Abuse of prescription painkillers and stimulants may be on the rise among both professional and amateur athletes, warned experts in the sport and health industries. Athletes looking to increase speed or strength, or to play through anxiety or injuries may be at risk for abusing these drugs, as discussed at the “Drug Abuse in Athletes” conference hosted by Associates in Emergency Medical Education Inc. Laurence Westreich, a drug abuse psychiatrist and consultant for Major League Baseball, told Tampa Bay Online that there is a growing concern about abuse of drugs prescribed to treat on-the-field injuries and drugs prescribed to treat attention deficit disorders. Other experts noted that younger athletes may be more vulnerable to begin abusing such drugs when they are prescribed for sports-related injuries, for example.