Prevalence of Brain Stimulant Drugs Use and its Physiological Impact Among Students in Tikrit University

Abstract

Drugs classified as brain stimulants are molecules that improve some types of cell-to-cell contact and speed up various physiological functions in the body and brain. Aim: of this study is to ascertain how common it is for university students in Tikrit to utilize brain stimulating medicines. Results: The average age of the 130 students in the study population was 22 years (± 2 years). From different colleges, the gender distribution was 53.1% male and 46.9% female in the fields of dentistry (16.2%), medicine (23.1%), and pharmacy (33.8%). The medicines that were most often taken were Adderall (6.5%), Ritalin (15.1%), Modafinil (16.1%), and caffeine (60.2%). Both males and females showed a significant frequency of drug usage, with men showing a larger percentage (81.2%) than women (60.7%). There was variation in the amount of drugs used; most people used drugs monthly or infrequently. The majority of users thought that using these medicines had an effect on their mental (89.2%) and physical (87.1%) health. The two main sources of non-prescription drugs were pharmacies (34.3%) and friends (24.5%). Medical experts' prescriptions made up 21.6% of the sources. The top three reasons people took brain stimulant medications were to remain awake (27%), increase attention (36%), and reduce peer pressure (10%). Numerous physiological consequences have been documented; the most common ones are fast pulse (34.4%) and rash (15.1%), dilated pupils (14%). Mood swings (18%), sadness (21%), anxiety (39%), and sleeplessness (22%), were the psychological effects of drug usage.Conclusion: significant proportion of the student population at Tikrit University has engaged in the use of brain stimulant drugs. Caffeine emerged as the most commonly used drug, followed by Modafinil, Ritalin, and Adderall, drug use was observed in both genders, with a higher percentage among males, correlation was observed between personal drug use and the influence of peers or relatives who also use these drugs, The reasons for using brain stimulant drugs varied, with the primary motivations being to improve focus, memory, and to stay awake, Users reported both physiological and psychological impacts associated with drug use.