According to a JagWire poll, 17 percent of the student body has taken non-prescribed Adderall, a drug commonly used to treat attention deficit disorders, a sign of the drug’s growing popularity.

One student, who asked not to use his name, took Adderall last year hoping for help to study and to take finals.

“It doesn’t do anything physically, it’s mental,” he said. “I guess that what makes it different from other drugs is it makes you focus.”

Avner Stern, psychologist at Behavioral Health Specialists in Overland Park, specializes in evaluating patients with attention deficit disorders and determining if medication will be beneficial. Stern says Adderall will help anyone focus, making it extremely popular.

“If you put Adderall in the water supply, [everyone would] concentrate better,” Stern said. “Adderall works with everybody, that’s why everyone wants this medication.”

Stern estimates that 25 percent of first-time patients he sees are college or high school students who don’t have the disorder but, after taking a friend’s Adderall, want their own prescription.

“People have trouble concentrating for lots of reasons…that doesn’t mean they have attention deficit, they think it’s going to be the big cure-all,” Stern said.

Stern said a number of factors contribute to an accurate diagnosis of the disorder. Stern looks at long-standing symptoms, patient history and a patient’s reaction to psychological testing, such as, lack of self-control or impulsiveness to diagnose patients.

The ease of accessibility of Adderall makes it appealing to many students, especially after they’ve heard about its positive effects.

“I’d heard a lot of good things about it,” a female student who wished to remain anonymous said about the drug. “[The first time I used it], I took it on a day I didn’t really have anything to do, because I’m careful about the drugs I take.”

The same student said, depending on the dosage, a pill of Adderall can cost anywhere from $1 to $5 and are easy to obtain as many people have prescriptions.

She said the drug helped her focus and retain more information.

“I wasn’t stressed out at all,” she said. “I was pretty carefree. I was able to work for a long time without losing focus.”

Selling Adderall also became more common as demand increased. Another anonymous student began selling Adderall after she was diagnosed with A.D.D. last year. She also tried friends’ Adderall, prompting her to seek out a prescription. She was first prescribed a low dose of the medication, but when she was put on a stronger dose last year, she began selling her extra pills.

“I enjoy it so I want others to enjoy it, and I can also make a little money” she said. “I’m totally safe. I’m a safe person. I don’t sell cocaine or weed, I just smoke it. I just flip pills, just one or two pills.”

She said she also sells for fun and for the thrill. In a typical week, she sells to five people, usually dealing outside of school grounds. She has even sold to friend’s parents.

“I definitely look at it as a business deal,” she said. “I don’t mix personal with business even though my personal life is my business. You have to know that line or that’s when you get caught.”

Recently, she has started to sell less often.

“I’m trying to die it down because I have a job now but it’s hard because people keep asking me for it. These kids out here just want to try drugs. People should thank drug dealers, they risk a lot. You can’t just go to the f—ing QuikTrip.”

Legal consequences for possession of Adderall are steep because it falls in the same category as narcotic possession, such as cocaine and heroin. Selling Adderall as an adult by school grounds results in around 49 months in jail, according to school resource officer John Midiros.

“It falls under possession of narcotics, and if you’re in possession, it’s against the law,” Midiros said. “Chemistry-wise, it’s not good either. Reactions in the nurse’s office are often explained because unprescribed Adderall was mixed with a prescribed drug it shouldn’t have been.”

Stern says another reason young people take Adderall is for weight loss because the most common side effect of Adderall is appetite loss. Stern also stated irritability as a side effect.

The unnamed male source took Adderall during finals week last year but then didn’t take it again because of the side effects.

“It made me nauseous and gave me a headache so I didn’t crave it anymore,” he said.

Even though the unnamed female user said she had a positive experience with the drug for the most part, she did experience some negative side effects, something that has not discouraged her from taking Adderall on a fairly regular basis.

“I had a really bad headache,” she said. “I didn’t eat the entire day. The idea of food just made me so put off. I felt like I didn’t have a stomach at all.”

The unnamed male source said Adderall is dying out.

“I think it’s definitely a fad,” he said. “That’s what happens with drugs on the market, they get popular, then fade and then something else will become more popular.”

Stern, on the other hand, said he doesn’t believe the drug will fade away.

“As we become a more competitive society…you’ll continue to see Adderall abuse,” Stern said. “People really feel to succeed they need an edge, and some people feel Adderall can give them the edge.”