1. sports

REC Update
The “other” stimulant:
Methylhexaneamine
(Geranium oil)
Training is key for quality sample collections
In the ever changing world of dietary supplements, Drug Free
Sport’s Resource Exchange Center (REC) is seeing the resurgence
of methylhexaneamine (Forthane), a stimulant which was first patented in 1944 by Eli Lilly as a nasal decongestant. Methylhexaneamine is included in a variety of nitric oxide (N.O.), pre-workout and
weight loss supplements. Companies claim its advantages include:
powerful energy stimulation, increased metabolic rate, ability to
trigger fat release and reduce weight, ephedrine-like properties
and those of general central nervous system stimulants.
Long-time anti-doping pioneer Don Catlin, CEO of Anti-Doping
Research, Inc., was one of the first to discover methylhexaneamine
on the supplement market back in 2006. Catlin noted, “The chemical structure is similar to amphetamines and ephedrine.” He also
stated, “In this class of drugs, everything depends on the dose. Take
enough of it and your heart rate and blood pressure will go up and
you can die.”
What is Methylhexaneamine?
Methylhexaneamine is a stimulant derived from geranium plant
oil and is typically mixed with other substances in dietary supplements and “party pills,” including caffeine and/or synephrine.
Stimulants can speed metabolism, heart rate and blood pressure.
The increased activity in the body produces extra heat (especially
in hot and humid conditions), causing the blood vessels in the skin
constrict, preventing the body from cooling itself efficiently. By
making the user feel more energetic and less fatigued, stimulants
keep users exercising longer. This can set the stage for heat illness,
heat stroke and sudden death. Large amounts of any stimulant can
have side effects such as nausea, dizziness and nervousness.
Other names (synonyms) of methylhexaneamine used by dietary
supplement companies:
The REC has discovered 1,3 Dimethylamylamine in a number of dietary
supplements submitted for review by student-athletes. Jack3d, manufactured by USPLabs, is currently the most popular product that lists 1,3
Dimethylamylamine, but others exist. USPLabs markets Jack3d as a preworkout and nitric oxide-boosting supplement, powered by arginine and
caffeine; downplaying the significance of 1,3 Dimethylamylamine. The
company does, however, warn athletes that their product may contain a
banned substance:
“While this product contains compounds & constituents that are found
in nature, tested athletes make up the extreme minority of the American
public and have to follow strict rules on what they can and cannot use
in competition. For example, compounds such as caffeine, creatine & 1,3
dimethylamylamine (also known as methylhexanamine, 2-amino-4-methylhexane & 1,3-dimethylpentylamine - a natural constituent of the geranium flower) may not be allowed by your specific sports organization.”
It has been confirmed by the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory that
1,3 Dimethylamylamine will cause a positive drug test for stimulants, so
please advise all athletes of this risk.
Each of commonly used products listed below contain 1,3 Dimethylamylamine:
USPLabs - OxyElite Pro
Cellucor - M5 Extreme
Nutrex - Hemo Rage Black
Nutrex - Lipo 6 Black Hers
BPI - 1M.R. (both capsule and powder)
VPX - Anarchy Covalex
Muscle Fortress – Muscle Spike
MuscleMeds – Code Red
1,3, Dimethylamylamine (Most common)
CTD Labs - Noxipro
Dimethylpentylamine (common)
And many more
Geranamine (common)
Geranium Oil (common)
Geranium Extract (common)
2-Amino-4-methylhexane
With the discovery of the resurgence of this ingredient being relatively
new, submit questions regarding all supplements to the REC before using
them. The REC does not recommend the use of any dietary supplement
and encourages athletes to turn to food first for their dietary needs.
Ben Mosier and Megan Plouzek
have joined Drug Free Sport as
sports drug-testing collectors.
Mosier and Plouzek join “Team
DFS,” a group of in-house certified sports drug-testing collectors that service clients across the
country.
COLLECTOR DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING EVOLVES OVER TIME
by Sally Huggins, Insight Contributor
Drug specimen collectors for the National Center for Drug Free Sport
are a rare breed. They are highly educated, highly motivated and highly
trained individuals spread throughout the country and abroad.
The History
News Briefs
Independent contractor specimen collectors (“collectors”) for Drug Free
Sport didn’t answer a want-ad. They are carefully selected and meticulously trained before they ever go out in the field to collect a specimen
from an athlete.
Drug Free Sport began drug testing in 1999 with one
client – the NCAA. Since that time, the company’s
sports drug testing increased in scope and diversity
as several professional sports leagues and state high
school associations became clients. The expansion
brought many more samples to collect across the
country, ultimately requiring Drug Free Sport to triple
the number of collectors needed, said Cindy Thomas,
Director for Collector Development (right).
“We had to get creative,” Thomas said. “We changed our entire structure.
With the NCAA, we had operated with a network of 50 independent
contractors. With the addition of new clients and the expansion of the
NCAA program, we now contract with a comprehensive network of 1215 collection companies with nearly 200 certified collectors.”
While the expansion did not negatively impact the quality of Drug
Free Sports’ specimen collection system or its collectors, it did require a
change in the training procedure. Where previously two employees from
Drug Free Sport traveled across the country, personally training collectors, a “train-the-trainer” program was implemented by Thomas to meet
the training demand.
Contractors identified their best collectors and Drug Free Sport trained
30 of them to be trainers. That involved instruction on how to mentor on
the job, how to evaluate collectors and how to teach others how to do
the job, Thomas said.
“We also began looking at how to use technology,” she said. “With technology we can do a significant amount of the training online.”
The high quality of collection work that clients receive is the result of a
comprehensive collector training program specially designed to prepare
specimen collectors with the knowledge and skills necessary for its
diverse client base.
Because collecting specimens for sports drug-testing is an extremely
significant and integral part of a total drug-testing program, collectors must be trusted to perform the job professionally and provide
privacy. They must also ensure the integrity and security of the speci-
men through the entire collection process while also handling many
administrative duties that vary by client.
For these reasons, prospective collectors for Drug Free Sport must
successfully pass a background check, agree to abide by the Collector Code of Ethics and maintain confidentiality. Drug Free Sport has
conflict of interest and non-compete policies that collectors must
agree to as well to maintain unbiased services.
When Drug Free Sport moved from using individual contractors
to using collector companies, it became a responsibility of those
independent collection companies to recruit collectors, Thomas said.
Once individuals have been recruited by the collection companies,
Drug Free Sport staff will ensure they are an appropriate fit for servicing clients. The background checks are essential, as are high moral
and ethical standards, she said. Even the financial history of potential
collectors is important.
“When you are working with high-profile athletes, it can be very
tempting if you are offered money to pee in the cup for them,”
Thomas said. “We check for previous bankruptcy filings and other
financial problems.”
Collectors come from many walks of life – nurses, EMTs and paramedics, athletic trainers and sports officials. In 1986, when the NCAA began drug testing, the collectors were all registered physicians, nurses
and pharmacists. But it quickly became apparent that physicians
were not readily available to do the collections.
“Collectors have to be available to do specimen collections at odd
times,” Thomas said. “If you have a full-time job, you have to have
enough flexibility to work at odd hours and to travel. Many of the collectors we contract with now have flexible work schedules.”
EMTs and paramedics are excellent collectors because they think
nothing of going into dank locker rooms and working under time
pressures, she said. Recruiters are encouraged to take potential collectors into the field to observe the collection process to see if it is
something they really want to do, she said, even before training.
Once individuals are recruited, the intensive training begins. Today,
much of it is provided via the internet. Online courses allow collector
candidates to log-in and work through the modules and lessons on
demand. The candidates also participate in mock collections and
complete on-the-job mentored training that includes the trainee
working onsite shadowing an experienced, certified collector. They
also perform collections onsite while being supervised by a certified
collector train-the-trainer.
A sports drug test is only as good as the collection process utilized to obtain the urine specimen. Collectors
go through extensive training and certification to ensure the integrity of each test.
“When it is mutually agreed that a candidate is
“If a collector doesn’t do the job the way they
ready, they will take the certification tests,” Thomas are supposed to, we can’t even send a sample
said.
to the lab,” Thomas said. “The chain of custody
begins when the athlete is notified that he or she
Even after certification, a collector is subject to
has been selected for a drug test. Every step is
no-notice spot checks, some by Drug Free Sport
documented until the results are reported to the
staff and some by collectors contracted for that
client or to the athlete. Collectors must be nimble
purpose.
and flexible to adapt to the needs and demands of
“If a collector is not performing well, they have
different clients.”
to take the courses again and will be required to
As Drug Free Sport’s client base has expanded, its
complete additional shadowing with a certified
reach is extending into foreign countries where
collector,” Thomas said.
athletes may live or work in off seasons. Drug Free
In addition to no-notice reviews, the majority of
Sport contracts with certified collectors in the
Drug Free Sport’s clients have representatives who Dominican Republic and Venezuela and is testing
will fill out evaluations to provide feedback on per- in about 12 other countries, but currently has staff
formance. The labs that handle the specimens are and a few contractors to handle the rest of the
evaluating the work as well, monitoring the sealing international collection services.
of specimens, the adequacy of the samples, etc.
“We are prepared to provide collections internaCollectors are constantly provided feedback.
tionally,” Thomas said.
Certification is good for two years and continuWith an established network of certified collectors,
ing education is provided on an ongoing basis to
Drug Free Sport is able to handle the changing
review current procedures and present revised or
needs of its client base. Major League Baseball renew techniques. If a collector doesn’t meet the
cently turned to Drug Free Sport to perform blood
needs of Drug Free Sport clients, he or she will lose
sample collections on Minor League players.
certification and the contract will be terminated.
“Drug Free Sport continues to be on the cutting
“They have to be basically perfect in this line of
edge and is prepared to continue assisting Major
work,” Thomas said.
League Baseball and any other client that may reDrug Free Sport makes a conscientious effort to
quire blood collections in the future,” said Thomas.
have a diverse group of professionals handling the
To learn more about specimen collection services
specimen collections who understand the dynamavailable from Drug Free Sport, please visit us
ics of different athletic environments from which
online at www.drugfreesport.com.
they will collect more than 50,000 specimens each
year.
Mosier holds a bachelor’s degree
in parks, recreation and tourism
with a focus in sports management from the University of
Missouri. Prior to joining Drug
Free Sport, Mosier completed an
internship with the Kansas City
Sports Commission and worked
as a student marketing assistant
for the University of Missouri
Athletic Department.
Plouzek holds a bachelor’s degree in health and fitness from
Nebraska Wesleyan University.
Prior to joining Drug Free Sport,
Plouzek worked at Nebraska
Educational Telecommunications
in Lincoln, Neb.
Drug Free Sport Vice President
Andrea Wickerham will be participating in a panel discussion
regarding synthetic marijuana
at the upcoming 2011 NCAA
Convention, January 13th, in
San Antonio, Tex. The session
is titled, “Marijuana, K2 and
Other Drug Use Concerns - What
Athletics Departments Can Do.”
Other participants on the panel
are Doug Padron, Dir. of Sports
Medicine at Monmouth University, and Dr. John Sullivan, Psych.
D., Clinical Sport Psychologist at
the University of Rhode Island.
Mary Wilfert, NCAA Associate Director of Education Outreach, will
serve as moderator of the panel.
Drug education spotlight:
Dallas Baptist University
In a world of YouTube and iPads, one of the best ways to engage college
student-athletes is through computers and the internet. So what better
means of teaching them strategies to prevent the abuse of drugs and
alcohol? Bring on myPlaybook, a web-based drug education tutorial created specifically for student-athletes. Just ask
athletics department staff.
Director of Athletics Ryan Erwin of Dallas Baptist University (right) is in his third year of using the program with all of his student-athletes and is very pleased with the results.
“Before we used myPlaybook, we would bring in a speaker to talk on a topic with all the student-athletes
for about 45 minutes,” Erwin said. “And we would give a brief synopsis of information about not drinking,
not abusing drugs, etc. I think using myPlaybook to educate student-athletes is a lot more effective than
what we were doing in the past.”
Fourth Quarter, 2010
The National Center for Drug Free Sport, Inc. ®
c/o Daniel Regan
2537 Madison Ave.
Kansas City, MO 64108
insight
Season’s
Greetings,
and best
wishes for a
happy New
Year from
your friends
at Drug
Free Sport!
FRANKLY SPEAKING
– By Frank Uryasz, President, Drug Free Sport™
TEST NOW AVAILABLE TO DETER THE USE OF SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA (K2)
DRUG FREE SPORT™
BELIEVES
DBU was introduced to the program as part of a pilot project in NCAA Division II schools in 2008. Before
using myPlaybook, Erwin was responsible for covering the drug and alcohol information in a classroom
setting. It was hard to hold the attention of the athletes.
• Testing is a necessary and effective drug-use prevention tool to develop athletes who are
committed to success on and off the field.
“There is a lot of good information in the myPlaybook program,” Erwin said. “It’s very hands-on. It’s all interactive. It keeps
the student-athletes interested. They are always on the internet and online, so this holds their interest. These topics aren’t
the most interesting but they are important, and the program keeps them interested. Sometimes when information is
presented in a new way, they learn it better.”
• Athletics participation is a privilege, and athletes cannot be allowed to abuse drugs at their
expense, the expense of their teammates or at the expense of their sport.
myPlaybook is presented via computer to each student-athlete one-on-one at a pace suitable to his or her learning style.
Because the student must complete a lesson and pass a quiz before proceeding to the next section, the athletic department has a means of assessing what its student-athletes have learned.
The program involves web-based learning exercises that provide immediate feedback to the student. The program is
divided into six lessons – banned substances, alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, performance-enhancing drugs (including
nutritional and dietary supplements), and prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
The first year DBU used myPlaybook, all student-athletes were required to complete it. Now, all freshmen and any transfer students must work through the course, Erwin said. Over the past two years, about 175 athletes at Dallas Baptist have
completed the course and another 48 are currently working on it. Erwin oversees administering the program and seeks
help from coaches for any student-athletes who fall behind in their progress through the course.
“We require the new student-athletes to complete myPlaybook within their first semester,” he said.
Erwin said that after the pilot he received great reviews from the student-athletes. He said that he sees myPlaybook as
preventive and a way to make them aware of any new information out there.
myPlaybook is an evidence-based tutorial designed to prevent alcohol and other drug-related harm among college studentathletes. As the only online drug education program created specifically for college student-athletes, this interactive webbased program engages student-athletes using state-of-the-art instructional design.
For more information on how to use myPlaybook to effectively reach your student-athletes with drug education, contact Becky
Achen at (816) 474-8655, ext. 117 or email bachen@drugfreesport.com. Learn more at drugfreesport.com/myPlaybook.
Nationwide recall of testosterone booster supplement
Another popular
supplement has
been recalled
nationwide.
Recently, Gaspari Nutrition
announced that
it is conducting a
voluntary nationwide recall of the
company’s dietary
supplement sold
under the name
Novedex XT, which
was marketed “for
increasing natural testosterone production” and contains
3,17-keto-etiocholetriene, also known as ATD, an antiaromatase. Gaspari Nutrition is conducting this consumer
level recall after being informed by representatives of
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that 3,17-ketoetiocholetriene does not meet the definition of a dietary
supplement and therefore the product is in violation of the
Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
Potential adverse events associated with the use of antiaromatases could include the following: decreased rate of
bone maturation and growth, decreased sperm production,
infertility, aggressive behavior, adrenal insufficiency, kidney
failure and liver dysfunction.
Novedex XT had been sold internationally and domestically, to distributors, wholesales, retail stores and direct to
consumers, but was discontinued for domestic sales on
October 4th, 2010.
Athletes who have Novedex XT in their possession should
stop using it immediately. If athletes experience any adverse side effects due to consumption of this product, they
should immediately contact a physician.
Athletes, coaches and administrators with questions
regarding this recall can contact the company at 1-732-3643777 Monday through Friday 9AM to 5PM, PST.
For more information on this recall or on other supplements and banned substances, visit the Resource Exchange
Center (REC) at www.drugfreesport.com/rec.
• Research shows that most athletes are drug free. Therefore, we will at all times treat athletes with dignity and respect, and above all else, protect their privacy.
• Strong relationships with certified, ethical sports drug-testing laboratories and collectors benefit our clients’ drug-testing programs.
• Sports organizations differ in their philosophies on how to deter drug use. We support an
organization’s right to conduct its programs
according to its principles and objectives.
• Not every sports organization shares our values, and we will not compromise what we believe in the name of increasing the bottom line.
The National Center for
Drug Free Sport®
2537 Madison Ave.
Kansas City, MO 64108
816.474.8655
www.drugfreesport.com
Drug Free Sport first reported on the topic of synthetic marijuana (K2,
spice, etc.) in the First Quarter 2010 edition of Drug Free Sport Insight.
We had been getting questions about the compound from athletes via
Drug Free Sport’s Resource Exchange Center (REC) “hotline.”
Lately, and unfortunately, there has been a lot more news about K2 and
what appears to be growing abuse of the product. For example, in mid
November, ABC News aired an excellent series of stories on what we know
and what we don’t know about synthetic cannabinoids (synthetic marijuana). To watch the series, go to www.abcnews.com and enter “K2” as a search term.
We don’t know the extent of K2 use in the athlete population. On one hand, K2 use by an
athlete would lead to a deterioration of athletic performance, so athletes would appear to
be outside the target market. On the other hand, K2 is marketed as being “undetectable
in drug tests,” so it is reasonable to assume that the athlete population might be attracted
to a substance that they think will go unnoticed in a routine sports drug test.
This fall Drug Free Sport announced that we are now offering a test for selected synthetic
cannabinoids through the Olympic Analytical Laboratory at UCLA, . Please contact us
if you are interested in learning more about using this test to deter the use of synthetic
marijuana.
Readers of Insight know that Drug Free Sport has been partnering with its sports clients
for years to provide educational resources and programs to deter the use of dietary
supplements. Our Web site, www.drugfreesport.com has the latest news on dietary
supplement recalls, stories on the effects of dietary supplement use and the latest research on what works and what doesn’t. I am always pleased when other organizations
and publications help us to educate the public about dietary supplements. One recent
example is Consumer Reports. In its September 2010 edition, Consumer Reports ran a
story titled, “The 12 Most Dangerous Supplements.” The list included three compounds
we often see on the labels of sports supplements: bitter orange, germanium and
yohimbe. These compounds appear on many but not all banned-drug lists for sports
organizations. The article is an easy-to-understand review and contains many good
messages for athletes.
As we close out 2010, I want to thank you for the opportunity to partner with you
on your drug-prevention programs. The staff at Drug Free Sport takes great pride in
serving as a trusted advisor to our clients. We look forward to working with you in
2011.