famous American gymnast withdrew from Olympic competition due to drug withdrawal

Simone Biles has indeed suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) since childhood. She regularly takes methylphenidate (trade name Ritalin) as directed by her doctor. This remedy located in the WADA Prohibited Drugs List, in the Stimulants section. Biles accepts it legally on the basis of a therapeutic exception.

Everything else that Nikiforova tells about Biles has nothing to do with reality. Methylphenidate is not a drug excluded from circulation in Japan. In January 2021 in one of the most respected scientific journals in the world Nature published an article by a team of Japanese researchers “Risk Factors of Low Susceptibility to Methylphenidate Treatment in Pediatric ADHD Patients.” In it named four types of drugs used to treat ADHD in Japan, and it is indicated that methylphenidate (under the trade names OROS MPH and Concerta) is the most commonly prescribed drug. Private Entry of Methylphenidate to Japan limited: you can freely smuggle 2.16 g of the drug, and to transport more you need get special permission, which is given on the basis of a medical prescription. It is unlikely that a participant in the Olympics with a confirmed diagnosis could refuse it. Biles had no problem getting the medicine in Japan.

Methylphenidate is not a drug; the withdrawal effect does not occur when it is withdrawn. In several countries it apply for the treatment of methamphetamine addiction. At the same time, methylphenidate causes the effect of tolerance (addiction), but it manifests itself only in the fact that, with constant intake, over time, the previous doses become ineffective and they have to be increased. Because of this, there is a risk of overdose.

Despite the “breaking” invented by Nikiforova, Biles on Tuesday participated in competitions on the balance beam, performed without any significant mistakes and won a bronze medal, slightly behind two Chinese gymnasts.