 "Photo: Kelly Calligan")
 "Photo: Kelly Calligan")
Faced with the pressure of exams and essay deadlines, many students are turning to two prescription drugs in an attempt to help gain an edge while studying.
Adderall and Ritalin, commonly used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, are now being used by students without the disorders, in hopes it will help them study longer.
Alex, a business major who asked that her last name be left out, was first offered Ritalin by a friend with a legal prescription during finals week of the second semester of her freshman year. She took one pill of Ritalin each night for three days in a row.
"It allowed me to focus and concentrate on my studies without getting tired or distracted," she said. "Granted, I didn't sleep at all, but I felt prepared the next morning and did well on all of my finals that week."
Alex said this semester she takes the drug about once a month, saving it for when her schedule gets hectic and she needs to study throughout the night to get everything done.
"This drug makes you like doing your homework - you can work for 14 hours straight and have it not even faze you," she said.
Cori, an art major who also asked that her last name be withheld, agrees with Alex.
"I have a tendency to procrastinate, so it's my way of catching up in life," she said. "Adderall gives me extra hours in the day."
Opponents of the drug say it's not the side effects but the risk of addiction that poses the greatest threat to students who take Adderall and Ritalin unprescribed.
According to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Adderall and Ritalin are classified as Schedule II controlled substances under the Substance Abuse Act, meaning the drug is legal, but as an amphetamine, has a high potential for abuse. The classification also means abuse of the drug may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.
Even though use without a prescription is a felony and can result in jail time, students continue to take the drugs unprescribed at an alarming rate.
Cori feels most college students don't take the risk of getting caught seriously.
"Practically everyone does it in college at some point or another," she said.
In 2002, one in five college students reported using Ritalin or Adderall without a prescription, according to a University of Wisconsin study.
Cori said she believes Adderall and Ritalin have grown in popularity because they are cheap - about $2 to $3 a pill - and are readily accessible.
"If I wanted to take it every night I could," Cori said. "There is always someone who knows someone that has it.
"I think because it's so commonly used, students feel safe using it."
Not all students feel the need to turn to prescription drugs for an added boost of energy, however.
Communication junior Sarah Galvin said she has never taken either Ritalin or Adderall. Instead, she said she turns to coffee when she needs to stay up and cram.
"I'm afraid that if I take it once, I'll get hooked on it and need it all the time to study," she said. "I'm also afraid of what it will do to my body physically since I don't have ADD or ADHD."
Alex believes one reason Ritalin and Adderall use is so prevalent among college students is because most don't see the drug as posing any major side effects or drawbacks.
"Coming down from it you're really tired, but that's not a major deterrent for most college students," she said. "You would be tired if you stayed up all night drinking coffee too. Ritalin is just an extra guarantee that everything that needs to get done does, and if being tired is what it takes, it's definitely worth the A."
Tim Aquino, a clinical pharmacist, said Ritalin and Adderall are more efficient than caffeine when studying.
"You become more alert and your acute senses are sharper than using caffeine alone," he said. However, he warned against its use.
"Once you hit a certain point, you then go into the depletion process," he said.
Pharmacists and psychologists said along with "crashing" because of physical exhaustion, there are other major side effects students don't realize when using the drug unprescribed.
"When the drugs wane, there is a tendency for some students to become prone to depression and anxiety because there is some depletion of neurotransmitters," Aquino said. "Students can also, if they stay up too long, suffer symptoms of sleep deprivation."
Cori said she's not concerned about the drug's drawbacks.
"I don't worry about addiction or withdrawals because I don't take Adderall often enough to get addicted," she said. "I also try to take the lower of the two doses to reduce my risk of dependence."
William Frankenberger, a psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire said, "People don't realize what (Ritalin and Adderall) are - and the similarities between them and cocaine are much greater than the difference."
Aquino said some students who say they only do Adderall or Ritalin as a last resort could be just fooling themselves.
"Addiction really depends on the addictive nature of the individual, but the first sign of addiction is when you start to lie about your use," he said. "Many students who initially used it for a difficult final or midterm now use it for a test they think is too hard, and the cycle begins."
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