Stress, anxiety, excessive fatigue and lack of attention. To prevent such problems from interfering with their studies, university students embark on the dangerous path of self-medication using controlled prescription drugs intended to treat conditions they do not have.
As in the case of Cayo, a law student at the University of Rio de Janeiro, who, on the recommendation of a friend, began taking Ritalin (a medication used to treat ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), among other diseases, even without a prescription. Student from Rio said it was easy to obtain the black stripe drug: “A friend of mine knew a co-worker who sold it without a prescription.”Information provided by Wahl.
After speaking with USP students who asked for confidentiality, there is a commercial account on WhatsApp called “USP Tarja Preta” that sells controlled drugs without a prescription.
This profile promises to deliver free medicines to the USP University City (Butanta), the USP Faculties of Medicine and Public Health (both on Avenida Dr. Arnaldo) and the Mackenzie University, all in São Paulo. Or through delivery apps or courier.
The report contacted the seller, who said he was a USP student, to purchase a tranquilizer, which is sold by prescription only. Negotiations were simple and quick.
The medicine arrived ten days after the order, and it was decided to pick it up at the Cidade Universitária. After receiving payment in cash, the student handed over the medicine in a sealed package and did not ask any questions.
Psychiatrist from the Fundação Técnico Educacional Souza Marques and professor of pharmacology in medical courses Bruno Pascal Cammarota says self-medication is dangerous, but it is not uncommon among university students, who usually take two classes of controlled drugs.
A doctor explains the risks of improper self-medication with medications – Photo: Pexels/Reproduction/ND“Nonzodiazepines, called tranquilizers, are commonly sought after by young people going to college. At this stage, students become very anxious, some are full-time students, such as medicine, and they need to adapt, so they resort to these drugs.”
According to the expert, as the course progresses and becomes more demanding, requiring more dedication from students, they begin to use stimulants such as Ritalin, which Kayo uses.
Care
Before entering university, he was diagnosed with anxiety and depression and is receiving treatment from a psychologist and psychiatrist and taking medication under specialist supervision. However, when he ran out of prescription, instead of making an appointment with a doctor, he began looking for medicine on the “parallel market”.
“I bought it recently and it was very easy, I just had to pay a little more than what I was used to. I am aware that self-medication can lead to detrimental consequences for my health, but I also know that this is a completely normal custom among Brazilians,” said the student…
There are no official data on how many university students self-medicate, nor on the number of drugs sold on the parallel market without a prescription. But self-medication is a well-known problem in our country…
The dangers of self-medication
A 2022 study by ICTQ (Institute for Research and Postgraduate Education of the Pharmaceutical Market) found that almost 90% of Brazilians take medications without consulting a doctor.
According to Sergio Rocha, a psychiatrist and chemical dependency specialist at Unifesp (Federal University of São Paulo), in addition to the real possibility of death from overuse, the use of over-the-counter drugs can cause addiction.
Self-medication – and this applies to any medicine that is not sold without a prescription, not just black label ones – can still cause problems such as:
- intoxication
- side effects are described in the instructions
- masking diseases
- dangerous drug interactions
- incorrect diagnosis of diseases
- delay in finding the disease (and starting its treatment)
- exacerbation of diseases
- liver injuries
- renal failure
- bleeding in the stomach and intestines…
Underground medicine can land you in jail
By purchasing medications without a prescription and of unknown origin, a person risks taking counterfeit or expired medicine, which also jeopardizes his health.
Lawyer and AC Advocacia educator Anderson Cruz explains that “selling and receiving prescription drugs without a prescription can be considered a crime and even classified as drug trafficking” (especially those who sell). According to him, punishment can range from five to 15 years in prison.
According to the lawyer, Anvisa fines pharmacies and pharmacies that sell controlled drugs without a prescription. The fine can range from R$2,000 to R$1.5 million, including a ban and even revocation of the establishment’s license.
Pharmacists selling controlled drugs without a prescription are subject to administrative proceedings which may result in the revocation of registration with the CFF (Regional Pharmaceutical Council).
What does the USP say?
USP (University of Sao Paulo) states that it has not been informed of any instances of drugs being sold at its facilities.
The university’s press service stated in a statement that: “the sale of medicines without a prescription is illegal, which other government agencies (civil, criminal) must fight against.” From the university’s perspective, in order to resist an administrative disciplinary regime, we must be formally notified of the facts so that they can be investigated, which has not yet happened. We are once again concerned and reject the sale of medicines without a prescription. We also plan to conduct an information campaign about the risks of using psychiatric medications without a prescription, targeting the entire academic community.”
Source: Ndmais