Eighty-Year Old Don Ramos Devastated By USADA Suspension for Testosterone Replacement Therapy

By Millard Baker, Senior Writer, Steroid.com

Don Ramos tested positive for the use of the anabolic steroid testosterone during a random drug test at the 2013 Pan American Masters Weightlifting Championships on June 14, 2013. The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) decided to suspend the eighty-year old Ramos for two years for violating the anti-doping rules as outlined in the WADA Code. Ramos was devastated by USADA's decision to suspend him.

"I'm crushed," Ramos said. "At 80 years old, I'm crushed because it's basically my life."

Ramos admitted using testosterone as part of a testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) program that he had been following for the past 24 years. He first started TRT when his San Diego-based doctor prescribed testosterone patches to treat symptoms of low testosterone that Ramos started experiencing in his fifties. His main complaint was lethargy.

TRT changed Ramos' life for the better. He has been self-administering injections of testosterone for the past twenty years. Ramos conceded that TRT allows him and his peers to live an active life that may not have otherwise been possible. It may even give TRT-using senior citizens an unfair advantage over non-TRT using peers.

"Old guys in the gyms are very, very active with testosterone," Ramos said. "But has it given me an advantage over guys who are not taking anything at my age? Maybe."

Travis Tygart, the Chief Executive Officer of USADA, finds it “disturbing” and immoral that senior citizens are using testosterone. But is there anything wrong with a medical therapy that helps older men maintain an active and physical lifestyle into their 70s and 80s? 

"Mr. Ramos has acknowledged that he broke the rules and has accepted his sanction, but this case is a disturbing example that the win-at-all-costs culture in society today can reach all levels of competition," Tygart said in a written statement.

Athletes who want to use TRT are required by USADA to apply for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) that allows them to use testosterone in- and out-of-competition. Ramos did not apply for a TUE. 

USADA has not released the data on the number of TUEs for testosterone that it has granted. But by most accounts, it is far more difficult to gain USADA's seal of approval than it is to obtain a hypogonadism diagnosis and testosterone prescription from a medical doctor. 

Would USADA have given Ramos permission to use testosterone if he had applied? We may never know. 

Source:

Ramsey, D. (September 6, 2013). Ramsey: Colorado Springs' 80-year-old Don Ramos admits testosterone use after ban by U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Retrieved from //gazette.com/ramsey-springs-80-year-old-don-ramos-admits-testosterone-use-after-ban-by-u.s.-anti-doping-agency/article/1505894