| Summary: | <h4>Aims</h4> <p>The aim of this review is to inform mountaineers about drugs commonly used in mountains. For many years drugs have been used to enhance performance in mountaineering. It is the UIAA (In-ternational Climbing and Mountaineering Federation - Union International des Associations d'Alpinisme) Medcom’s duty to protect mountaineers from possible harm caused by uninformed drug use. The UIAA Medcom assessed relevant articles in scientific literature, and peer-reviewed studies, trials, observational studies and case series to provide information for physicians on drugs commonly used in the mountain environment. Recommendations were graded according to criteria set by the American College of Chest Physicians.</p> <h4>Results</h4> <p>Prophylactic, therapeutic and recreational uses of drugs relevant to mountaineering are present-ed with an assessment of their risks and benefits. </p> <h4>Conclusions</h4> <p>If using drugs not regulated by the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) individuals have to deter-mine their own personal standards for enjoyment, challenge, acceptable risk and ethics. No sys-tem of drug testing could ever, or should ever, be policed for recreational climbers. Sponsored climbers or those who climb for status need to carefully consider both the medical and ethical im-plications if using drugs to aid performance. In some countries (e.g. Switzerland and Germany) administrative systems for mountaineering or medication control dictate a specific stance, but for most recreational mountaineers any “rules” would be unenforceable and have to be a personal decision but should take into account the current best evidence for risk, benefit and sporting eth-ics.</p>
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