Saudi Gazette report

 

ABUSE of drugs, especially stimulants, increases toward the end of the academic year as students prepare for final examinations.



While coffee and energy drink intake increases as students stay up longer to study, an increasing number of students rely on stimulants to give them an academic edge, Al-Watan daily reported.



For years, Captagon, an amphetamine that causes euphoria, was the preferred drug for students but this year, Lyrica, a medicine given to people with epilepsy, is being sold on school campuses all over the Kingdom. Users say it induces a feeling of euphoria and make them feel less anxious, effects that have contributed to its popularity.



Consultant psychiatrist Dr. Muhammad Al-Hamid said students are mistaken if they believe taking Lyrica will make them feel less anxious and help them concentrate and retain memory.



“All of these claims about Lyrica are false. Lyrica does not get rid of anxiety and it is not considered to be a tranquilizer. Only people who have a prescription should be using this medicine. It is prescribed for certain cases of anxiety but it is not suitable for all cases of anxiety. Taking this drug unnecessarily can have adverse effects on one’s health. Sadly, it is not a medicine that requires a prescription and, as a result, students can easily buy it from any pharmacy,” he said.



Al-Hamid called for stricter supervision for the issuance of medicines from pharmacies and said medicines that have a high risk of abuse should be sold by prescription only. He also accused drug companies of using false advertising to sell their products.



“When students use a new medicine, it will have serious effects on their health, especially since Lyrica is used for neurological disorders. Quite often, the medicine might have long term adverse effects. The spread of Lyrica abuse among school students indicates that someone wants to promote this product. Drug manufacturers often promote their products and the victims are people who believe in these profit-making advertisements,” he added.



Dr. Issam Al-Shoura, consultant in psychiatry and addiction at Al-Amal Mental Health Complex in Riyadh, said stimulants and tranquilizers are highly addictive and damaging if abused. Citing a 2010 survey that revealed the number of drug abusers in the Kingdom stands at 700,000, Al-Shoura said addicts must seek professional help.



“There is reluctance by drug addicts to go to Al-Amal hospitals in the Kingdom to seek treatment. There are several reasons for this, such as social stigma and the small number of hospitals and centers specializing in the treatment of addiction hence restricting the hospitals to the major cities,” he said.



Asked to comment, pharmacist Samir Abdulghani said the sale of Lyrica does not require a prescription to be presented and despite admitting that the majority of customers are high school and college students, he claimed to be unaware of why so many students take the drug.



“I do not know why they take this medicine. There are rumors that some of them take the medicine to get rid of anxiety and worries. Many of the users, especially teenagers, want something that will make them less anxious so they buy Lyrica,” he said.