Summary
Adderall is a central nervous system stimulant that works on improving your attentiveness and also is a widely known cure for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and narcolepsy, etc. Though it is one of the most popular and prescribed brain stimulants, there are certain drawbacks of using it regularly over a long period of time. So in order to avoid these drawbacks, which are explained below, many adderall alternatives have been introduced in the market, list of all of them you will get in this article with their benefits.
The drug interacts with the brain neurotransmitters regularly and hence has the potential to be abused. The drug Adderall is found to be highly habit forming and is classified to be a Schedule II drug. Reports suggest that it is abused by 33% of the college students in Northern America. The combination of the amphetamine and dextroamphetamine induces a lot of withdrawal symptoms.
What is Adderall?
Adderall is a brain or central nervous stimulant that is approved by the FDA to treat ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and is composed of four different types of chemicals known as amphetamines. Being a psychostimulant, this drug interacts with the brain neurotransmitters to increase the release of neurons such as dopamine to improve alertness, attention span and treat ADHD.
Why more people use Adderall than ever?
Even though Adderall is officially approved for the use of treating and reducing the effects of ADHD, you would notice that there are a lot of off-the-label uses for Adderall. Adderall is prescribed for the treatment of depression, obesity, and sleep disorders also. In addition to this, Adderall is also known to improve your attentiveness; sharpness of the mind hence is very popular among students and professionals.
Adderall is not recommended to be used for a longer period of time as the drug Adderall interacts very closely with the brain neurons hence it takes some time for the dopamine receptors and their levels to be normalized in the brain. This leads to a certain withdrawal period in your brain. Also, the initial reaction of your brain when you take Adderall is compared to a hit from a drug as the dopamine, and other hormonal levels spike suddenly. This characteristic of the drug may lead to abuse potential.
Adderall - Side Effects both Long Term and Short Term
Though Adderall has a lot of beneficiary effects, the drug has been under a lot of criticism for its side effects. Continued usage of Adderall can lead to some serious side effects such as anxiety, insomnia, abdominal pain, etc. Sometimes you may also experience some loss of appetite which is known to lead to weight loss and slow growth rate in children.
Prolonged usage of Adderall can lead to change in the neurotransmitter behavior which can cause memory loss, heart problems, etc.
Nootropics: Alternatives to Adderall
Since there are a lot of side effects to prolonged usage of Adderall and also since it is restrictive in terms of not being recommended to people with heart-related issues, a lot of alternatives to Adderall have been launched in the market. If you do not want to take the risk of the side effects or the addiction possibility in Adderall, you can try using one of the below listed Adderall alternatives. Though there are a lot of Adderall alternatives, most of them mimic the functions of Adderall in a similar fashion.
1. Piracetam
Due to the multiple side effects, experienced in the usage of Adderall you might want to consider switching to nootropics for better results and fewer side effects. One of the most popular nootropic as an alternative to Adderall is piracetam. Piracetam is a brain stimulant that works on improving your brain power. They do that by crossing over your brain-blood barrier and entering into the nervous system and altering the neurotransmitter levels like that of Acetylcholine. A lot of your cognitive processes such as memory functions, concentration, focus, etc. Piracetam is also used as an Adderall alternative for the treatment of ADHD.
Though it is generally promoted to be a cognitive enhancer lot of reports, suggest that the efficacy of the drug implies that it is more of a cognitive preserver than an enhancer.
There are also some serious side effects to taking piracetam such as insomnia and agitation, etc.
2. Aniracetam
Another Adderall alternative that is widely used and prescribed is Aniracetam. Aniracetam is a drug of the racetam class which is popular for its cognitive enhancing effects. This Adderall alternative will be your choice if you are looking for a very potent drug with the quick action. Aniracetam is also the concentrated version of piracetam. Taking aniracetam will help improve your cognitive abilities by improving the growth of neural structures like synapse and neurons, brain signaling and release of certain neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine.
If you take Aniracetam on a regular basis, you would observe that your memory and learning processes improve drastically in addition to experiencing a heightened sense of memory and focus. The effect of Aniracetam on the dopamine receptors also leads to upliftment in mood, energy boost, and reduction in depression symptoms. Due to the multiple uses of the drug Aniracetam, it is considered to be a very viable Adderall alternative.
3. Noopept
Noopept is one of the most commonly used cognition enhancing nootropics. It is also a very famous brain stimulant. The function of Noopept is very similar to that of Adderall in terms of improvement in attention, focus, and concentration, etc. Noopept does all of this by increasing the alpha wave activity in the brain.
Noopept also closely interacts with the central nervous system neurotransmitters. Since effective cognitive functions are a result of proper glutamate levels, Noopept has a great influence on them and is a key factor in the breakdown of glutamate levels. Your oxygen levels in the brain also get increased which leads to better clarity and focus levels.
Regular usage of Noopept may lead you to experience some minor headaches, nervousness, anxiety however they depend on your individual physiology and are not common to all the people who use it.
4. Pramiracetam
Pramiracetam is a drug of the same compositions such as piracetam. However, it is known to be extremely potent in efficiency when compared to piracetam. This has really good memory improvement related effects. Like other nootropic, it is also known to work with the brain chemical acetylcholine and glutamate receptors. The benefits of this drug are also improved memory, attention, focus, and concentration , etc.
Pramiracetam can be taken in much lower dosages than piracetam since it is observed to be 30 times more than piracetam. Due to its drastic impact on the nerve signaling in your brain, this drug is the best of all other racetam drugs for memory based impact. Also, in comparison with Adderall, the alternative Pramiracetam is known to produce better and lasting memory effects than Adderall. Pramiracetam is also known to be very effective in promoting goal-oriented behavior and motivation.
5. Modafinil / Adrafinil
Modafinil and Adrafinil can be used as Adderall alternatives if you are looking out for such alternative for the treatment of sleep and sleep cycle related disorders. They are known to be quite effective for the treatment of sleep disorders such as narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and sleep shift work disorder, etc. They also correct your sleep patterns to avoid daytime sleepiness and promote alertness, wakefulness in your body. Modafinil and Adrafinil work by reducing or stopping the dopamine reuptake in the body.
Modafinil and Adrafinil are classified to be Eugeroic drugs that mainly sleep-related disorders only, however, Modafinil has a lot of the off-label benefits such as treating anxiety, depression, and mood related disorders also.
The most common side effects that you are likely to experience when you take Adrafinil or Modafinil regularly are dry mouth, insomnia, excessive sleepiness, heart pressure, and fluctuations, etc.
6. Adderllin
The awareness to avoid the intake of the chemical in any form in our body is steadily increasing. Hence it is viable and beneficial for your also to check out a herbal supplement as it is unlikely to have any side effects or withdrawal symptoms.
Adderllin is one such herbal supplement that is used as an adderllin alternative. Adderlin helps in improvement of many important cognitive functions such as concentration, increase energy and motivation, etc. Sometimes you would also notice that your metabolism gets speeded up after the Adderlin starts showing effect.
Broadly speaking, Adderlin can be called a clone of Adderall in the herbal supplement, as it affects dopamine and serotonin both and is only majorly involved in the mood and movement-related areas of the brain.
7. Dopamine Brain Food
There are a lot of commercial supplements that have started to arrive in the market who aim to achieve the same functions and aims such as Adderall. One such name is Dopamine Brain food and is a very common commercially available Adderall alternative. This product, Dopamine Brain Food is designed in a way such that the dopamine production goes on continuously and does not stop the functionality,
The neurotransmitters interact with us and also are greatly efficient in attention-related disorders. The compounds which are in the product are very useful in maintaining the movement as well as balance. They give you a clear brain and increased motivation to complete the tasks, etc.
8. NexGen from Axon Labs
One of the major functions of Adderall was also memory restoration or preservation for both long term memory and short term memory. NexGen from Axon Labs is one of the few drugs that has been dedicated to this function in the enhancement of cognitive abilities.
NexGen is a nootropic stack that comprises of Nexus and Mitogen which are both manufactured by Axon Labs. The section of brain governing short-term memory of less than 3 hours is governed by the AMPA and NMDA receptors in the synaptic cleft. The receptors for the short-term memory loss interact with the electrical signals to maintain the Short-term memory. This way, the process is optimized, and the majority of cognitive abilities are monitored and improvised.
9. SPRINT by Nootrobox
Sprint by Nootrobox is also a nootropic stack that is used for the improvement in cognitive abilities and also the treatment of ADHD, narcolepsy, etc. It is commonly known to be a quick action nootropic blend/stack and is designed to provide immediate effect when consumed. They are proved to boost energy, queries, etc. The average time taken to be the effect to be realized in your body would take 4-6 hours. If you are having a bad day, tired then this is the pill to take to get a mood and energy boost.
Sprint is also a vegan, gluten free and is known to contain Caffeine, L- Theanine, vitamin b12, and vitamin b6, etc.
Natural Adderall Substitute
Though there are a lot of Adderall substitutes in the market, and most of them are known to be vegan and gluten free, there are also some Natural Adderall substitutes being launched. You can try them out if you are looking for something entirely free of chemicals, non-toxic but are at par with the efficiency of Adderall and Adderall alternatives also. Some of these are homeopathic drugs but with proven track records in helping you to be calm, attentive, etc. Their efficiency in terms of cognitive enhancement and treating ADHD is still under discussion and debate by various agencies.
1. Listol
Though there are a lot of Adderall alternatives available, you may also prefer to know and use some natural Adderall substitutes available in the market. Listol is one such product. Listol is considered to be an effective, non-toxic Adderall substitute for the treatment of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
This product contains a lot of minerals, vitamins, amino acids and gives us a natural relief and calm feeling once we took it. Listol contains calcium, glycine, iron, zinc, gelatine, rice powder, etc. Though there are a lot of studies that are being undertaken to ascertain if the drug can improve cognitive behavior, there are no results yet.
2. ADD-Care
Another natural Adderall substitute, ADD-care is also found to be extremely effective in improving cognitive behavior same as that of Adderall without having any of the side effects of Adderall.
ADD-care is an Adderall substitute which is a homeopathic drug containing some special homeopathic ingredients that help you reduce your impulsiveness, hyperactivity, distractions, memory related problems. This homeopathic supplement is found to be useful for both adult and children. A lot of studies consider ADD-care® to be a safe and natural substitute for Adderall.
3. Alpha Brain
Most of the Adderall alternatives of substitutes have caffeine in them to match up to Adderall’s stimulating properties. Alpha brain is a brain stimulant, which is considered to be a good Adderall substitute.
It is basically a nootropic which is used to better your memory, concentration level, and cognitive abilities. It also has some effects on mood-related disorders. Alpha brain has caffeine in it, and this makes it effective and safer when compared to other brain stimulants or nootropics.
Alpha brain should be taken with minimum starting dosages as they can produce a lot of side effects such as a headache, dizziness due to the caffeine present in it. You can gradually increase the dosage over a period of time.
4. Addrena Focus Pep
Addrena focus pep is a natural Adderall substitute which is promoted to be the cure for ADHD in the absence of Adderall. It also is known to help in reduction of body fat. However, their claim of efficiency is not met with results as per a lot of user reviews. Hence you may like to consider twice before opting for this substitute. This is due to the fact that the drug mainly acts as a central nervous system stimulant than a cognitive enhancer.
5. AddTabz
AddTabz is another Adderall substitute which is also an over the counter drug introduced in place of Adderall due to the less number of side effects in Addtabz. This is mainly supposed to help improve your focus and concentration levels. Addtabz has several nootropic blends in it however it mainly acts as a stimulant and not a cognitive benefit provider.
6. AddreRx
AdderRx is another product that has now come into the market claiming to be the Adderall substitute that provides the same results without any side effect. They are very similar to Adderall in behavior and mimic its actions in energy boosting, concentration and focus improvement. However, it is very low in potency and has some side effects like headache associated with it.
Conclusion
Having taken a look at various Adderall alternatives and Adderall substitutes, it is to be noted that while the performance in Adderall will always be superior, it is beneficial to opt for nootropics to avoid the side effects, abuse potential, and withdrawal. When you choose Adderall substitutes, it is better to consult a physician and then take the decision.