University students snort memory drug Noopept for exams
Undergraduates use the banned ‘brain-booster’ like cocaine or gulp it in capsules
A DRUG that exam students claim boosts memory is sweeping universities.
Undergraduates snort the banned “brain-booster” called Noopept like cocaine or gulp it in capsules.
Thousands of students are boosting their grades with the mind-enhancing white powder that supposedly improves memory recall and the ability to learn.
One who admitted taking it told The Sun yesterday: “It’s all over the country — in London at UCL, at Bath, Bristol, Newcastle, Warwick, Oxford, Cambridge, Leeds and Manchester.”
The 22-year-old sociology student called Mike, from Leamington Spa. Warwicks, said: “I first tried Ritalin when I was 18 then at university I’ve recently moved on to Noopept.
“It’s definitely helped my exams.
“I’ve had some really good exam results on these types of drug but it’s hard to know whether it’s me or the chemicals getting the results which can be a downer.
“Universities are aware of it. Quite a few have considered drug testing before exams.”
Fellow user John, 21, a third-year film and literature student, from Newport, South Wales, said: “It helps me work harder and with more creativity.”
Non-prescription sale of Noopept, which combats ADHD, and Alzheimer’s, was outlawed last month in a blitz on “legal highs”. But it is available on the web from abroad.
One dealer named Steve told The Sun how demand for the substance had rocketed and that a government ban would not stop desperate users.
The synthetic drug claims to aid recall by supercharging a brain receptor chemical called acetylcholine. It costs £20 per 10g. The substance — developed in Russia in the 1990s — is sold cheaply compared to more expensive and older study drugs such as modafinil and Ritalin.
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The Home Office has warned of Noopept’s possible addictive qualities and side-effects including cardiovascular problems and psychosis.
In the past universities have mooted introducing drug tests for students before exams to combat ‘study doping’.
In 2014 Leeds University began randomly testing students for study drugs saying use of enhancement drugs raised “serious ethical questions”.
Surveys of UK students have shown between ten and 20 per cent admitted using a study drug to help with their work.
But experts have warned of risks from taking the drug which include mental health effects such as irritability and depression.
Forensic pharmacologist Dr Edward Bliss said: “The main problem with these drugs is tolerance.
“This will lead to users requiring an ever increasing dosage with the biggest threat coming from depression - especially for this student age group who are particularly susceptible to depression.
“Also you can’t validate what you’re taking chemically from buying online and couple that with some people will simply have bad reactions - it’s unpredictable.
“The recent bill banning sale of these substances will do nothing at all to the trade and it’s doubtful it will even affect the price.”
Noopept can be bought in the US and is prescribed in Russia for cognitive enhancement and some mental disorders.
But the government’s recent Psychoactive Substances Bill means sale of the drug for misuse now carries a maximum seven-year sentence.
The Home Office has exempted medical testing but says it has “concerns” over the dangers of buying nootropic drugs online.
A maths student called Dave, 21, told how he sold it to fellow undergrads at Warwick University despite warnings it can cause heart problems and psychosis among those who get hooked.
He said: “Students are desperate for these drugs because the workload is so brutal.”
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