The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) stated in a Jan. 22, 2008 article titled "Substances: Stimulants," posted on its website www.asada.gov.au:
"Stimulants are substances that act directly on the central nervous
system to speed up parts of the brain and body. Adrenaline is an
example of a naturally occurring stimulant in the body.
Some
athletes may use stimulants in an attempt to increase alertness, reduce
tiredness, and increase their competitiveness and aggressiveness.
Examples of stimulants are amphetamines, cocaine, ephedrine, and mesocarb."
The Mayo Clinic wrote in a Dec. 26, 2006 article posted on its website www.mayoclinic.com titled "Taking Performance-enhancing Drugs: Are You Risking Your Health?":
"Stimulants are drugs that can reduce fatigue, suppress appetite, and
increase alertness and aggressiveness. They stimulate the central
nervous system, increasing your heart rate, blood pressure, body
temperature and metabolism.
The most common stimulants include caffeine and amphetamines
(Dexedrine, Benzedrine). Cold remedies often contain the stimulants
ephedrine, pseudoephedrine hydrochloride (Sudafed) and
phenylpropanolamine. Street drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine
also belong to this group."
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) stated in an article titled "Research Report Series - Prescription Drugs: Abuse and Addiction" posted on its website www.nida.nih.gov (accessed Oct. 13, 2008):
"As the name suggests, stimulants increase alertness, attention, and energy, as well as elevate blood pressure and increase heart rate and respiration. Stimulants historically were used to treat asthma and other respiratory problems, obesity, neurological disorders, and a variety of other ailments."
