Editorials

J.P. Howell Identifies With Permitted Use Of Prescription Drugs

[new_royalslider id=”27″] The Baltimore Orioles were dealt a blow Friday when Chris Davis was suspended 25 games for testing positive for amphetamines. The Orioles have 17 games remaining in the regular season, which means Davis’ suspension would carry into the postseason.

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In seasons past, Davis had obtained a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) to take Adderall, but reportedly was denied the exemption this season, which led to his suspension after he twice tested positive for the drug’s use. J.P. Howell discussed some of the requisites that come with a player obtaining a TUE, via J.P. Hoornstra of the LA Daily News:

If you have a TUE, you have to take it,” he said. “And if you do not take it, and there’s a low amount, that means you’re using it only when you want it — not when you need it. They monitor how you take it, how much is in your system. The milligram amount, if it’s above or below what’s expected on your prescription, that’s considered a fail. That’s how I understand the rule.”

Howell, who was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder in 2008, stopped taking a prescriptive drug because of undesirable side effects:

I couldn’t eat. It made me sick,” he said. “I said ‘I have to get off this.’ It was definitely helpful mentally but I got nauseous from it over time. I’m a 175-pound guy. I need to eat. It just wasn’t worth it.”

Howell appeared in 64 games with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008 and remained with the team through the 2012 season. Now in his second year with the Dodgers, the left-hander has appeared in 60 games for consecutive seasons for the first time doing so from 2008-09.

With 15 games remaining on the Los Angeles Dodgers schedule, Howell is just six games shy of surpassing his career-high of 69 appearances, which was set last season. The Dodgers have been particularly reliant on the 31-year-old as he’s been the lone left-handed reliever in the bullpen for much of the season.

That changed Friday however, as the Dodgers added Scott Elbert to the roster. Paco Rodriguez is also attempting to make his way back from shoulder inflammation and Onelki Garcia, who is with Double-A Chattanooga, is another lefty who may join the roster prior to season’s end.
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