Adderall Abuse

Lucy Blair saw her college friend's Adderall abuse spin out of control.

"You'd find her in the same place focusing on the same thing, like a scratch on her knee or something ... and she'd be there for maybe like five hours," she said.

The advertising major and sorority member from Dallas estimates that 75% of the people she knows at school use or abuse Adderall.

There are the people who need it to treat ADHD ... and those like her overly focused friend who was using the drug to lose weight.

"People who take Adderall in large doses, higher than normal doses, in an attempt to lose weight, may actually make themselves psychotic," Dr. Michael Brennan, a Psychiatrist, said.

While Adderall abuse often leads to psychosis, it also can make abusers violent. It can send them into panic attacks, spur on hypertension and most commonly bring on severe fatigue and depression.

"Because I found myself getting really edgy on it," Charlotte Freund, a former student, said.

Charlotte Freund had ADHD and a prescription for Adderall, but she found herself going above the prescribed dosage when she wanted to keep the party going late into the night. Now ...

"When I'm working I use it, but I tend to have a lot of extras and all my friends want it," she said.

And for those who sell their prescriptions,

"It's a really good money maker. For the students who don't get a lot of money from their parents to spend, they can just sell their prescription and get that money," Blair said.

A bottle goes from $3-400.

But here's what may be the most troubling.

"I've known parents to get their kids prescriptions without any testing at all," Blair said.

Looking for a quick study aid to help raise low grades.

And while many of Blair's friends use Adderall for that purpose - it's the unfair advantage the abusers get that irritates her.

"It's cheating. It's cutting corners. It's kind of like the easy way out," Blair said.

And not just for studying. An easy way out is exactly what gets many of her friends using Adderall for weight control.

"I've known people who wake up at 4am to work out and then they will stay up til 1am - and this is a daily thing. They just keep popping it all day long," Blair said.

She says at best the abuse makes for a lot of edgy people on campus. It's common to hear:

"She must have taken her medicine today, she's not being very nice," Blair said.

At its worst, it can literally make abusers crazy.