Sports Doctor Slams Warriors Drug Concoction

A leading sports doctor believes relaxing with alcohol is a much more preferable option than dabbling with a dangerous concoction like prescription drugs and energy drinks.

It comes as five of the six Warriors players stood down for their night out admitted to using prescription drugs with energy drinks.

Warriors stars Manu Vatuvei , Ben Matulino and Bodine Thompson were stood down from the Kiwis' test against Australia.

Sports doctor Mark Fulcher has worked with some of New Zealand's top teams and says when prescription drugs are used like that, they become something different.

"I would be much more comfortable with the athletes I look after drinking some alcohol in a controlled environment, than going out and basically using recreational drugs."

"They're prescribed drugs, but they're not using them as prescribed."

He believes mixing prescription drugs and energy drinks has the potential for death.

Fulcher said while top sportspeople are more likely to survive a heart attack because they are highly tuned athletes, they are more likely to get into that situation in the first place.

"History would tell us that professional athletes are more likely to do this sort of stuff. So this seems to be something about their psyche or their culture that makes it seem as though it is okay."

It's not the first time the concoction has been linked with rugby league, and Fulcher argues doctors shouldn't have to ration out drugs to grown adults.

"They could say 'you can only have two of these sleeping pills or you can only have four' which is potentially a good idea. But you should be able to trust them, and prescribe a dose that you would prescribe the general population."

Radio Sport