My son is a freshman and will be playing D-1 this fall. He also is ADD. He has been taking ritalin since 9th grade and it has been a God send. His grades went from Cs to As in one semester. His soccer abilitly improved and I believe it was because he was able to control his impulses and focus. We just got a letter from the school telling us, among other things, that ritalin is a banned substance. The college rep said it would be better if he switched meds to something that is not banned but WHY? He has a medical diagnosis and it has been very successful.He will not be playing in the MLS and the main objective is to graduate and get a job. We have been told that if his school makes it into the NCAA tournament he will be tested and will test positive for a banned substance. Then, there will be an inquiry as to whether he should be exempt. He has a letter from his doctor on file. Has anyone else been through this? Is there anything else we need to do? Changing or stopping meds is not an option at this point.
although you said that changing drugs is not an option, i'd suggest switching to adderal. it does not have the side effects of increased sessions of anger that you find with ritalin. also, adderal is ok with the ncaa as several former and current uva players that i know take it. speak with your neural psychologist about it.
Nope, not changing meds. No side effects, dosage has been figured out. And Adderal was on the list the trainer gave me. It is a stimulant, same as ritalin although it is in a different family. The NCAA WILL give exceptions but the trainer said they are very murky about just what is acceptable and what is needed to get the exemption. The use of this drug for college age and older is fairly new and they are still working it out on the NCAA level. Just wondering if anyone has an experience with a player testing positive who has a medical diagnosis? What happened?
I would suggest contacting the NCAA directly about this. There is also a lot of information on their site. When referring to the college rep, are you referring to the schools NCAA compliance officer? Each school has one. They should be able to help you or at least direct to the right person at the NCAA. But remember that there are a number of drugs that are banned, but can perscribed by a MD. So that alone won't get you a waiver. I found several regulations that talk about testing for a banned substance. They are 10.2, 14.1.1.1, 18.4.1.5, and 31.2.3. They all pretty much talk about the results of testing positive. Most they involve being suspended and possibly reversing results of the team. Here's a link to the NCAA site. http://www2.ncaa.org/legislation_and_governance/compliance/major_infractions.html
you might want to read this http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-06-29-ritalin_x.htm for the safety of your son
one player that i am aware of failed a piss test during the spring because he took a friends adhd meds. the player that took the meds had not been previously tested for adhd, nor prescribed medication. there was no suspension and the player subsequently was tested by university neuro psychologists and approved for medication. the players that had been approved for the medication were not considered to have failed their piss tests, even though the drug appeared on their results. this is just one example. i'd suggest you follow the lead of the team trainer. if you aren't getting the answers from the soccer trainer, then talk with trainers from the other major sports at the university where your son will be playing.
I've got a cure for ADD -- sit down, shut up, and pay attention!!! There's too much "giving in" for kids that cannot focus on what they need to ... ADD is a cop-out, pure and simple Kids need to get introduced into the real world of "I don't care what problems you have, produce" -- whether it's on the pitch or in the business world ... Learn to deal with it and stop using it as a crutch!
You know, i almost didn't post this because i didn't want to get into the crap you posted. My question doesn't have anything to do with whether or not my son should be taking this medication or not,that was a decision made in collaboration of two doctors, a psychologist and my own 22 year experience in teaching. I am just asking for anyone's experiences with it per NCAA regs and don't need any Tom Cruise-wannabee chiming in.
medical exemption for ritalin the following article, written in 2004, from the ncaa news indicates that medical exceptions for ritalin are allowed. http://www.ncaa.org/news/2004/20040412/active/4108n36.html it even states that those that test positive can apply for a medical exemption after the fact. that has also been my experience as well. you can find more if you google "ncaa ritalin". make sure you look at the dates of the article so that you don't give much credence to those written too long ago.
The chances of your son ever being tested are pretty slim, not that this changes your valid concerns. The NCAA only tests during the post-season and only does it randomly. Coaches of playoff teams are told whether or not their squad might be tested in the pre-game meeting between school reps, the officials and the NCAA game rep only a couple of hours before kick-off. And, even then, they don't test the whole team. Many playoff matches have no post-game drug test. So, first, your son's team would have to make the NCAA playoffs and then be on a squad selected for testing and then be one of a fraction of the team they choose to test. IMO, with your son's medical prescription known well in advance, one would hope an exemption would be made on his behalf.
You should be OK. A very good friend has a son who is ADD and has been playing DI for the past 2 years. I think there is some kind of medical proof you have to provide, that your child was diagnosed. The school rep may not be properly informed on the subject. Call the NCAA they will tell you the requirement.