Adverse events and safety concerns among university students who misused stimulants to increase academic performance

To evaluate psychostimulant drug use among academics in the health area of a higher education institution in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

We conducted an online cross-sectional study of 389 university students from various health-related fields. This study used a questionnaire to investigate the social and behavioral aspects associated with using psychostimulants.

The prevalence of psychostimulant use was 21%, primarily in men (23.07%), medicine students (19.70%), and psychology students (18.91%). Methylphenidate was the most commonly used drug (57%). Concomitant use of psychostimulants was reported in 37% and 35% of participants who started using them during graduation. A justifiable medical diagnosis was reported by 65% of the participants; however, a large portion had no indication for their use, and 77% acquired the medication without a medical prescription. The most frequently reported effects by users included lack of appetite (68%), tachycardia (58%), insomnia (43.5%), and agitation (50%). More than 70% of users also reported concurrent use of alcohol and illicit drugs, as well as depression and anxiety, which are contraindications for psychostimulant use. Additionally, 75% of students reported using psychostimulants for neuroenhancement purposes, with the majority (52%) perceiving their course performance as good and believing that it would be different without the drug (75.8%).

Psychostimulant use in the study population revealed significant risks, including a lack of a valid diagnosis, unsupervised use, drug interactions, and side effects. Therefore, the data obtained in this study may contribute to the development of educational policies focused on preventing and controlling the indiscriminate use of these medications.