Physical examination (to be completed by physician)

Medical Exceptions:

The NCAA list of banned drug classes is composed of substances that are generally reported to be
performance enhancing and harmful to one's health. The NCAA bans performance enhancing drugs
to protect student-athlete health and safety and ensure a level playing field, and it also recognizes
that some of these substances may be legitimately used as medications to treat student-athletes with
learning disabilities and other medical conditions.
Accordingly, the NCAA allows exceptions to be made for those student-athletes with a documented
medical history demonstrating the need for regular use of such a drug. The benefit of a medical
exception procedure is that in most cases the student-athlete's eligibility remains intact during the
process.
Exceptions may be granted for substances included in the following classes of banned drugs:
stimulants, beta blockers, diuretics, anti-estrogens, anabolic agents (steroids)*, and peptide
hormones* (NCAA Bylaw 31.2.3) [*anabolic agents and peptide hormones must be approved by
the NCAA before the athlete is allowed to participate while taking these medications. The
institution, through its director of athletics, may request an exception for use of an anabolic agent or
peptide hormone by submitting to The National Center for Drug Free Sport (Drug Free Sport) any
medical documentation it wishes to have considered.]

In all cases a student-athlete, in conjunction with his or her treating physician, must document
that a complete patient health history/exam was completed, proper testing was completed, and
the patient was informed of the safety information regarding use of their prescribed
medication. It is the responsibility of the institution to educate student-athletes about this policy, and
to follow-up with any student- athlete who identifies the use of a banned medication to determine if
standard non-banned medications have been pursued and documented.
In order for a student-athlete to be granted a medical exception for the use of a medication that
contains a banned substance, the student-athlete must:
1. Have declared the use of the substance to the FGCU Director of Sports Medicine, who is the
athletics administrator responsible for keeping medical records;
2. Present a completed Medical Exception Form signed by the treating physician to the FGCU
Director of Sports Medicine; and
3. Provide all necessary supporting documentation from the treating physician to the FGCU Director
of Sports Medicine explaining the need to use a particular banned substance, the course of treatment
for their diagnosis, and the dosage any/all medication(s).
Requests for medical exceptions, requested by Florida Gulf Coast University, will be reviewed by
physicians who are members of the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical
Aspects of Sports. Medical exceptions will be granted if the student-athlete has presented adequate
documentation noted above. On the reverse side are three treatment issues to help illustrate the
medical exception procedure:


Examples:
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) – is one of the most common neurobehavioral
disorders of childhood and can persist through adolescence and into adulthood. ADHD is generally
diagnosed in childhood, but sometimes not until college or later. The most common medications used
to treat ADHD are methylphenidate (Ritalin) and amphetamine (Adderall), which are banned under
the NCAA class of stimulants. In order for a medical exception to be granted for the use of these
stimulant medications, the student-athlete must show that he or she has undergone standard
assessment to identify ADHD. Frequently a student-athlete may find that the demands of college
present difficult learning challenges. They may realize that some of their teammates are benefitting
from the use of these medications, and figure they should ask their team physician or family doctor to
prescribe the same for them. If they do not undergo a standard assessment to diagnose ADHD,
they have not met the requirements for an NCAA medical exception. Most colleges provide these
types of assessment through their student support services or counseling and testing centers. The
student-athlete should either provide documentation of an earlier assessment, or undergo an
assessment prior to using stimulant medication for ADHD. If the diagnosis is ADHD, the student-
athlete may then pursue treatment with the team physician or family physician for a prescription for
stimulant medication, and provide all documentation to the appropriate athletics administrator to keep
in the file in the event the student-athlete is selected for drug testing and tests positive. At that point,
the athletics administrator will be instructed to provide the documentation for review by the medical
panel, and if all is in order, the student-athlete's medical exception is granted.

Male-Pattern Baldness – Androgenic alopecia is a common form of hair loss in both men and
women. In men, this condition is also known as male-pattern baldness. Hair is lost in a well-defined
pattern, beginning above both temples. Over time, the hairline recedes to form a characteristic "M"
shape. Hair also thins at the crown of the head, often progressing to partial or complete baldness.
Nonbanned medications are available to treat this condition. Finasteride (trade name Propecia),
which is prescribed in some cases to treat male-pattern baldness, is a banned substance under the
class of masking agents, as it interferes with the ability to identify steroid use. Before using
finasteride, a student-athlete must exhaust other standard medications and document this effort. All
documentation should be submitted to the sports medicine staff to review and maintain in the student-
athlete's record. In the event a student-athlete tests positive for the use of Finasteride, the institution
will then submit the full record for a medical exception review.

Hypogonadism – Or testosterone deficiency, results either from a disorder of the testes (primary
hypogonadism) or of the hypothalamus or pituitary glands (secondary hypogonadism). Causes of
primary hypogonadism include Klinefelter's syndrome, undescended testicles and hemochromatosis.
Secondary hypogonadism can be due to aging, increasing body mass index and/or type 2 diabetes
mellitus. Treatment for hypogonadism may include testosterone medication. Testosterone falls under
the banned drug class "anabolic agents". A student-athlete must request approval to use medication
with testosterone prior to participation while using this substance. A full medical documentation of
the diagnosis, course of treatment and prescription history must be provided by the institution prior to
allowing the student-athlete to compete on this medication. If a student-athlete tests positive for
testosterone and has not obtained prior approval to use this substance, the case must go to appeal.

Source: http://www.fgcuathletics.com/media/pdf/NCAA%20Medical%20Exceptions.pdf