In order to keep themselves awake when studying late at night, some students have turned to Adderall, a prescription drug used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Taking this drug without a prescription is not only illegal, but also may have serious health consequences depending on a person's condition and the dosage he or she takes.

Victoria Stout, a psychiatrist at the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services, said some of the side effects of Adderall include increased heart rate, increased blood pressure and physical restlessness. If someone takes a high enough dose, it can cause psychotic symptoms, like hallucinations, she said.

"Where you get into some danger is if someone has an underlying heart condition they're unaware of," Stout said. "Potentially, if they take a couple of Adderall pills, it could speed up
their heart rate and they could die. It's not common, but it could happen."

Adderall has been linked to 20 sudden deaths in the United States since 1999. The Canadian government recently suspended sales of the newest version of the drug.

Stout said an average dose of Adderall is 10 to 20 milligrams taken up to three times a day, and taking twice as much or more will make people more likely to feel side effects.

Edward Rosick, a physician at University Health Services, said Adderall can keep a person awake all night because it's a stimulant.

"Unfortunately, if you abuse the drug to stay awake for 24 or 36 hours, you're going to have the typical crash-and-burn effect when you stop taking it," Rosick said. "It could cause anxiety, nervousness and depression, and you'd feel very ill after that time period" of staying awake.

If abused, Adderall can become addictive, and users may feel compelled to keep taking higher doses of it, Stout said. They would also experience withdrawal symptoms when they stopped taking it, she added.

Scott Merrill, coordinator of Centre County Drug Task Force, said some people take Adderall recreationally because it is a "commonly accepted mood-altering drug."

"A lot of people have the misconception that the abuse of a prescription drug is not as bad as using heroin or cocaine, when a lot of times it's just as bad and sometimes even more dangerous," Merrill said.

Merrill said Adderall contains amphetamine and is legally considered a Schedule 2 controlled substance, which means it has a commonly accepted medical use but can be dangerous if not taken under controlled circumstances.

A 2002 study by the University of Wisconsin reported that one in five college students takes the drug, many illegally.

Rosick said there have been no long-term studies on Adderall, so health professionals have no idea what it does to the body or brain after many years of use.

Stout said she and other physicians who deal with people who have ADD need to be very careful about diagnosing it and make sure people don't have substance abuse problems before prescribing Adderall to treat it.

"It's a really good treatment for a very legitimate condition," Stout said. However, "people could be telling us what they think they need to tell us to get us to prescribe it."

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, ADD is a condition that develops in children and is characterized by symptoms of impulsiveness, hyperactivity and inattention.

Stout said that in order for someone to be diagnosed with ADD, they must show signs of these behaviors by age 7, and the behaviors must continue for at least six months.

However, not all people with this mental disorder will be diagnosed as children, she added.

Some people "may not realize it's a medical condition or is treatable until they are in college," Stout said. "They may come in with depression first or an anxiety disorder, and it may come out that they have a lot of trouble concentrating, and these have been longstanding problems."

Stout said Adderall is beneficial for people with ADD because it corrects a chemical imbalance in the brain and helps alleviate the symptoms. They often remember more in class and are able to study and stay focused longer, she added.

"Someone with ADD has really significant improvements on the medicine," Stout said.

While beneficial for people with ADD, Adderall has a paradoxical effect on a person without that specific disorder, Stout said.

"People with ADD who take Adderall are calmer and seem less restless than they normally are, whereas someone without ADD may have more restlessness" after taking the drug, she said.

Stout said that while some people may take Adderall without a prescription in order to get high or pull an all-nighter to get work done, there are others who are looking for help with a serious problem.

"Some people come in and say they have ADD, and their history does sound like they have it," Stout said. "Then they might say that their friend had ADD and took Adderall, and [they] tried some too. The friend was probably trying to be helpful."

Stout said that in this situation, the people supplying the medication should encourage their friends to be evaluated.

Even if a person does not intend to abuse Adderall, he or she can be charged with a misdemeanor simply for possessing the drug without a valid prescription, Merrill said.

"There are various violations of the Pennsylvania Drug Act that they can be charged with," he said.

Merrill said that while some people buy Adderall from their peers, others obtain it by forging or stealing prescriptions, which is a felony.

However, "we hear about it a lot more than we actually make arrests for it," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.