Sudafed before games?

[biff44 0]

Big time around here, I personally can't handle it, gives me the shakes like I have wpd.

Well, then "around here" must be some real bush league! No high end players are going to be using junk like that.

[Oberon 0]

The Islanders drank coffee during their 80s Cup run. The story goes that the second year they played Edmonton in the Finals, the coffee pot was filled with decaf in Northlands Coliseum by the Edmonton staff. The Islanders were out of gas by then anyway.

I'd have to pee after every shift.

[awall 0]

This is gonna come of preachy and probably mean spirited, but this is a very touch issue with me.

It's because of weak people like you who take meds they don't need for the rush or high that really pisses me off. Have you ever considered the side effects? Not just the ones listed in all the medical journals. Lets take actifed for instance. People started abusing it and using it make meth, thus it got banned and pulled from the shelves. The company that made it had to reformulate it to be able to sell it again. Guess what, the new formula was not as effective for many people. That medication that once helped millions of people deal with common colds and allergies is now no longer effective and they had to either look else where or suffer with their conditions. All because some punk halfwits wanted to get a little high or something.

If you guys really want to be better hockey players train. Put in the time on and off the ice. It'll make you a better athlete and a stronger person rahter than some wanna be who has to turn to some substance casue they don't have what it takes. I think this goes the same for amateurs and professionals. If you need pep in your step, be a man and put the time in and get it. There are hundreds of different ways you can improve your athletic performance and be a real champion, not some sort of wanna be.

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

what he said.

[Spreedizzle 1]

This is gonna come of preachy and probably mean spirited, but this is a very touch issue with me.

It's because of weak people like you who take meds they don't need for the rush or high that really pisses me off. Have you ever considered the side effects? Not just the ones listed in all the medical journals. Lets take actifed for instance. People started abusing it and using it make meth, thus it got banned and pulled from the shelves. The company that made it had to reformulate it to be able to sell it again. Guess what, the new formula was not as effective for many people. That medication that once helped millions of people deal with common colds and allergies is now no longer effective and they had to either look else where or suffer with their conditions. All because some punk halfwits wanted to get a little high or something.

If you guys really want to be better hockey players train. Put in the time on and off the ice. It'll make you a better athlete and a stronger person rahter than some wanna be who has to turn to some substance casue they don't have what it takes. I think this goes the same for amateurs and professionals. If you need pep in your step, be a man and put the time in and get it. There are hundreds of different ways you can improve your athletic performance and be a real champion, not some sort of wanna be.

Could not agree more. It is a cheap way to try and get into a league or a level of play that you honestly have not worked hard enough to earn.

[chk hrd 164]

Taking substances isn't going to make you better. If the talent is not there, it's not there. The only thing that will help is training and even that will only take you so far.

[BGM 0]

I think a lot of this depends on what level you are playing at. If getting an advantage by taking something didn't work then there wouldn't be any performance enhancers in sports--and we know there are. At most of our levels here (I'm talking non-professional) I agree that if you want to increase your on-ice performance than you need to train off the ice, put the time in, etc. But at the professional level, they are so well trained and at their peak performance that any additional performance enhancement can make a difference over the next guy and their livelihood depends on it.

[LkptTiger 1]

This is gonna come of preachy and probably mean spirited, but this is a very touch issue with me.

It's because of weak people like you who take meds they don't need for the rush or high that really pisses me off. Have you ever considered the side effects? Not just the ones listed in all the medical journals. Lets take actifed for instance. People started abusing it and using it make meth, thus it got banned and pulled from the shelves. The company that made it had to reformulate it to be able to sell it again. Guess what, the new formula was not as effective for many people. That medication that once helped millions of people deal with common colds and allergies is now no longer effective and they had to either look else where or suffer with their conditions. All because some punk halfwits wanted to get a little high or something.

If you guys really want to be better hockey players train. Put in the time on and off the ice. It'll make you a better athlete and a stronger person rahter than some wanna be who has to turn to some substance casue they don't have what it takes. I think this goes the same for amateurs and professionals. If you need pep in your step, be a man and put the time in and get it. There are hundreds of different ways you can improve your athletic performance and be a real champion, not some sort of wanna be.

I don't mean any personal offense to you - but you need to take a look at where you are before you start judging people whose circumstances are much different than your own.

I gather from your other posts that you're a mid-to-lower-level recreational men's league player. You go to the rink two, maybe four nights a week, putt around for a bit, have some fun, then go home. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Put yourself in a pair of shoes like the ones I (used to) wear. Guys who grow-up playing higher-level, competitive, AAA minor hockey (and eventually Prep and/or Junior) take the game much more seriously, as there are quite often scholarships and, for the truly elite, careers to be had down the line. I'm not saying I and others like me don't have fun when we go to the rink everyday - but it's much more business-like for us that it might be for you.

For you to assume that players like myself who have gone to these measures do so as a substitute for hard work is absolutely ridiculous and, to be honest, pretty ignorant. Fuck - I have some videos of my old practices (on and off-ice) which would probably completely blow your definition of "hard work" out of the water. Guys like myself don't use these "resources" because we're looking for a cop-out. We use them because 1) with the game/practice schedule we have to stick-to during the season, we might need that extra jump come game-time, 2) we'll do just about anything to win, and 3) we'll do just about anything to impress the scouts who might be in the seats on any given night.

Call it cheating if you want. Call it self-destructive. I don't care. It's legal (if not slightly unethical) use of an OTC drug which allows myself and others like myself (who have likely worked pretty fucking hard to get to the level they're at) to perform at our best. If I end-up with a liver that does me no good, so be it - I brought it upon myself.

Given the injuries I've sustained over the past few seasons, it doesn't look as though my competitive "career" is going to advance any higher. If that's the case, and I'm damned to early status as a "beer leaguer," then I'd see no point in continuing to pop pills. However, until I completely concede that I can't return to/beyond the level at which I've played, I'm going to put-in the work at the rink and in the gym...and if I DO make it back, you can bet your ass I'm still going to look for every reasonable edge I can get.

[Dman33 0]

well said tiger.

I played junior A for a few years and after a while, the grind of the schedule takes it toll on you. When your playing 4 games in 4 days and your on the road for a good part of it, you'll do anything to try to get that edge on anyone.

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with, as I've seen/heard a lot more worse things than someone taking a few otc pills to get that jump going. Hell, sometimes I would get an IV the night before a game to make sure I wouldn't dehydrate durring the game. Like you said, you'll do whatever it takes to make it to the next level. I guess that some people just can't handle it,. (no offense to anyone or anything like that.)

[Hockeyman9621 0]

Exactly, I'm not saying I take sudafed or anything like it, but I can see where tiger is coming from. I play at a high level right now, with the off-ice training we do 2 times a week, as well as 3-4 practices and 2-3 games AND keeping up with your studies it's not the easiest schedule. When you look at it from our angle, it's not getting an advantage, it's basically keeping up.

Scenario: I have a 9-10:30 practice Wednesday night, a team meeting afterwards which usually goes about 20 minutes. Shower, drive home, watch a little T.V while I'm winding down and finally fall asleep at 12-12:20. Wake up at 7 for school, when I get home I have little time to do homework before I have to be at the rink. That means when I do have homework, no pre-game nap. As you can imagine, it would be tough to perform 100% and be fully concentrated.

I've had a cup of coffee before games where I really feel like shit, but thats about it. I'm just saying, I can see where guys like tiger and my teammates are coming from when they want a little boost. Also like tiger said, you never know when a scout from a D-1 school/major junior team might be in the crowd.

[Griff 2]

I always took sudafed before games in juniors and college due to the fact that I have horrible allergies but I never took more than the recommended dosege and the only reason I took sudafed instead of another allergy med is that all the other made me feel foggy and out of it. That said I had junior teamates that were gobbling the shit like candy, others were drinking red bull and other energy drinks, guys taking supplements from GNC. People do what they need to to get up for a game and for the most part it's no different than a guy that drinks coffee between periods, it's sudafed no big deal, we're not talking about steroids, hgh and other extreme performance enhancers here lets not get all wound up about nothing.

[Fixxer 0]

I take em.

[biff44 0]

"Side effects of pseudoephedrine include stimulation of the nervous system leading to nervousness, restlessness, excitability, dizziness, headache, fear, anxiety, tremor, and even hallucinations and convulsions (seizures). " Yeah, sounds like just the thing you need to play better hockey!

Try eating well, getting a good nights sleep, run some stadium stairs before your on-ice warm up, take a big shower game morning, take a nap on the bus on the way to the game. THOSE will make you a better player on ice.

Taking sudaphed--you are just fooling yourself. And, since most hockey players loose a couple pounds of water by the end of a game, think about what those pills are doing to your dehydrated kidneys!

[Fixxer 0]

"Side effects of pseudoephedrine include stimulation of the nervous system leading to nervousness, restlessness, excitability, dizziness, headache, fear, anxiety, tremor, and even hallucinations and convulsions (seizures). " Yeah, sounds like just the thing you need to play better hockey!

Try eating well, getting a good nights sleep, run some stadium stairs before your on-ice warm up, take a big shower game morning, take a nap on the bus on the way to the game. THOSE will make you a better player on ice.

Taking sudaphed--you are just fooling yourself. And, since most hockey players loose a couple pounds of water by the end of a game, think about what those pills are doing to your dehydrated kidneys!

Ya maybe if you take like 6 pills at once.

[number21 3]

Ya maybe if you take like 6 pills at once.

Not really, 2 sudafeds mess me up. I took some a couple years back and could barely work, my head was spinning for a couple hours! I have to take advil or tylenol cold/flu medicines.

All meds react differently to different people.

[Fixxer 0]

I take it all the time when i have a cold.

IDK it works for me.

[TapOrSnap 0]

I've never taken sudafed (in fact I think with meth being so popular, it's now held behind the counter and you can only buy it if you present ID now at pharmacists here).

However, I have (and continue to do today) taken various supplements. I tend to taken a pre workout/game drink of NO X-Plode and/or a fat burner. both are essentially dosages of caffeine. I should add that it's not only for hockey, I also do a lot of jiu jitsu and a little bit of mixed martial arts training.

However, apart from the fat burner, I try to take it all on a "if required" only basis. As Hockeyman above me stated, something it's just impossible to get through everything and you need a little perk up. As long as it's only once in awhile and not a regular requirement (in which case, I'd class it as a addiction), then I don't see the issue.

The fat burner gives me the the same effect that some of you guys are describing with sudafed. Except, I tend to get my "kick" around 10-15 mins after taking it and it lasts for an hour or so. Increased heartbeat, anxiety and it just generally makes me angry.

My take is, we all make our own choices and hopefully, those that choose to ingest these have fully weighed up the pros and cons. I'll agree with Tiger above, if I was sure I had something (possibly a career) riding on it, hell yeah, I'd do it. The line's been drawn in the sand with regards to what's legal and until explicitly told that it is illegal, players will choose to take the substances.

I will however, also add that there are some shitty choices made. I don't know why on earth anyone who's playing socially and purely for the enjoyment of the game would need to, or even want to taken these supplements on a regular basis. You've got nothing riding on the games apart from your enjoyment of the sport, which you should be derived naturally by you just taking part.

After awhile it becomes a addiction and as the article alluded to, you need a bigger and bigger dosage just to get the same effect. I've had that with one of my supplements and decided to finish the tub (cos it goes off after awhile) and have made the conscious decision to not get another one for at least 3 months,

[philatangy 0]

I took sudafed once before a game, because I was sick. I had no idea that it would have effects other than clear up my nasal problems temporarily.

Anyways, it did seem to give me some energy, however I'm not sure if it due to the cold, but I do think that I played meaner than usual. I don't think I would ever want to play with those in my system again.

[skeeter14 0]

im guilty of provigil, which seems to be the "new" sudafed of NHL'ers. I guess I see why, but since then ive cut that S*it out. a good nights sleep (which was my prob in the first) or decent nap before a game place will do the same thing.

[gxc999 7]

im guilty of provigil, which seems to be the "new" sudafed of NHL'ers. I guess I see why, but since then ive cut that S*it out. a good nights sleep (which was my prob in the first) or decent nap before a game place will do the same thing.

Completely true. I've taken anti-allergy drugs containing psuedophedrine and similar main ingredients since I was a kid in the mid 90s and they were only available through prescription. I took one before a game once because I had forgotten to when I first woke up and didn't suddenly have 6 goals or anything at all remarkable. Plus, they tend to make me feel sleepy after I take them now (built up resistance I guess).

[skeeter14 0]

im guilty of provigil, which seems to be the "new" sudafed of NHL'ers. I guess I see why, but since then ive cut that S*it out. a good nights sleep (which was my prob in the first) or decent nap before a game place will do the same thing.

Completely true. I've taken anti-allergy drugs containing psuedophedrine and similar main ingredients since I was a kid in the mid 90s and they were only available through prescription. I took one before a game once because I had forgotten to when I first woke up and didn't suddenly have 6 goals or anything at all remarkable. Plus, they tend to make me feel sleepy after I take them now (built up resistance I guess).

yeah, the problem i ran into is that provigil in a crude example, "shuts off" the part of your brain that says tells you that you're tired. So I take one at 8 or 9 pm, and guess what, I won't need to sleep til 8 hrs later, unless i take another, then its 16, etc etc. Problem is, when your finally get it out of your system you CRASH hard. The last time I did it, I fell asleep behind the wheel, and nearly crashed my car.

Never again from that day on have I even gone near the stuff, nor will I again. some bad bad shit

[Tricky4L 0]

With the active pseudoephedrine products going behind the counter and requiring a drivers license in our area over the couple years, I had every reason to believe that use around the rinks here would have tapered off... not so much.

I can completely understand the rationale on both sides of this argument but unfortunately I've seen these products being used by kids as young as 10 for as long as I can remember. Again, the need for an extra boost during the course of a hectic schedule and long season is something I can completely empathize with, especially in juniors. But sadly I saw this as all too common among a lot of our rep teams, (which around here aren't anything of extremely high quality) and even in some of the house leagues. To make matters worse, its wasn't uncommon at all to see parents encouraging this and, since obtaining them requires a drivers license now, I have a feeling that a lot of parents are still to blame.

I think that the issue was/is a bit more prevalent here because of the fact that there really aren't too many high levels of hockey that kids have to strive to other than WHL, causing a lot of parents to believe that their kids are going to make it there because they are standout players in their current leagues (which as mentioned before, aren't very elite when compared to most others around the nation; so they have very few regular, quality comparative examples). I've noticed that because of this, many parents and kids don't understand the odds of making it to that level and create unrealistic expectations of making it, but even so they will still take any measures they feel might give their kid an advantage, even if its something they heard from a friend of a friend that they swear an NHLer does.

Although widely known, it was rarely talked about and as a result it was very difficult to have the associations or clubs acknowledge the practice and do something about it.

I still see kids popping these pills in the locker rooms before games although most of it is happening at the midget level now, sad to have to be thankful about that but such is life I guess. I was involved in getting a parent kicked out of a rink after I saw him giving his younger kid 6 sudafed that he later casually mentioned were from 2000 so they were "the good stuff". I've talked to a couple different child service agencies about this type of situation in a hypothetical form to see what could and should be done and sadly enough other than an investigation taking place by an agency, very little would end up being done. (You can save the "you should have called the police then and there" comments... trust me, I threw a shit-fit for that to happen but it didn't.) I can only hope that the parent was given enough of a shock when called out but unfortunately I know its probably not the case. Absolutely disgusting especially when at that level, the kid is only trying to play for fun while his dad has his unrealistic sights set on him becoming his meal ticket.

I guess this is just another example of how behaviors in the pros trickle down even to the lowest levels of hockey.