Pubdate: Sun, 02 Apr 2006 Source: Olympian, The (WA) Copyright: 2006 The Olympian Contact: http://www.theolympian.com/legacy/services/forms/letter2editor.shtml Website: http://www.theolympian.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/319 Author: Megan Twohey, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ADHD PILLS BECOME ADDICTIVE STUDY AIDS MILWAUKEE -- For years, students have used coffee, NoDoz caffeine pills and other stimulants to help them through exams, papers and other demands of college. Today, some students are taking a study aid that can be deadly. Adderall, a medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, has become popular among college students who don't have the disorder, according to students, college health officials and an emerging body of research. Adderall is an amphetamine and works like cocaine. Those who use it can stay focused and awake for hours on end. Students with prescriptions sell it or give it away. "If you can take a drug that allows you to stay awake through finals week and concentrate on relatively boring topics, you can see how the word would spread," said William Frankenberger, a psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He led a 2004 survey of students on a University of Wisconsin campus that found 14 percent had abused Adderall or another ADHD medication. But using the drug without a prescription is dangerous. The federal government has classified Adderall under the same category as cocaine, opium and morphine, drugs with a high potential for abuse. It is illegal to sell it or use it without a prescription. Side effects include insomnia, irritability and loss of appetite. In extreme cases, the drug can cause paranoia, hallucinations and heart attacks. Adderall and other ADHD medications reportedly have been linked to the deaths of 25 people in recent years. U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisers are recommending warnings on the drugs' labels. Between the 1940s and 1970s, before their addictive properties were known, amphetamines were used to treat obesity, fatigue and depression, according to a 2005 report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. Pilots used the stimulant during World War II to stay awake. Dieters used it to lose weight rapidly. - --- MAP posted-by: SHeath(DPF Florida)