Hyderabad: Illegal supply of sleeping pills and other narcotic drugs to drug addicts was detected by the Task Force police in the city. Police nabbbed Mohammed Osman, 23, of Bhavaninagar with 5,400 Nitravet 10 mg tablets.
Nitravet is a Schedule H drug which can be given under prescription only. The police found that Osman got these tablets from a person named Dastagir from Karnataka at Rs 40 for 10 tablets. He would then sell it to the addicts at Rs 400 per strip.
A tip-off to the Task Force helped them nab him. The abuse of sleeping pills is highly documented and for that reason these are to be given under prescription only. These medicines are used for treating insomnia.
Telangana Pharma-cists Association president Sanjaya Reddy explained, “Nitravet belongs to a group of medicines called benzodiazepine. It is to be used only for short-term treatment of sleeplessness. The abuse of these group of medicines is estimated to be 8 per cent. It is common amongst teenagers and women.”
Studies in various hospitals have found that people who have a history of drug and alcohol abuse are most likely to develop addiction to these drugs.
When these drugs are used for a long period of time there is tolerance developed and they want higher doses.
Street names in the market used by peddlers are ‘benzos’ and ‘downers’. These medicines are also crushed and snorted.
Experts state that benzodiazepine addiction changes the chemistry of the brain and the withdrawal symptoms during the de-addiction time are very violent. Weaning away from these drugs is a very slow process.
