Athlete Guide to Anti-Doping
USADA is continually updating and expanding its library of resources to ensure that athletes and athlete support personnel can easily access information about some of the most important topics in anti-doping. The directory below can be used to find various articles and materials, organized by category, from across the USADA website.
More questions?
For questions about testing, contact USADA’s Athlete Services Team at athleteexpress@USADA.org or call (719) 785-2000.
For questions about specific products, substances, and methods, contact USADA’s Drug Reference Line at drugreference@USADA.org or call (719) 785-2000, option 2.
GENERAL
Testing
- Athlete Responsibilities and Failures to Comply
- Chaperones and their Role in Anti-Doping
- Declaring Medications
- Doping Control Officers (DCO) and What to Expect
- Dried Blood Spot Testing
- Important Questions to Ask During Testing
- InnoVero Sample Collection Equipment
- Pre-Competition Anti-Doping Checklist
- Registered Testing Pool
- Sample Collection
- Sitting Before Blood Sample Collection
- Testing Modifications
- Testing Selection Process
- Updater App
- Urine Sample Collection – 90 mL
- Whereabouts
- Whereabouts Failures
Supplements
- 5-Alpha-Hydroxy-Laxogenin
- All-Natural Supplements
- Athlete Biological Passport
- Caffeine
- Common Misconceptions about Supplements
- Compounding Pharmacies
- Creatine
- Energy Drinks
- Half-Life of a Drug
- High-Risk Supplements
- Ketones
- Low-Risk Supplements
- Medications v. Supplements
- NSF Certified for Sport Supplements
- Poppy Seeds
- Retesting Samples
- Screen your Supplements
- Supplements – Clean Sport Red Flag
- Supplement Legislation
- Supplement Myths
- Supplement Use – 3 Things to Know
- TUEs – 3 Things to Know
The Prohibited List – Substances and Methods
Non-Approved Substances
Anabolic Agents
- Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS)
- Other Anabolic Agents
- Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF) Activating Agents
- Erythropoieten (EPO)
- Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1)
- Peptide Hormones and their Releasing Factors
Beta-2 Agonists
Hormone and Metabolic Modulators
- SERMs
- Metabolic Modulators
Diuretics and Masking Agents
Narcotics
Chemical and Physical Manipulation
Gene and Cell Doping
Latest articles

What Should Tested Athletes Know About GW1516?
For athletes subject to drug testing, it’s important to recognize the prohibited substances making their way into supplements, including GW1516.

Top 5 Things to Know About LGD-4033
LGD-4033 (also known as: Ligandrol, VK5211, Anabolicum) is just one of many drugs to be illegally included in supplements marketed to athletes.

Acetazolamide: What Athletes Need to Know About this Altitude Sickness Treatment
Acetazolamide is a type of diuretic, or water pill, and it’s important for athletes to realize that diuretics are prohibited in sport at all times.

3 Supplement Manufacturers Charged in Criminal Cases
Despite the challenges of removing illegal products from the market, regulators do occasionally catch up with the people who own and run fraudulent supplement businesses.

What Athletes Need to Know about Wellness and Anti-Aging Clinics
There are an increasing number of health clinics that advertise to be anti-aging or wellness clinics. How do these affect anti-doping rules?

How to Reduce Your Risk from Supplements
If athletes choose to use supplements despite the known risks, USADA recommends that athletes use only dietary supplements that have been certified by a third-party program that tests for substances prohibited in sport. Based on a recent consensus statement, USADA now recognizes NSF Certified for Sport® as the program best suited for athletes to reduce the risk from supplements.