JEDDAH, 10 January 2005 — Substance addiction is an alarming yet familiar phenomenon among students during exam times. Many students take the stimulants believing that vitality, wakefulness and energy will be theirs if they take the stimulants, known as “pep pills” or “energy pills”.
“I’ve been taking pep pills or captagon at exam time since I was in junior high school,” said Wael who will graduate from high school this year and hopes to go to medical school. “Sure, they tense me up on a long-term basis, and after exams it gets harder and harder to unwind but I need to be on the alert during exams.”
“I used to drink one cup of coffee after another in order to stay awake,” said Naela. “But then my friends introduced me to these pills which they get with a doctor’s prescription and so I figured they were safe. The thing is that the energy spurts after I take the pill tend to get shorter and when it’s over, I feel totally blank.”
Doctors have noted that the number of students who take these stimulants is not only on the increase but especially high at exam time. Dr. Salwa Al-Khidhr, a psychologist, said: “A lot of depression and paranoid cases I deal with among pubescents and teenagers is because of drug abuse. Using stimulants during exams opens the door to the possibility of other abusive and addictive behavior. It’s not something new but it’s something that is growing year after year — or rather exam season after exam season.”
Dr. Hani Abu Al-Rus explained that captagon was originally used for those who were unable to sit still, those with attention deficit disorders or those unable to concentrate. He said the drug can cause hallucinations, paranoia and criminal conduct as well. He also stressed that the drug’s side-effects are only superficial and lead to much worse problems that make students unable to think clearly and coherently.
A high school teacher in a girls’ government school said: “By their movements and behavior, you can tell students who are taking stimulants from those who are not.”
The deputy head of a boys’ school said: “With more and more students neglecting their school work during the year, more and more of them are turning to drugs to get them up and going. What’s even worse is that parents don’t even notice what’s going on right under their noses. Some students even get the substances with a doctor’s prescription. It’s good to see students eager to excel but not at the cost of their health.”
