Natural Alternatives to Adderall

By Nidhi Nangia. May 9, 2017
Natural Alternatives to Adderall

Adderall or d-amphetamine is one of the most commonly prescribed medicines for treating ADHD, that is attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. It is effective in speeding up your brain activity and helping patients to concentrate more. But most people don’t want to take it for long term, probably because of its effects on your brain health. In addition, it can be extremely addicting if taken for a long period of time and adderall withdrawal can be hard. In this oneHOWTO article, we are going to discuss about some of the most effective natural alternatives to adderall, which should only be taken under medical supervision.

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We all know that coffee is effective in increasing your alertness and make you feel alive. You'd think that giving coffee to patients with ADHD is not the best of ideas. However, according to the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, drinking coffee can help ADHD patients by increasing their alertness and concentration power and can even have a soothing effect. However, the type of coffee you drink plays an important role in keeping you healthy. First, you should drink organic coffee only, so that the coffee that you drink is 100% natural and effective. Second, you should drink Americano or espresso, as they have less caffeine and cause less acidity. Third, try to add some healthy fat in your cup of coffee, as it will tie the caffeine up and turn it into a time released beverage. You can add fat to it by pouring a little butter, heavy cream or coconut oil to it, or by consuming some avocado, nuts or nut butter with it.

French maritime pine bark extract or pycnogenol

Pycogenol is extracted from the bark of French maritime pine. It is rich in phenolic acids, procyaniclins, taxifolin and catechin, due to which it is commonly used as an alternative of adderall for treating ADHD in children. Kids are usually recommended to take 1mg/kg of their body weight per day, while the dosage may increase for adults. Regular consumption of pycnogenol for one month can show significant reduction in hyperactivity, and improvement in attention, concentration and visual-motor coordination.

Raw cacao

This particular ingredient can be effective in stimulating your brain activity and increasing your focus, creativity and concentration power. But make sure that you do not take it at bed time, as it may keep you awake all night. Owing to its stimulating power, it can be extremely helpful in letting your brain function properly.

Natural Alternatives to Adderall - Raw cacao

Fish oil

Fish oil is found to be very helpful to improve brain functioning, due to which it is frequently used in a variety of mood disorder treatments. This is due to its high amount of Omega-3, it is the perfect supplement for an alternative to Adderall. While taking fish oil, make sure that you are choosing a nice quality brand, and the dosage you are taking is suitable for your weight and age. If taken in a wrong quantity, it can have rancid effects on your body during the processing. In general, Omega-3 and omega-6 are good for your brain.

However, if you are vegetarian or vegan, you should know that there are other sources of omega-3 that can help you with ADHD:

  • Walnuts
  • Tofu
  • Wheat germ
  • Hazelut
  • Canola oil
  • Flaxseed oil
  • Egg yolk
  • Linseed
  • Chia
  • Sage
  • Chestnuts
  • Broccoli

Vitamin B supplements

50% of the vitamin B that we consume everyday is used up by our brain only. Brain functioning and learning experience requires a lot of folic acid, B12 and B6 on a daily basis. Supporting vitamins that also have a role in brain functioning include thiamine, niacin and pantothenic acid. Riboflavin or vitamin B2 is also helpful in producing energy, due to which you will be able to focus more on concentration. Without sufficient vitamins B, your brain becomes slow and foggy, and your brain finds it difficult to build memories. So, taking vitamin B supplements will help you keep your brain functioning properly.

Natural Alternatives to Adderall - Vitamin B supplements

Zinc supplements

Nearly 50% of our body’s zinc is present in our brain. Deficiency of zinc can lead to ADHD, lethargy, mental retardation, apathy, reduced learning ability and other such problems. Lack of zinc can increase permeability of our blood brain barrier, due to which more toxins are allowed to enter the brain. Taking zinc supplements can be helpful in increasing your cognitive ability, and helping children with brain injury, Alzheimer’s, dementia and other brain related disorders. So, all these can prove to be effective alternatives to Adderall.


The benefits of products rich in melationin for children as an alternative to Adderall were proven in a study dating from 2013 that proved that the intake of products rich in this hormone can reduce symptoms of ADHD such as sleep deprivation by half.

However, especially if you're giving melatonin supplements to children, you should be careful with dosage and always consult with a specialist so that you don't exceed the recommended daily amount.

Natural Alternatives to Adderall - Melationin


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