Prevalence, Awareness, Attitudes and Patterns of Stimulant Drug Use Among Students in Egyptian Universities

Overview

Stimulants are dangerous drugs that are commonly abused by individuals looking to stay alert and focused, lose weight, stay awake, and get high. Although these drugs can be extremely harmful and even life-threatening, many of them can also be used to treat conditions like ADHD, narcolepsy, and in some cases, depression. There are many types of stimulant drugs, and it can be beneficial to know a little about each one, its purposes, and how harmful it can be when abused. Illicit stimulants are usually schedule II, depending on whether or not they can be used to treat medical conditions. While some variations of stimulants are schedule I drugs, most are extremely addictive and dangerous schedule II substances. These drugs are often abused in a binge-crash pattern. According to the NIDA Teen, "In order to keep the 'high' going, people may take the drug repeatedly within a short period of time, at increasingly higher doses." This makes these drugs extremely addictive. The aim of this survey to detect prevalence of non prescription stimulants in Egyptian students and increase their awareness of the harmful effects of these drugs.

Methodology Undergraduate students at a large public university in Egypt (Minia, Assuit, Souhag, South Valley) who were 18 years of age or older took the survey in 2024. All survey and recruitment materials were approved by Minia University, faculty of pharmacy. Students will receive survey through email. Students took the survey online at a time and location of their choice. No time limit was imposed. Participants will automatically routed through each section of the survey. First, students read a description of the study, including potential benefits and costs of taking the survey, and then they will be asked if they are a current undergraduate student at the participating university and their age. First section included the demographic data of participants, the second section the investigator will aske participants to indicate if they had ever been prescribed a stimulant. If participant answered yes, participants will route to the next section which asks about the frequency of use, the effects of stimulants and any complain if present.

Conditions