The adventurous bent for giving it all on the field may increase the risk of a player to abuse prescription drugs, according to specialists at a local summit of medical, coaching, and sports industry professionals.
Laurence Westreich, a drug abuse psychiatrist and consultant for Major League Baseball, said painkillers and stimulants used for controlling the symptoms of attention deficit disorders are increasingly being abused wile the world is all focused on the abuse of anabolic steroids.
Michael Harris, a pain specialist at the Andrews Institute and an orthopedic and sports medicine surgical center in Gulf Breeze, said athletes often are exposed to pain medications following acute injuries and physicians issuing prescriptions for more than two weeks at a time should be challenged for a more conservative approach.
Conference participant Barbara Morris, director of the Sports Medicine and Athletic Related Trauma Institute at the University of South Florida, said those issues are magnified in youth athletics.