.uk/news/article/amateur-cyclist-receives-two-year-ban-for-glucocorticoidsused to be old and in the way wrote:
Smoove wrote:
I don't know how significant they are, but I can tell you that I have been prescribed prednisone twice during marathon cycles, and whether it was the effect of the drug reducing all inflammation and eliminating all aches and pains or just the placebo effect, I absolutely destroyed my workouts during the prednisone cycles.
that's been my experience as well - took it following a severe asthma attack, was only swimming then but set PRs on every set I swim regularly, at some point during the prednisone.
It is also illegal in competition as others pointed out..
Holy sh*t batman - did I hear you right? "Set PRs" on every swim while using prednisone? Curious: do you feel kind of cheesy of setting PRs that was prednisone aided?
If we keep hearing these success stories with prednisone everyone is going to run to their doctor now and start asking for a prescription.