metalheart44

I pulled up alongside this fellow at a stop light just before an 8% or so hill and we chatted while waiting for the light to change. In the course of our talk he pulls out a pill FOB containing a bottle of Nitrostat (nitroglycerin) and he pops one under his tongue. Since I carry Nitrostat and recognize its intended use, I asked him if he was OK. He replied he was fine, so I asked him about why he popped the Nitrostat and he replied that he finds that it helps him on climbs. Fifty Plus doping?

Wildwood 

CliffordK

Yeah, I have to think that if he was actually prescribed nitro, then he likely has severe heart conditions.

So, "helps on a climb" may well mean preventing angina on the climbs.

For those non-racers among us, we all have to ask ourselves not necessarily about performance enhancing, but rather body maintenance.

For example, if Testosterone levels are naturally dropping over time, should one try testosterone replacement?

In the case of arterial dilation. Perhaps simply returning blood flow to "normal" is fine.

I'm not going to worry about 50+ riders outside staying fit.

caloso

FWIW, nitrostat is not on the WADA/USADA prohibited substances list: https://www.usada.org/wp-content/upl...bited_list.pdf

metalheart44

Clarification, the fellow elaborated a bit and said that he found that using nitroglycerin helped him on climbs and hard club rides and it was not something he was taking for actual angina.... I have a prescription for and carry nitrostat, but it never occurred to me that it's vasodilation effects might have some benefits on a hard climb. I will have to ask my cardiologist about that. And, I did not mean "doping" in the racing sense, just using a substance to increase performance in recreational riding, not competitive racing. Maybe it is not a lot different than other No2 substances that also have vasodilation effects for cyclists. Just curious since the fellow was clearly not taking it in response to angina or anticipated angina, but he thought it improved his climbing....

pdlamb

The only time I used nitroglycerine I ended up with a whanging headache. I think I'll get my nitro from beet juice (although that tastes like dirt!).

Wildwood 

Wondering if 'low dose' Viagara is a cycling performance enhancement - I could probably talk my doc into that one without mentioning cycling performance enhancement.

Carbonfiberboy 

"nitro" is a legal performance-enhancing substance. It does what it's supposed to do - open the arteries and makes them more flexible. Hence its use by angina and similar heart patients. It will help with hard efforts though I don't use it. Many other substances have similar effects on the endothelium though much slower acting, among them beet root juice and sodium nitrate.

The Role of Nitric Oxide on Endothelial Function | Bentham Science

caloso

It is not. Again, see: https://www.usada.org/wp-content/upl...bited_list.pdf

ctrl f: Sildenafil

metalheart44

The bottom line Re viagra and similar substances: "There was no effect of sildenafil on mean power output during the time-trial. During high intensity cycle exercise in acute, moderate hypoxia pulmonary artery pressure is unaffected by sildenafil and does not appear to influence cardiovascular function or exercise performance." From : https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ar...l.pone.0210841

Other observations:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/30476...agra-cyclists/
https://www.bikeradar.com/us/gear/ar...g-it-up-20345/
Can Viagra Enhance Athletic Performance? - Mind the Science Gap

A causal look at some of the science about No2 supplementation (dietary or otherwise) seems to show some athletes/cyclists benefit and others do not. A Google Scholar search about No2 and athletic performance will get you a range of science outcomes. I found at least one paper that suggested that using nitroglycerin for supplementation was "not recommended" although there was no reason given why. That may take some further investigation, but I think the fellow using the nitrostat may be confusing the science about dietary No2 (e.g. beet root juice and other dietary sources) and athletic performance and the use of substances like nitroglycerin.

CliffordK

It may fit under a catch-all.

However, it's effects may be different enough from most of the banned drugs that it would be ambiguous.

Not Anabolic
Not increasing RBCs
etc.

I don't see Ozone on that list, although it apparently is banned in most cases, at least for non-medical use, I think because it is introduced using some kind of dialysis machine.

Apparently athletes are required to fill out "Declaration of Use" (DOU) forms, as well as "Therapeutic Use Exemptions" (TUE).

Vitamins are apparently generally ignored for DOU. It is possible that Nitroglycerin would fall under that. Viagra may not.

There are a number of Nitrogen containing substances.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition...e-nitric-oxide

Bacon?

While nitroglycerin is taken in tablet form, other Nitrites might be difficult to control.