Prescribed medicines are commonly used to combat pain for athletes dealing with injuries, but the potential for misuse is always present. A first-of-its-kind study conducted by Philip Veliz, associate research professor at the U-M School of Nursing, and a group of colleagues shows that 12th graders who participate in sports are more likely than non-athletes to misuse prescription stimulants in young adulthood. Veliz suggests that for those who participate in high-contact sports, while the sport itself is not the catalyst that initiates use, they are even more likely to misuse prescription medications into adulthood.
