The League agreed the publicised use of caffeine tablets was a "bad look" for the competition but maintained they weren't often combined with sleeping medication.
"The most important thing here is, it's perhaps been wrongly portrayed that there is a far greater use of these things, particularly if I'm talking about the use of caffeine tablets and sleeping tablets," the AFL's general manager of football operations Adrian Anderson said on 3AW on Wednesday morning.
"It's extremely rare that an AFL player would take No Doz and sleeping tablets; very rare.
"The fundamental premise - that that is what's happening across the AFL - is wrong, according to what we've been told by our medical officers."
The AFL's medical commissioners Dr Peter Harcourt and Dr Harry Unglik are in regular contact with club medical officers, and receive statistics through ASADA on what tablets players are using.
Anderson said the separate use of caffeine tablets and sleeping medication was believed to be under control, while it remained "extremely rare" for players to take both.
"The doctors will continue to monitor that to make sure it doesn't become an issue," he said.
Anderson said the League had no disciplinary issue in regards to Cousins' use of an unnamed sleeping medication and pre-game caffeine tablet led to his hospitalisation on Monday.
He also said the AFL would comply with Cousins' request to issue a drug test in order to clear his name of any wrongdoing.
"He's been tested up to three times a week for more than 18 months, or perhaps a couple of years now," he said.
"He will continue to be tested. I think it's probably worth bearing in mind that what's happened with him is linked to his own medical circumstances and I don't think it should be extrapolated across the playing group."
Anderson said it was imperative that members of the public don't consider it safe to use either caffeine or sleeping tablets without proper direction from medical experts.
"Our AFL players are under constant medical supervision, so you should never take sleeping tablets without proper medical supervision by a doctor," he said.
"Our doctors' fundamental concern at the clubs is for the welfare of their players.
"People should never assume that it's okay to take any of these things without any proper medical supervision.
"That's not what's happening at AFL level to the best of our knowledge."
He also said the League's doctors would look into footage that captured the Brisbane Lions' trainer handing out No Doz to players ahead of their round 11 clash with North Melbourne and contact the club's medical staff.
