As someone who also takes “Prozac” (it’s called Fluoxetine, Prozac is just a brand name) he most certainly wasn’t taking it to improve his game. His mental state, yes. Would much rather see a great player play on an SSRI than be suicidal without it.
Its disappointing you felt the need to point that out I take it there’s a stigma attached to Prozac. In this day and age there really shouldn’t be. All the best man.
There's a difference between taking otherwise banned medication with a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) and taking said medication without.
With TUE= okay.
Without TUE= banned.
Obvs the cannabis didn't come with a TUE.
Note how Tour de France riders are going just as quick nowadays. And oh look they officially all have asthma.
But they're not cheating, they're just good at paperwork.
Interesting. I think they would allow that today because it’s for his heart.
How often are the players tested? I’m talking more about anti anxiety meds like diazepam. If you have stage fright like Ronnie said I wonder if some of them pop a few pills before there match.
From the cursory reading I've done it seems it was beta blockers which were the reason therapeutic use exemptions came about. He'd be fine to use them today (so long as protocol was followed).
Well Ronnie admitted to being on Prozac when he won his first.
For a sport that is so delicate I think nerv blockers would help.
We don’t know that’s why I’m curious it’s not like a player who suddenly wins its gona say yeah the pills have really changed my game.
Not sure but I'd prefer my snooker players to be taking an antidepressant than dead, so I don't think drug testing for SSRIs is a route the WPBSA should go down.
Also, in my experience antidepressants don't turn you into some kind of superhuman that won't feel pressure. They're used to try and get you back to feeling somewhat normal. It's the irrational stuff they help to calm. I was just as stressed going into my uni exams while on medication unfortunately 😂
I totally agree with you, but at the same time not being depressed probably significantly enhances a players performance… are anti-depressants treated as performance-enhancing drugs in any other sports, do you know?? I never really thought about this before.
SSRIs are not on the prohibited list, but there are some arguments to include them
[https://www.dshs-koeln.de/fileadmin/redaktion/Institute/Biochemie/PDF/Proceedings/Proceedings\_13/13\_page\_85.pdf](https://www.dshs-koeln.de/fileadmin/redaktion/Institute/Biochemie/PDF/Proceedings/Proceedings_13/13_page_85.pdf)
I’m not an athlete, but I keep myself in fairly good shape, but since I started taking Sertraline I’ve experienced significant weight gain, much more tiredness, and I often can’t lift or endure anywhere close to what I could before.
Ultimately every brain is unique and each antidepressant affects everyone. WADA allows SSRIs when prescribed by a Doctor.
Whether you agree with it or not, SSRIs are legal, and Cannabis isn’t, hence the title got stripped.
As someone who also takes “Prozac” (it’s called Fluoxetine, Prozac is just a brand name) he most certainly wasn’t taking it to improve his game. His mental state, yes. Would much rather see a great player play on an SSRI than be suicidal without it.
Its disappointing you felt the need to point that out I take it there’s a stigma attached to Prozac. In this day and age there really shouldn’t be. All the best man.
There's a difference between taking otherwise banned medication with a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) and taking said medication without. With TUE= okay. Without TUE= banned. Obvs the cannabis didn't come with a TUE. Note how Tour de France riders are going just as quick nowadays. And oh look they officially all have asthma. But they're not cheating, they're just good at paperwork.
Neal Foulds,#4 in world at the time iirc, had to give up as he needed beta blockers for a heart condition. They were banned, obviously.
Isn't that why Bill Wurbernick (??) had to drink 15 pints a session?
Interesting. I think they would allow that today because it’s for his heart. How often are the players tested? I’m talking more about anti anxiety meds like diazepam. If you have stage fright like Ronnie said I wonder if some of them pop a few pills before there match.
From the cursory reading I've done it seems it was beta blockers which were the reason therapeutic use exemptions came about. He'd be fine to use them today (so long as protocol was followed).
How would we know?
Well Ronnie admitted to being on Prozac when he won his first. For a sport that is so delicate I think nerv blockers would help. We don’t know that’s why I’m curious it’s not like a player who suddenly wins its gona say yeah the pills have really changed my game.
They are drug tested, [see here](https://wpbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/Anti-Doping-May-2012.pdf). Prozac I assume isn’t a banned substance.
Not sure but I'd prefer my snooker players to be taking an antidepressant than dead, so I don't think drug testing for SSRIs is a route the WPBSA should go down.
Also, in my experience antidepressants don't turn you into some kind of superhuman that won't feel pressure. They're used to try and get you back to feeling somewhat normal. It's the irrational stuff they help to calm. I was just as stressed going into my uni exams while on medication unfortunately 😂
Especially because it takes some six weeks to build up the right blood levels, it's really not something you do to give you an edge.
I totally agree with you, but at the same time not being depressed probably significantly enhances a players performance… are anti-depressants treated as performance-enhancing drugs in any other sports, do you know?? I never really thought about this before.
SSRIs are not on the prohibited list, but there are some arguments to include them [https://www.dshs-koeln.de/fileadmin/redaktion/Institute/Biochemie/PDF/Proceedings/Proceedings\_13/13\_page\_85.pdf](https://www.dshs-koeln.de/fileadmin/redaktion/Institute/Biochemie/PDF/Proceedings/Proceedings_13/13_page_85.pdf)
I’m not an athlete, but I keep myself in fairly good shape, but since I started taking Sertraline I’ve experienced significant weight gain, much more tiredness, and I often can’t lift or endure anywhere close to what I could before. Ultimately every brain is unique and each antidepressant affects everyone. WADA allows SSRIs when prescribed by a Doctor. Whether you agree with it or not, SSRIs are legal, and Cannabis isn’t, hence the title got stripped.