Pill popping part of campus culture

(WWLP) - It's a drug that a lot of doctors prescribe to their patients who have trouble concentrating.

College students aren't just buying it off someone who has a prescription for the drug to pass a class, but also to slim down.

People take the drug, Adderall, if they have attention deficit disorder, but it turns out college students are also using it recreationally.

According to the Washington Post Adderall sales in the US have increased by more than 3,000 percent between 2002 and 2005.

David Gamblin, who works at the Holyoke Medical Center Pharmacy, told 22News, "Adderall is not a benign drug. It has side effects that leak toxins to your heart, which means it will increase blood pressure and your heart rate. Adderall is speed so you can use it to help your metabolism to lose weight."

But doctors don’t recommend taking this drug if you don’t need it. The street value for the drug is about five dollars a pill but it goes up during exam time.