Drug misuse by adolescent athletes.

The substances described have little or no ergogenic capacity, and even if they did, the dangers associated with taking many of them far outweigh the advantage of their giving an athlete an "illegal edge." Using these drugs for this purpose is cheating and a violation of the ethics of fair play in sports. The use of alleged ergogenic aids by the adolescent athlete is a possibility that should be considered by the physician whenever he performs either a routine health maintenance examination or a preparticipation physical examination on the adolescent athlete. This subject should be routinely mentioned then by the physician, and the risks and alleged benefits fully discussed.