The Best Nootropics for ADD and ADHD
Attention Deficit Disorder is diagnosed two ways: with or without hyperactivity. The inclusion of hyperactivity is what makes the difference between a diagnosis of ADD or ADHD. With children between the ages of 6 and 12 being the most commonly diagnosed ages, it has also been known to continue as they get older. With school-aged children being affected the most, it can become severely difficult for the student and teacher to work out a solution. Sure, the children can be given the commonly prescribed medications, but they don’t get excluded from possible dependency or addiction.
When it comes to prescribing medications for ADHD, physicians are more apt to stick to the type that they know will work and these are Adderall and Ritalin. Although these two drugs work for ADHD, many people today are starting to explore options that involve the use of alternatives that pose no adverse reactions or long-term effects. To help assist the many people affected by this disorder who want a safer alternative, we will explore the many benefits that can be obtained by using nootropics.
Among the many alternatives, the best types available include the nootropics noopept, racetam, and modafinil. These three nootropics have proven to be very effective at improving cognition, but each individual requires personal and individualized treatment to ensure that their treatment is working. The best way to know if the nootropics work is to maintain a journal where you can document your entire course of treatment. This is because nootropic treatments are known to take a while before their desired effect is reached. This could also depend on the current dosage and the number of times per day they are taken.
Nevertheless, all nootropics won’t be able to give the full benefits to those whose suffer from ADD. Regardless, there are many well-known nootropics that provide excellent improvements associated with cognition, concentration, and motivation. Like all other drugs though, it is advised that you consult your physician prior to adjusting your medications. That way you can rest assured that the nootropics will be considered safe and stable to use in conjunction with any other medications.
Once your physician gives you the all clear, you can begin to shop around for the best Nootropics for ADD and ADHD. To help familiarize you with the available nootropics that can help treat ADD and ADHD we have listed the top 10 that have shown the best results.
Piracetam
Considered to be the number one nootropic alternative, piracetam has been utilized for the treatment of many cognitive conditions including Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. The downside to this nootropic is that it seems to have little effect on people who do not have a decline in cognition. Because of this, piracetam would not seem like the ideal choice to treat ADD or ADHD. Regardless, it is considered very safe and has the ability to prevent any chance of cognitive decline from happening. Knowing this should encourage the patient to include piracetam with an additional nootropic.
Noopept
A highly favored nootropic among users is noopept. Noopept has been proven to be effective with the improvement of cognition as well as increasing one’s focus. But, although it is not a racetam, it does share a similar effect and structure. Compared to many other nootropics, its effective dosage is also a lot less than piracetam. With very little studies conducted to determine it as a suitable treatment for ADD, it has been noted to be a possible alternative medication to treat ADD and ADHD. This goes perfectly with the many noopept users who claimed that the nootropic had increased their concentration and focus.
Phenylpiracetam
As a piracetam derivative, phenylpiracetam has an extra phenyl attached to it. With it being more noticeably stimulating, it also has a mich higher potency. Comparatively, a 100 mg dose of phenylpiracetam is equal to 800 mg of piracetam. Phenylpiracetam is known for improving decreased cognition and also stimulate areas that provide focus. The only downside to the use of phenylpiracetam is that its use should not be indefinite, because of the risk of tolerance developing very rapidly. Regardless, you can easily combine it with other nootropics, or cut down on the number of times that it’s used every week.
Pramiracetam
Another piracetam derivative includes pramiracetam. With pramiracetam, the only difference is that it lacks the amount of research that the other racetams have. However, its potential to become a great cognitive enhancer is something to look forward to. Besides its potential as a cognitive enhancer, it has also shown the ability to reverse a condition known as scopolamine-induced ADD. There are also personal experiences stating its effectiveness in treating young children who are experiencing ADD. There is a lot of evidence showing pramiracetam’s effectiveness even though the research is limited but, the fact of the matter is is that since it is perfectly safe, people can easily begin self-experimentation to see how it works for them.
Memantine
Commonly used for the treatment of cognitive decline, memantine is utilized in the glutamatergic system and works as a NMDA receptor antagonist. This will allow it to decrease the amount of excitotoxicity. As far as the benefits of memantine are concerned, it is great at avoiding tolerances to a multitude of other chemical substances like alcohol, caffeine, stimulants, and cannabis. Having this ability allows it to be taken with a stimulant to help eliminate the neurotoxicity and to reduce tolerance. With a little research conducted involving the treatment of ADHD, it was noted in a study to help alleviate ADHD symptoms. At the same time though, it concluded there was an insufficient amount of evidence to back up that claim. Regardless, a low dose of nemantine can be easily combined with any of the nootropics listed here. The user should be aware though that dissociative tendency can occur with doses that are supratherapeutic.
Modafinil
To feel more awake and mentally aroused, then having modafinil as part of your arsenal to treat ADD and ADHD will be a good idea. With it being considered as a prescription drug, a related type called armodafinil is made up of an active modafinil enantiomer. In theory, this makes it more potentially potent. This is what makes both modafinil and armodafinil so similar. Alternatively, modafinil has shown a significant amount of promise in treating both ADD and ADHD. According to a child study, 48% of study participants showed an increase in their attention span during the modafinil trial. There have been different studies also performed where modafinil is seen to improve the individual’s motivation, cognition, and memory.
Selegiline
With selegiline or L-deprenyl as it’s more commonly known as has a high effectiveness in cognition treatment and is mostly seen in the areas of dementia and Parkinson’s disease treatment. Besides that, it has also been used as an alternative form of treatment for depression. However, the amount of research is limited when it comes to its ability to treat ADHD. With that being said, there has been one study conducted on 28 ADHD diagnosed children to determine selegiline’s effect on ADHD. The results showed a significant decrease in ADHD symptoms and side effects related to Selegiline usage.With this being preliminary research, it has demonstated its ability to be a choice in the treatment of ADHD.
Choline
Having an essential nutrient such as choline is a great thing to have available for your body. With it being a precursor of acetylcholine, it is easily found in many types of food. The downside is that food provides only a small amount of what is necessary to create the desired effect. That’s when a choline supplement comes in. The use of both Alpha GPC and CDP-Choline are the two sources that’ll give you the most effective results. This is why taking a choline nootropic along with noopept and racetam gives better results.
L-Tyrosine
The amino acid L-Tyrosine portrays a precursor to both dopamine and noradrenaline. According to a study, combining Tyrosine with 5-HTP showed improved symptom relief among 77% of study participants. When combining these supplements, the neurotransmitters associated with attention will be improved in ADD. To avoid L-Tyrosine from competing with different amino acids during absorption, it is best to be taken a few hours before eating.
Uridine
With a nucleotide base such as uridine, you will experience a major improvement in learning, memory, and attention. It has many cognitive benefits when combined with the noopept and racetam nootropics. Most commonly found in beer, liver, and fish, uridine is supplemented through a compound like triacetyluridine or uridine monophosphate.
Closing Words
With many supplements and nootropics available that have promising results to treat both ADD and ADHD, it would behoove you to take a closer look into their use. Especially for those of you who have decided to turn to alternatives that have similar or have even increased the effect of treatment.