The UCI has committed to banning the use of Tramadol in competition beginning on January 1, 2019, citing health reasons as its main concern over the synthetic opioid painkiller. In addition, testing will be carried out to detect possible adrenal insufficiency, and glucocorticoids must be declared by the team doctors and lead to time off competition. Tramadol is not currently on the WADA banned list but experts believe that it has long been abused within the professional peloton, and it has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency`s monitored list. The UCI Management Committee recently hired Professor Xavier Bigard as UCI Medical Director and together they made some important decisions concerning glucocorticoids and analgesics (notably Tramadol), the UCI wrote in a press statement following its three-day meeting in Arzon, France to validate its Agenda 2022.ADVERTISEMENT `The UCI will call on the opinion of international experts in order to define which tests must be carried out before a competition to detect a possible adrenal insufficiency, which would therefore be a medical contraindication for competition. `A low level of cortisol would therefore mean it is impossible to start the race. In addition, it was recalled that local infiltrations of glucocorticoids must be declared by the team doctors and lead to a minimum of eight days off work and competition.` The UCI noted that Tramadol is a strong analgesic, associated with significant undesirable side-effects such as dizziness, loss of alertness, drowsiness, or physical dependency and risks of addiction to opioids.
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