The choice of drugs for “performance enhancement” that now confronts the athlete is a bewildering array of highly specialized products for various desired effects. In virtually every case, however, the doping athlete runs the risk of side effects that range from the merely inconvenient to the life-threatening. This table is only illustrative; no attempt has been made to compile complete lists. The drugs named in italics are specific examples in a category.
| Enhance Oxygen Transfer | |
| Drug or Treatment | Common Side Effects |
| Recombinant erythropoietin (r-EPO) | Blood clots, heart attack, stroke |
| Transfusion of blood and blood-related products (blood doping) | Allergic reactions, kidney damage, infection (HIV, hepatitis), circulatory overload, blood clots, metabolic shock |
| * * * | |
| Build Muscle and Bone | |
| Drug or Treatment | Common Side Effects |
| Anabolic steroids: Androstenedione, testosterone, Winstrol (stanozolol) | Liver damage, stunted growth, breast development in men, changes in attitude, chloracne on upper body |
| Beta2 agonists (especially by mouth or by injection): Albuterol | Tremors, headaches, rapid heartbeat |
| Hormone modulators: Human growth hormone (HGH) | Allergic reactions; can lead to diabetes and acromegaly (soft-tissue swelling, growth of jaw, hands and feet, skull expansion) |
| Antiestrogenic agents: Tamoxifen | Diverse, such as cancer, liver disease, blood clots |
| * * * | |
| Control Weight | |
| Drug or Treatment | Common Side Effects |
| Diuretics (for increasing the rate of urine excretion): Acetazolamide | Dehydration, muscle cramps, kidney stones, electrolyte imbalance |
| * * * | |
| Mask Drug Use | |
| Drug or Treatment | Common Side Effects |
| Diuretics (for diluting urine) | Dehydration, muscle cramps, kidney stones, electrolyte imbalance |
| Epitestosterone (to foil a standard test for testosterone doping) | None known |
| * * * | |
| Stimulate Quick Energy | |
| Drug or Treatment | Common Side Effects |
| Amphetamine, Amphetamine-like agents: Ephedrine, Ritalin | Increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, hallucinations, weight loss, tremors |
| Epinephrine | Heart irregularity, high blood pressure |
| * * * | |
| Aid in Relaxing | |
| Drug or Treatment | Common Side Effects |
| Beta blockers: Acebutolol, alprenolol, atenolol | Low blood pressure, slow heart rate |
| * * * | |
| Mask Pain | |
| Drug or Treatment | Common Side Effects |
| Narcotics: Morphine, oxycodone | Increased pain threshold, leading to failure to recognize injury; dependence; risk of life-threatening overdose |
