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With all of the negative press about Adderall in the media recently, a number of Adderall alternatives have hit the market promising all-natural relief from ADHD symptoms.
These supplements are designed with nootropic brain-boosting compounds that increase your mental energy, drive, and concentration.
Most important, these herbal ADHD medication replacements are intended to be side-effect free, non-addictive and much safer for long-term use than Adderall which contains stimulant amphetamines.
Addrena is one of the most popular products in this category, containing a wide mix of focus-boosting ingredients. But is this supplement really safe or are there other ingredients that are better for improving your attention span?
Find out why we do not recommend buying this product in our Addrena review below.
- Focus longer, clear brain fog & feel more motivated
- Boost energy, alertnes & memory
- Contains 12 safe and natural nootropic ingredients
Adderall and ADHD
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Adderall is of course famous for being one of the most commonly prescribed medications for treating ADHD in children and adults.
It is even considered to be more potent in its effects and duration compared to Ritalin and Concerta.
It contains amphetamines as its main active ingredients which help to increase the levels of neurotransmitters like Dopamine, Serotonin, and Norepinephrine. Each of these powerful brain chemicals is responsible for a number of different effects.
For example, Dopamine is associated with the reward system in brain; increased levels will generally lead to feelings of pleasure, enjoyment, and motivation.
Norepinephrine is released directly from sympathetic neurons and it affects the heart and triggers the release of glucose. This stimulant can promote higher levels of energy, increased heart rate, and also an increased blood supply to the brain.
Serotonin works in concert with the Dopamine but is also responsible for helping to suppress the appetite.
Adderall is certainly an effective drug for treating ADHD and many other individuals have sought it out for “off-label” use as a smart drug or productivity enhancer. Reviews report having significant higher levels of motivation and energy when using Adderall as well as being able to work on mentally demanding project for long periods of time without tiring.
However, its short-term effectiveness is often paired with the high risk of side effects or addiction (it is an amphetamine after all). A lot of users say that they experience intense brain fog for days after taking Adderall and find it harder to focus without this pharmaceutical. Many parents are beginning to realize what this drug does to their children and are looking for less dangerous alternatives.
- Support enhanced mental performance & speed
- Naturally boost memory and focus
- Increases energy and alertness without stimulants
What Is Addrena?
Addrena is marketed as a substitute for the above mentioned Adderall. This product promotes itself as the best natural OTC energy supplement for mental focus.
The ingredients have specifically been picked to give you long lasting energy and help you concentrate and stay alert.
It is also advertised as providing the added perk of body fat reduction due to its mix of natural stimulants, appetite suppressants and thermogenics. This is where the first real alarm bells should go up when taking any supplement designed to give you increased focus.
Many of the concerns related to Adderall come from the fact that this drug is ultimately a central nervous system stimulant as opposed to a pure cognitive enhancement supplement. Addrena seems to have similar stimulant-like effects which should suggest a similar degree of stimulant-like side effects.
While there are several ingredients in Addrena that are known to have nootropic cognitive enhancement effects, others are more commonly found in weight loss supplements and fat burners than in brainpower boosters. Some of the known nootropic elements in Addrena include Choline, Acetyl-L-Tyrosine, Bacopa, Caffeine, DMAE, Piperine, Huperzine, Guarana and Vinpocetine.
However, there is also Bitter Orange (Synephrine), Yohimbe Bark Extract (Yohimbine HCL) and White Willow Bark (Herbal Aspirin) in this supplement stack. These stimulants are used by bodybuilders who want to build muscle and cut fat and really should not be used on a daily basis.
Not only that, the mix of all of these different stimulants together can put a lot of stress on your cognitive health by raising cortisol levels and diverting nutrients from brain cell maintenance.
- Increase acetylcholine and BDNF levels
- Promote long-term and short-term memory formation
- Improves cerebral circulation and neuroplasticity
Addrena Review
There are a number of reasons to avoid the Addrena supplement. One of the biggest dangers is that stimulants like Yohimbine and Synephrine are associated with serious risk of cardiovascular issues such as heart palpitations, heightened blood pressure and even heart attacks.
These ingredients will definitely give you more energy temporarily, but they are avoided by most people interested in boosting their brainpower because they do not specifically target cognitive function. Instead, they increase bloodflow and metabolism throughout your body which can actually tax your brain cells and divert nutrients away from your neurons.
Another real possibility is developing a tolerance to these stimulants whereby your body stops naturally producing the required amounts of these neurotransmitters.
From a pure cognitive enhancement point of view, this is only a mediocre supplement. It increases activity in the adrenergic system that responds to stress to improve your focus and attention to external stimuli.
However, Addrena does not include many of the known nootropic ingredients that actually increase the brain’s underlying capacity for focus and concentration through enhanced synaptic plasticity and better working memory.
As such, there are no long-term benefits to using this supplement and it may actually leave you feeling burned out just like Adderall when you stop taking it. A better course of action would be to use a supplement stack that targets the neurotransmitter acetylcholine as its main mechanism of action.
When you have higher activity of this neurotransmitter, it will improve your concentration, working memory, learning capacity, energy and attention span. Acetylcholine supplements have been found effective for reducing symptoms of ADHD and are safe to use on a daily basis with extremely low risk of side effects.
There are a number of different options in this category, but many beginners will start by taking Piracetam and Alpha Brain as two of the best supplements for enhanced focus. Try researching more about these compounds to see if they can help you increase your concentration and stop relying on Adderall.
