Uttar Pradesh, India

A student in India's Uttar Pradesh preparing for her Class 10 (high school) board exams had to undergo major brain surgery because of a clot caused by an overdose of 'anti-sleep' medication. As per media reports, the Lucknow-based student had been taking these pills for an extended period, leading to nerve swelling and her subsequent hospitalisation.

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Anti-sleeping pills 

As per an ANI report, during the ongoing CBSE board exams, many students are turning to anti-sleep drugs to stay up late and study, disrupting their sleep cycles. These students are also increasing their caffeine intake through tea or coffee. This unhealthy lifestyle is negatively impacting their health, raising questions about the legality of these drugs.

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In the recent case, the girl, identified as Prajakta, collapsed one evening after studying all night. While studying, her mother was providing her with coffee to stay awake. Following her collapse, she was hospitalised and diagnosed with a brain clot. It was then that her parents discovered a bottle of anti-sleep pills in her drawer, which she had been taking.

The danger of these pills

In a conversation with the news agency, Dr Sharad Srivastava, a neurosurgeon, highlighted the dangerous trend of students using these pills to stay awake during exams. These drugs, sold over the counter under names like 'chuniya' and 'meethi,' are being smuggled from "countries like Bangkok", he said. 

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"Shocking though it may sound, an increasing number of students today, are taking these anti-sleep pills that help them stay awake during examinations."

"These drugs can have dangerous side effects, especially if taken with an overdose of caffeine — too many cups of coffee — as it happened in Prajakta's case," said Dr Srivastava.

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These pills are variants of Modafinil, sold as Provigil, known to improve memory, mood, alertness, and cognitive abilities, said another medical practitioner speaking under the condition of anonymity. It is primarily used to treat disorders like narcolepsy and shift work sleep disorder. 

These allow users to stay awake for "40 hours or more at a stretch", with a smoother effect than amphetamines. However, once the drug wears off, users must catch up on sleep to mitigate its adverse effects.

A psychiatrist, Dr R K Saxena, told the news agency that the pressure on students to achieve high percentages is leading them to use these pills. 

"The children are berated if they get even half a per cent less than their friends. The pressure to score 98 and 99 per cent in board examinations is slowly killing them. Parents should accept the fact that such high percentages can be unrealistic and not every child can score these marks," said Dr Saxena.

Prajakta's parents have reportedly acknowledged that they did not realise the extent of pressure their daughter was under.

(With inputs from agencies)