Chinese doctors warn gaokao candidates against dangers of black market stimulant drugs
- Those who take the medication to stay awake while they cram for exams told they may experience side effects including headaches and insomnia
- One student says he stopped taking stimulant after collapsing in class, according to report
Chinese doctors have warned students preparing for the national college entrance exams which began on Friday that taking black market stimulant “smart drugs” could pose health risks.
They said taking the non-amphetamine drugs – which are mainly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children – without medical advice could lead to headaches, insomnia and poor memory retention.
Some students take the drugs to help them stay awake longer while they study. The drugs are tightly controlled in China. They can be obtained from hospitals with a prescription, but according to news portal Jiemian.com, many exam candidates and their parents have been buying the drugs online from black market suppliers in India.
One student using the alias Liu Yu told the news site that he failed the gaokao, or the National Higher Education Entrance Examination, last year and was preparing for the test again this year.
After taking the stimulant Ritalin once a day for a month, Liu claimed his combined scores in a recent mock exam were 30 points higher than last year’s.