Corby78
65 - 10 - 20
The medical director of Finnish anti-doping commitee was interviewed about Backstrom case. Here are the main points of this case known so far:
- The substance found from Backstrom was pseudoefedrine. It is commonly used in antihistamines that are used to treat allergies but it also works as a stimulant.
- In Backstrom's sample there was 190mg of pseudoefedrine when the highest allowed amount is 150mg
- The medical director said that the allowed limit (150mg) is set very high so that athletes with allergies can use their medication normally without exceeding the limit.
- To get you pseudoefedrin levels to 190mg you would have to overdose allergy medication 3-4 times more than what doctors tell you to take.
- Medical director said that if you take that much of that allergy medicine you would also get 3-4 times more of antihistamine which would have negative side effects. Because of that he believes that Backstrom hasn't taken allergy medication but instead just pseudoefedrin for the positive effects only. And that is why he thinks Backstrom should receive standard 2 year ban.
That ban however doesn't probably have effect in NHL. If I am correct pseudoefedrine isn't banned in the NHL. At least it hasn't been earlier as this article suggests: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/1998/weekly/980202/nhlstory.html
I wonder if those 150-190 levels are based off a normal guy sitting at home, and if that would change if it was based off an Olympic athlete in the middle of the games?