Best OTC Adderall Alternative Nootropics: Natural Supplements That Work!

Are you sick and tired of the highs and lows of Adderall? The good news is you’re in luck!

Nootropics are potent, non-toxic Adderall alternatives readily available over-the-counter.

Many Adderall alternative nootropics include natural ingredients that can boost focus, concentration, and brain speed without a severe crash.

The following article highlights the best natural OTC nootropic supplements that can replace Adderall.

READ MORE: The Number 1 Wearable Device To Lower Stress and Anxiety

How Adderall Works

Adderall is one of the most commonly prescribed stimulant medications for Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

As an amphetamine, it produces the fastest stimulant activity in the brain of all FDA-approved ADHD drugs.

Adderall’s main cognitive benefit is its ability to increase synaptic levels of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin through many different, complex mechanisms¹Bertha K Madras 1, Gregory M Miller, Alan J Fischman. The Dopamine Transporter and attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder, Biol Psychiatry. 2005 .

The drug’s stimulant effects come via its ability to block the dopamine transporter (DAT), who’s job it is to clear dopamine out of the brain²Benjamin Boutrel, George F Koob. What Keeps Us Awake: The Neuropharmacology of Stimulants and Wakefulness-Promoting Medications, Sleep. 2004 .

This means that more dopamine stays in the brain for longer periods of time, thus creating a stimulating, euphoric cognitive state³Tara L White, David C Lott, Harriet de Wit. Personality and the Subjective Effects of Acute Amphetamine in Healthy Volunteers, Neuropsychopharmacology. 2006.

For Specific ADHD Nootropic Solutions Check-Out: 7 Best Nootropics for ADHD

Why Adderall Isn’t The Best ADHD Treatment

While there’s no doubting Adderall’s ability to boost brain activity, it’s efficacy in successfully treating ADHD long-term is debatable.

In a recent Cochrane review of the literature, researchers concluded that amphetamine treatment for ADHD “found no evidence that amphetamines improved ADHD symptom severity compared to other drug interventions⁴Xavier Castells, corresponding author Lídia Blanco‐Silvente, and Ruth Cunill. Amphetamines for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults, Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 .”

They also found high rates of subjects dropping out of studies due to adverse events that call into question the drug’s safety profile.

The studies were also mostly short-term, averaging 5.3 weeks in length, which isn’t enough time to truly measure its long-term effects.

Overall, the Cochrane review, which is the highest standard of scientific research reviews, concluded that “none of the included studies had an overall low risk of bias,” and the evidence available for review is “of low or very low quality.”

This is because the pharmaceutical industry funds most scientific literature on using amphetamine medication like Adderall to treat ADHD, while some studies didn’t even disclose their funding.

This means the clinical research on amphetamine drugs like Adderall is simply not robust enough to truly determine if Adderall is safe to use in the long-term.

Adderall Side Effects

What goes up must come down. One of the main reasons for wanting an alternative to Adderall is to find something without all of the unpleasant side effects.

Common side effects include loss of appetite, insomnia, emotional lability, nervousness, fever, jitteriness, and social withdrawal⁵National Toxicology Program. NTP-CERHR Monograph on the Potential Human Reproductive and Developmental Effects of Amphetamines, NTP CERHR MON. 2005 .

Since Adderall is an amphetamine that quickly crosses the blood-brain barrier, it has the ability to take hold of your brain and create dependence.

Many people who attempt to quit Adderall have experienced the “Adderall crash,” which includes many uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms that vary in severity depending on the person.

These symptoms include the above-listed side effects, irritability, proneness to crying, anxiety, sadness/unhappiness, panic attacks, severe depression, suicidal thoughts, and nightmares⁶D Efron 1, F Jarman, M Barker. Side Effects of Methylphenidate and Dexamphetamine in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Double-Blind, Crossover Trial, Pediatrics. 1997 Oct .

Holistic Biohacks To Replace Adderall

ADHD, like many diseases, is a comprehensive disorder that involves more than just the brain.

In recent years many studies have come out that show ADHD is connected to some physical issues in the body, including gut health, diet, and heavy metal toxicity.

By addressing these issues, you may be able to lower your need for Adderall and safely improve your mental health in the long term.

Heal Your Gut

Most of the neurotransmitters that influence your brain are actually made in other parts of the body.⁷G W Lambert 1, G Eisenhofer, H S Cox, M Horne, V Kalff, M Kelly, G L Jennings, M D Esler. Direct Determination of Homovanillic Acid Release From the Human Brain, an Indicator of Central Dopaminergic Activity, Life Sci . 1991 Most notably dopamine and serotonin, the 2 neurotransmitters that deal most closely with mood, are made in the gut⁸Narek Israelyana and Kara Gross Margolis. Serotonin as a link between the gut-brain-microbiome axis in autism spectrum disorders ☆ , Pharmacol Res.. 2019 .

This is important to understand since the whole point of taking Adderall is to boost dopamine.

So the best way to lower your need for Adderall is to completely diminish the need for it in your life by naturally boosting dopamine.

And since we know that most dopamine in the body is made in the gut⁹Graeme Eisenhofer, Anders Åneman, Peter Friberg, Douglas Hooper, Lars Fåndriks, Hans Lonroth, Béla Hunyady, Eva Mezey . Substantial Production of Dopamine in the Human Gastrointestinal Tract , The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 1997 , optimizing your gut function is the number one place to start.

Easier said than done, I know.

Healing your gut involves optimizing gut bacteria and improving your digestion.

It’s also important to work with a practitioner who can run tests like organic acids, stool, and GI tests.

Functional medicine doctors can run SIBO tests to see if that is an issue.

It’s a process, but it can have major mental health benefits and help you kick Adderall to the curb when done right. Soon, I will have a complete guide to helping you do this.

Be sure to join our email list for updates on the release of my heal your gut guide.

Detox Heavy Metals and Chemicals

Heavy metals and toxic chemicals have become ubiquitous in the modern world.

Ever since the industrial revolution, the environment has become heavily polluted with toxins that are foreign to our natural bodies.

Every day we are inundated with substances from our food, air, and water that the body is reacting to in many ways. Whether its PCB’s and BPA’s¹⁰Yanru Li, Haibin Zhang, Hongxuan Kuang, Ruifang Fan , Caihui Cha , Guanyong Li , Zhiwei Luo , Qihua Pang . Relationship Between Bisphenol A Exposure and attention-deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder: A Case-Control Study for Primary School Children in Guangzhou, China , Environ Pollut . 2018 from plastics, glyphosate¹¹Keith R. Fluegge, and Kyle R. Fluegge. Glyphosate Use Predicts ADHD Hospital Discharges in the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Net (HCUPnet): A Two-Way Fixed-Effects Analysis , PLoS One. 2015 found in food, lead from gasoline, aluminum in beauty products, or cadmium found in drinking water, these chemicals accumulate over time in the body and build toxicity in the brain.

Lead specifically has been found to contribute to many neurological problems such as ADHD and working memory.¹²Susanna N Visser, Melissa L Danielson, Rebecca H Bitsko, Joseph R Holbrook, Michael D Kogan, Reem M Ghandour, Ruth Perou, Stephen J Blumberg. Trends in the Parent-Report of Health Care Provider-Diagnosed and Medicated attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder: United States, 2003-2011 , J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry . 2014

Lead disrupts the dopamine pathway, which is the main pathway Adderall works to boost.¹³Siying Huang, Howard Hu, Brisa N Sánchez, Karen E Peterson, Adrienne S Ettinger, Héctor Lamadrid-Figueroa, Lourdes Schnaas, Adriana Mercado-García, Robert O Wright, Niladri Basu, David E Cantonwine, Mauricio Hernández-Avila, Martha María Téllez-Rojo. Childhood Blood Lead Levels and Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Cross-Sectional Study of Mexican Children , Environ Health Perspect . 2016

Elevated levels of other metals such as antimony, cadmium, and mercury are also commonly found in the urine of many test subjects who experience ADHD.¹⁴Min-Jing Lee, Miao-Chun Chou, Wen-Jiun Chou, Chien-Wei Huang, Ho-Chang Kuo, Sheng-Yu Lee, and Liang-Jen Wang. Heavy Metals’ Effect on Susceptibility to Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Implication of Lead, Cadmium, and Antimony , Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018

Knowing this, implementing some kind of detox protocol can help rid the body of these toxins and naturally boosting dopamine. Some good detox methods include:

• Sweating (exercise and sauna)
• Colon hydrotherapy
• Regular movement

Diet

Eating a nutrient-dense, whole-foods diet can also help increase dopamine production and lower the need for Adderall.

Many processed foods include additives that pollute the brain and are correlated with neurological dysfunction.

Food additives have also been shown to disrupt the dopamine pathway¹⁵Ghada Mahmoud Khiralla , Safaa Ahmad Salem , Wagih Ahmad El-Malky. Effect of Natural and Synthetic Food Coloring Agents on the Balance of Some Hormones in Rats , International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition Engineering. 2015 and lead to instances of ADHD.¹⁶Laura J Stevens, John R Burgess, Mateusz A Stochelski, Thomas Kuczek. Amounts of Artificial Food Colors in Commonly Consumed Beverages and Potential Behavioral Implications for Consumption in Children , Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2014

Diets high in sugar and high fructose have also been shown to be neurotoxic, increasing the need for a stimulant like Adderall.¹⁷Lidy M. Pelsser, Klaas Frankena, Jan Toorman, and Rob Rodrigues Pereira. Diet and ADHD, Reviewing the Evidence: A Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses of Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trials Evaluating the Efficacy of Diet Interventions on the Behavior of Children with ADHD, PLoS One. 2017

Foods that are great for the brain include:

• Organic fruits and vegetables
• Pasture-raised, locally sourced meats
• Organ meats like liver, heart, bones, kidney
• Wild-caught fish

Closest Legal Thing To Adderall Over The Counter

While a holistic, full-body solution is a great way to wean your body off of Adderall in the long-term, you’re going to need something to help fill in the gaps.

Nootropics are great to use for this purpose.

Some amazing nootropic supplements can keep your brain optimized while avoiding any withdrawal symptoms. It’s important to note that these products are not meant to replace Adderall.

They won’t give you the immediate boost you get from an amphetamine simply due to the profound differences in pharmacokinetics.

Nootropics can take a few weeks for your body to adapt and elicit a response.

However, everyone is different.

Some people get more of an immediate response from certain nootropics, while some people don’t respond as well.

This is due to your specific bio-individuality, including your current health, past health history, and genetic makeup.

As I mentioned above, it’s important to optimize your body holistically first so you can have a more positive response.

Read More: Why Amazon Is The Worst Place To Buy Nootropics

Best Adderall Alternatives Nootropics

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Conclusion

We want to hear from you. Are you a student or professional using over the counter nootropics to help study and/or treat ADD? Let us know in the comments!