ABSTRACT
The use of drugs by athletes to enhance athletic performance is a serious problem facing many sports authorities. Drug testing is viewed as an effective deterrent, and most sports organizations have drug-testing programs. Stimulants constitute probably the oldest group of drugs used to boost athletic performance. The possible loss of judgment as a result of use can cause harm to the athlete and others. Narcotic analgesics are used to control pain but have undesirable side effects, such as physical dependence and respiratory depression. Anabolic steroids are good examples. The screening method is designed to allow the laboratory to dispose of the negative samples, which normally constitute the majority, and to concentrate on working on the presumptive positive samples. Traditionally, doping laboratories use five chromatographic screening procedures to cover the drugs in the first four doping classes, namely, stimulants, narcotics, anabolic steroids, and diuretics.
