RIYADH, 9 July 2003 — A sizable number of students in the Kingdom use stimulants including speed pills, anti-depressants and nicotine patches to keep themselves awake to prepare for their examinations.

Students have been found to use a range of sleep-reducing pills, according to a group of doctors, pharmacists and students contacted by Arab News here yesterday. Most of these students remain unaware of the side effects of such pills on the human body.

“Among the most widely used stimulants are amphetamines, and a number of students procure the pills in this generic group to reduce sleep during examinations,” said Dr. Sarwat Ali Kayani, a health expert.

Dexedrine and Pemoline are commonly used by students to instill a sense of confidence. Local pharmacies say they do not sell them. However, another doctor told Arab News that these kinds of speed pills can be bought from a limited number of pharmacies at a premium if the students are known to the pharmacist.

Many students also use anti-depressants to help them to concentrate on their studies. Anti-depressants including clomipramine, desipramine, imipramine and protriptyline are tricyclics used to treat a variety of psychological disorders, and students take them for the sense of well-being they can create.

Dr. Ahmad Al-Sagga of Al-Salam Hospital said that “using these pills is dangerous in the longer run. Students use them before examinations, and truck drivers also take them to keep them awake for long drives. But they contain chemicals that damage the brain. I urge people not to use them.”

Dr. Naji Nassar of Al-Rawda Pharmacy said regular use of amphetamine-based medication can cause restlessness, dizziness, tremors and arrhythmias, while anti-depressants cause dry mouth, diarrhea and constipation. Amphetamines reduce sleep in the short term but eventually lead to irritability and fatigue, problems with concentration, poor muscle coordination and, sometimes visual or tactile hallucinations. “Nobody knows what a pharmacy is selling,” another physician said, adding that some 5,000 types of medicines are sold by over 3,300 pharmacies across the country.