Performance-enhancing drugs use by medical students in Nancy (France)

Medical students, who deal routinely with difficult studies and with patien ts, are not always prepared for this challenge. This may produce a specific and important source of stress. As a consequence, medical students may som etimes develop maladaptive responses, such as substance abuse. This study a imed to evaluate performance-enhancing drug use among medical students at t he University Hospital of Nancy, France. A self-administered anonymous ques tionnaire was given to all 104 eighth-year residents. The 93 responding stu dents (37 female and 56 male), were aged 28.0 +/- 2.2 years (mean +/- SD); 53 per cent of the subjects reported enhancing-substance use in their first year of medical studies (72 per cent during preparation for their difficul t examinations and 28 per cent throughout the year). The main substances we re vitamins, anti-fatigue capsules, betablockers, marijuana (illicit drug) and benzodiazepines; 46 per cent of them were still using these drugs durin g the second to sixth years of their medical course. The main sources of dr ugs were retail pharmacists, with or without medical prescriptions. Could t his use persist and lead to doctors with substance problems?