UC-Davis: Student use of ADD/ADHD medication rises.

(From University Wire)

Byline: David Bellumori

Most students, aside from a small minority of hardcore slackers and partiers out there, know what it is to cram for school. Essentially, staying up all night pouring over material you should have spent the last three weeks learning, "jacked-up" on Red Bull and NoDoz until your eyes can't focus anymore.

A growing number of students, though, are turning away from caffeine and toward prescription attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medications like Adderall or Ritalin to help get that extra edge.

Adderall and Ritalin are amphetamines used by ADD/ADHD sufferers that allow them to concentrate for longer periods and therefore complete tasks more efficiently. The two substances differ only slightly, as they both contain the same molecular backbone.

Chemically, the prescription medications are also quite similar to the street drug methamphetamine, minus a methyl group.

Adderall and Ritalin are also the two most highly prescribed…