Pills become an addictive study aid.

Byline: Megan Twohey

MILWAUKEE _ Samantha, a Marquette University sophomore, popped it on the eve of a big history test.

"I stayed up all night," she said, "and totally zoned in."

For years, students have used coffee, NoDoz caffeine pills and other stimulants to help them through exams, papers and other demands of college.

Today, some students are taking a study aid that can be deadly.

Adderall, a medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, has become popular among college students who don't have the disorder, according to students, college health officials and an emerging body of research.

Adderall is an amphetamine and works like cocaine. Those who use it can stay focused and awake for hours on end. Students with prescriptions sell it or give it away.

"If you can take a drug that allows you to stay awake through finals week and concentrate on relatively boring topics, you can see how the word would spread," said William Frankenberger, a psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He led a 2004 survey of students on a University of Wisconsin campus that found 14 percent had abused Adderall or another ADHD medication.

But using the drug without a prescription is dangerous. The…