Can my child use an asthma inhaler or ADHD medication and still compete?

Question

Accepted Answer

Often yes, but check the specific medicine against the 2026 Prohibited List.

Asthma inhalers (beta-2 agonists, class S3): prohibited at all times, except these inhaled doses:

Inhaled medicine	Maximum allowed
Salbutamol	1,600 micrograms over 24 hours, no more than 600 micrograms in any 8 hours
Formoterol	54 micrograms over 24 hours, no more than 36 micrograms in any 12 hours
Salmeterol	200 micrograms over 24 hours, no more than 100 micrograms in any 8 hours
Vilanterol	25 micrograms over 24 hours

Salbutamol in urine above 1,000 ng/mL, or formoterol above 40 ng/mL, is treated as a positive result unless the athlete proves it came from a permitted inhaled dose. Higher doses or other beta-2 agonists need a TUE.

ADHD medication: methylphenidate, amfetamine and lisdexamfetamine are stimulants (class S6), prohibited in-competition. In-competition runs from 11:59 pm the day before a competition until the end of that competition and its sample collection. An athlete who needs one of these medicines on competition days needs a TUE (in advance for National-Level athletes, retroactively for most others).

Cold and flu medicines: pseudoephedrine is prohibited in-competition above 150 micrograms per millilitre of urine. SAIDS advises stopping it at least 24 hours before competition.