Stilnox used to help swimmers bond: Magnussen

The dog-eat-dog world of elite swimming is behind Olympians using the sleeping tablet Stilnox as a party drug, James Magnussen has said.

The silver medallist told the Sun-Herald that Stilnox was used as an alternative to alcohol, but was not currently a problem in current-day swimming.

"We don't get prescribed it, I don't use it, people around me don't use it," he said.

"It's something that is not even spoken about within Swimming Australia today."

Magnussen said when the swim team were busted for Stilnox use before the London Olympics, they were using it as a way to bond.

"I am sure there are other options (for bonding) that the team management is looking into because it is a hard sport to bring a team together when we spend most of the year racing against each other," he said.

"We have to beat each other to get on to the team and then we have to be friends again — it's a tough dynamic."

Magnussen said that despite the competitive nature of the swim team, there were still strong friendships among the athletes.

Stilnox has come back to public attention after it was revealed both Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett were entering rehab because of an addiction to the pill.