Vidya Karandikar, a class XII student believes that her daily dose of vitamin and iron pills is enough to give her the energy to keep awake during the long hours of studies
Come exam time, and among students, it is a fever they prefer to treat it on their own. Vidya Karandikar, a class XII student from Patkar College, believes that her daily dose of vitamin and iron pills sold Over-The-Counter (OTC) is enough to give her the energy to keep awake during the long hours of studies. She consumes vitamin supplements four times a day, one after every meal.
“I study for at least six hours a day. I believe the vitamin pills help me sustain my energy levels, even with just four hours of sleep I get every day. I also take calcium pills once a day to strengthen my bones,” Karandikar said. “I did not consult a doctor as these are only supplementary pills,” she added.
For some, analgesics come to their rescue. “As I study continuously for long hours, concentrating on fine printed text, I get severe headaches. I take a Crocin tablet to stop headaches.
While one pill does the trick some times, at other times, I take three or four at regular intervals. I don’t have the time to consult a doctor, but it is only for a short while till the exams are over,” says Anurag Bushan, a class X student from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Powai.
With exams round the corner, more students are resorting to means that help them stay up all night, unaware of the negative consequences in the long run. “Cases of unsupervised intake of vitamins, leading to vitaminosis that causes nausea, stomach upset and headache, have been reported. Even though these supplements are considered harmless, intake of amounts above the recommended dosage can interfere with the body’s chemistry and cause ill effects,” said Dr Sripriya Sathyanarayan, physician, Chembur.
Pharmacists in the city report that during exams, teenagers usually start buying OTC medicines like vitamin B complex tablets, calcium and iron pills. “Multi-vitamin capsules such as Becadexamin, Becosule, Surbex-T, chewable calcium tablets and iron supplements such as Dexorange and Fefol are popular among them,” Anand Bhide,
National Chemist in Vile Parle said.
r_priya@dnaindia.ent
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