What are the banned drugs that tennis beauty Maria Sharapova uses?

The drug meldonium is often used for heart failure patients, Parkinson's or Alzheimer's, widely sold in Eastern European countries.

Tennis star Maria Sharapova admits using the meldonium banned substance at the Australian Tennis Tournament has made the sports lovers shaken. A series of questions are raised around the nature of this drug and its impact on athletes' performance.

According to CBS News, meldonium is a heart drug developed by Grindeks (Latvia), very popular among Eastern European athletes. In Russia and Latvia, it is easy to buy meldonium from eBay online shopping site. It was not certified in the US and was blacklisted by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in January this year after finding evidence that some athletes intentionally used drugs to boost their performance.

The symbol of the Russian sports village is facing a penalty for using meldonium.(Photo: Reuters).

Also called mildronate, meldonium is prescribed for heart failure patients in some European countries thanks to the improvement of ischemia or poor blood circulation. The 2015 study by German scientists shows that for athletes, meldonium enhances endurance, accelerates recovery, combats stress and supports the central nervous system. "Essentially, meldonium improves blood circulation by reducing the amount of oxygen consumed," explains Dr. Robert Glatte from Lenox Hill Hospital, New York. "It also affects the central nervous system, so it is often used for Parkinson's or Alzheimer's patients."

Sharapova said she started using meldonium since 2006. "I had many health problems at the time, I was very sick often. I had magnesium deficiency, abnormal electrocardiographic results and my family had history of diabetes ". Answering the reason for drinking meldonium all these years, "Russian dolls" said: "It helps me get better".

According to Dr Glatter, the possibility of Sharapova experiencing side effects due to meldonium is almost impossible because she has been taking drugs for 10 years continuously. He doubted the 28-year-old star had to rely on meldonium due to unstable heart function : "Someone who can stand a 4-5 hour match will not require this drug . " Glatter concluded, authorities need to work with doctors who have prescribed for female athletes before making the allegations.

Meldonium and liquid tablets are sold in Russia.(Photo: Huffington Post).

The Associated Press reported in addition to Sharapova, other athletes were found positive for meldonium since it was officially banned. Among them are bicycle athlete Eduard Vorganov (Russia) and two Ukrainian athletes. Ekaterina Bobrova, a European dance champion, also acknowledges the use of the banned substance.

The International Tennis Federation has not decided on the penalty for Sharapova. Star confirmed, despite the injury, she will return to tennis . "I made a big mistake. I don't want to end my career this way," choked the Russian sports icon.

Doping is the common name for substances banned in sports competitions. In general, they all have a temporary boost in power, thereby improving athletes' performance. Not only does the loss of fairness, doping also directly affects the health and even the lives of athletes by side effects.

Currently, about 190 substances are listed as doping, including stimulants, narcotic analgesics, anabolic steroids, diuretics, peptide hormones and peers.