ABSTRACT
Medications may be an important part of the treatment plan for an athlete with mental illness. Thus, all members of the athlete’s health care team should have some working knowledge of the nuances of pharmacologic treatments for mental illness in athletes. There are at least four important, unique considerations when clinicians prescribe psychiatric medication to an athlete: (1) potential negative impact on athletic performance; (2) potential therapeutic performance-enhancing effects (i.e., based on improvement in the condition the medication is designed to treat); (3) potential non-therapeutic performance enhancement effects (i.e., ergogenic effects); and (4) potential safety risks. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of research when it comes to studies on the different classes of psychiatric medications that may be used in athletes. However, the research that has been done to date, combined with expert recommendations, can be used to guide pharmacotherapeutic treatment decisions in athletes.
