When most students think of drugs, images of couch potatoes, bad grades and low motivation come to mind.

But in a strange twist a prescription stimulant, used to treat A.D.H.D., is being used by some students to improve grades, because they say it helps them stay more focused in class and awake at night to complete homework.

But at what cost?

Most students know or have heard of others taking Adderall to raise their focus and awareness in class.

Adderall is used to help increase the focus of people diagnosed with Attention Hyper Deficit Disorder. However, if abused, the effects are increased tremendously and can actually lead to students staying up for 24-36 hours and skipping meals due to the dramatic decrease in appetite.

By this definition, one might understand why students might illegally use the stimulant in order to raise their grades. Although most people probably realize staying up for days at a time on a regular basis and depriving your body of nutrition can do serious damage to your immune system and physical well being.

Although overdose is unlikely, abuse of this drug can lead to an extremely high tolerance and in most cases psychological and physical dependence. Withdrawals from addiction can take weeks to subside.

A student, who wished to remain anonymous, spoke with The Express about their experience with Adderall.

The student said they’ve heard of fellow classmates taking Adderall to improve their grades, so they talked to their brother who had a prescription and was given a few to experiment with.

The source said at first they felt focused and even a little hyper in class, but afterward they experienced “super low ‘lows’” followed by moodswings. That day, when the source went home, they skipped all meals and stayed up almost all night.

When asked if they would take the drug again they quickly responded, “no.”

The new trend in Adderall is mostly among teens, however I’m confident that Stallions are smart enough to stick to Starbucks for a stimulant buzz.