With midterms in full swing, students are desperate to stay awake and need extra energy to cram long, last-minute study sessions into their busy academic lives.

While some students choose to eat a balanced diet, exercise and get proper sleep, others are finding a more drastic way to retain energy through the orange pill, Adderall.

Adderall is an amphetamine, or central nervous system stimulant, that normally is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children six years of age and older and in adults. It has been compared to other drugs such as Ritalin and Dexedrine.

“It became popular when the drug came out 24 or 25 years ago,” said Joe Smulkaitis, a pharmacist at Medical Arts Pharmacy, 625 Bethany Road.

The drug is usually prescribed to calm ADHD children and adults but has the opposite effects on others.

“It usually lasts 12 hours for the prescribed patient, but if you have never taken it before it could last a maximum of 14 hours,” Smulkaitis said.

Adderall has many medical risks, including addiction.

Troy Melendez, a psychologist at the Counseling and Student Development Center, said the drug is addictive.

“As Adderall is an amphetamine, the possibility for drug dependence is high, particularly when these substances are taken without the supervision of a physician,” Melendez said.

Smulkaitis believes there are other drugs that are more addictive than Adderall.

“The addiction is not as bad as morphine, but people still become addicted because of its high,” Smulkaitis said.

Other side affects include decreased growth and weight loss, insomnia and depression. People who use this drug should be cautious when driving a car. Also, pregnant women should take caution when using Adderall.

“It increases heart rate and blood pressure and can cause an enlarged heart,” Smulkaitis said.

“There has not been enough research into the long-term side affects of this drug,” Melendez said. “There has been speculation that it interferes with the growth cycle and, as it is a CNS stimulant, it certainly may have adverse effects on the heart.”

According to a study conducted by Shire BioChem Inc., the pharmaceutical manufacturer of Adderall, 2.9 percent of patients became anorexic or had a loss of appetite after taking the drug. Insomnia occurred in 1.5 percent of patients and weight loss in 1.2 percent.

The FDA says people who already have heart problems and/or a history of drug abuse should not take the drug, as those problems are linked as being some of the side effects as well.

Smulkaitis said many doctors are prescribing the drug to children who have ADHD-related symptoms but who should not necessarily be diagnosed as having ADHD, which causes the drug to be more readily available.

“There is easy access to the drug by college students, whether they get it from their siblings or from others in the area who take the drug,” Smulkaitis said. “Maybe 30 percent of the children on their block have it or are selling it.”

Steven Lux, a health educator from NIU Health Enhancement, said the university has conducted anonymous surveys to find out how many students abuse drugs. The most recent survey was conducted in April 2002.

“At that time 4 to 5 percent of NIU students reported using amphetamines within the last 30 days,” Lux said.

Health Enhancement, a division of Student Affairs, has handouts available to students concerned about stimulants.

“The best preparation for finals is to prepare in advance and make sure that your physical and emotional reserves are at their peak,” Lux said.

Retention of information becomes worse and students forget what they studied, Smulkaitis said.

Adderall XR prolongs the release of amphetamine over conventional Adderall by delivering a “double-pulsed delivery” of amphetamines.

The total amphetamine base equivalence for Adderall XR can range from 3.1 milligrams in a 5-milligram capsule to 18.8 milligrams in a 30-milligram capsule.

Melendez said he thinks students at NIU are using the drug.

“I couldn’t speculate about actual numbers, but I am certain it is being used illicitly,” Melendez said.