University researchers are investigating the potentially dangerous and performance enhancing effects that the painkillers tapentadol and dihydrocodeine could have on elite cyclists.
Led by Lex Mauger, Professor of Applied Physiology in the School of Natural Sciences, the study is being conducted on behalf of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and could result in these drugs being added to their list of banned substances in sport.
The study will run until March 2026, when Professor Mauger will report the team’s findings to WADA.
Although available to the public by prescription, the synthetic opioids tapentadol and dihydrocodeine – both of which can be used to treat moderate to severe pain – come with a warning that it is illegal to drive or operate heavy machinery after taking them. So, given that they are potentially addictive, affect motor control, and confer a significant analgesic effect, it is assumed they might pose a risk to athlete health and/or be abused as potential performance-enhancing drugs.
The team’s previous work on tramadol was used by WADA as their primary evidence for placing tramadol on the 2024 Prohibited List, effectively banning its use in worldwide sporting competition.
Professor Mauger said: ‘Through a year-long randomised controlled trial, we will examine whether tapentadol and dihydrocodeine pose a risk to the athlete and their competitors through reduced control of their bikes (e.g. a cyclist with worse balance/control is more likely to crash) and whether they enhance performance in a similar way to tramadol.
‘Prior to tramadol being added to the prohibited list in 2024, its use in cycling and some other sports was fairly high, with WADA’s Monitoring Programme showing that one in 23 doping controls tested were positive for tramadol. The Movement for Credible Cycling and the Union Cycliste Internationale (the world governing body for sports cycling) raised concerns with WADA about tapentadol and dihydrocodeine being used as replacement drugs for tramadol. WADA’s Monitoring Programme should provide data on their current use in sport, which will complement the data we produce from this trial.’
Anyone who wishes to participate in the trial or learn more about what it involves should email Professor Mauger.
