{"id":2363,"date":"2021-05-12T13:15:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-12T19:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/2018\/06\/01\/adderall-alternatives\/"},"modified":"2021-05-18T12:42:27","modified_gmt":"2021-05-18T18:42:27","slug":"adderall-alternatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.betternutrition.com\/conditions-and-wellness\/brain\/adderall-alternatives\/","title":{"rendered":"Natural Alternatives to Adderall"},"content":{"rendered":"

Q: I\u2019ve heard that Adderall is basically \u201cspeed.\u201d I started taking it when I was 15 years old. Now I\u2019m 27. I want off, but when I skip a day, I feel terrible. Any suggestions?<\/h2>\n

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A:<\/strong> Yes, Adderall is speed. The name of the drug is based on the very potent neurotransmitter adrenaline, which has a synthetic version called epinephrine. You may have heard of EpiPens. They were in recent years because the manufacturer raised the price from $75 to $900. Blatant price gouging like this is one of the many reasons to be suspicious of all the drug pushing that happens under the guise of medical standards of care.<\/p>\n

1. Take It (Very) Slow<\/h2>\n

The general rule for weaning from adderall is to go very, very slowly. Do not skip days in the beginning of the wean. Every 14 days, reduce your dose by 10 percent\u2014an inexpensive pill slicer can help with this. If the wean gets bumpy, go back to the previous dose for 2 weeks before trying to lower it again. Spring and summer are the best times to try. Sun and fun are your friends when you\u2019re getting clean. Some of my favorite resources for safe drug discontinuation include James L. Harper\u2019s classic book The Road Back, <\/em>and the websites theroadback.org<\/a> and pointofreturn.com<\/a>. [Editor\u2019s note: Please talk to your doctor before going off any prescribed psychiatric medicine.]<\/p>\n

Did You Know? <\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Peter Breggin, MD, author of Talking Back to Ritalin<\/em>, America uses 90 percent of the world\u2019s Ritalin\u2014more than five times the rest of the world combined.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

2. Load Up on Antioxidants Beforehand<\/h2>\n

Before you wean, it\u2019s a good idea to boost your detoxification capacity and your ability to quell oxidative inflammation from the drug irritation. All pharmaceuticals are \u201cforeign substances\u201d in your body that irritate your immune system, tax your detoxification capacity, and promote inflammation. So, to help clear the drug and the damage, consider loading your diet with antioxidants for several weeks before the wean.<\/p>\n

My top two antioxidant foods are turmeric<\/a><\/strong> (Curcuma longa) and matcha<\/a><\/strong>. If you don\u2019t like the taste of turmeric in your food, try a turmeric capsule. And if matcha powder is too concentrated for you, use green tea in any form\u2014its high epicatechin content helps turn on the detox enzymes in the white blood cells, and promote the detoxification pumps inside lung, kidney, and liver cells.<\/p>\n

Other favorites (in food or supplement form):\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n