My daughter wants to play college basketball. Will NCAA rules force her to stop taking her AD/HD medication?

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My daughter wants to play college basketball. Will NCAA rules force her to stop taking her AD/HD medication?

No. It is true that NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) drug policies ban the use of stimulant medications as possible "performance enhancing" substances. However, the NCAA also recognizes that some students, like your daughter, have a medically legitimate need to take their stimulant medication.

If she becomes a college athlete, your daughter may apply to the Drug Education and Drug Testing Subcommittee of the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports. This subcommittee will review her request for a medical exception that will allow her to continue playing basketball and take her medication as prescribed by her physician.

For more information see the following resources on the NCAA website:

NCAA 2008-2009 Drug Testing Exceptions Procedures
NCAA Banned Drugs and Medical Exceptions Policy Guidelines Regarding Medical Reporting for Student-Athletes with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Taking Prescribed Stimulants (January 2009)
NCAA Guidelines to Document AD/HD Treatment with Banned Stimulant Medications, Addendum to the January 2009 Guidelines
ADHD stimulants will require more drug-test documents (NCAA News article)

Updated: July 2009

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