Wellness Influencers Push Unproven ‘Natural’ Adderall Alternatives
▼ Summary
– A May 2025 HHS commission report identified “The Overmedicalization of Our Kids” as a key driver of childhood chronic disease, a controversial finding given Secretary Kennedy’s history of blaming antidepressants for mass shootings and claiming psychiatric drugs poison people.
– Alternative medicine brands like Graymatter Labs, Stasis, and Thesis are flooding social media with ads that portray stimulant ADHD medications negatively, offering nootropic supplements as replacements or aids.
– Influencers on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube promote these supplements in paid videos, comparing them favorably to stimulants while noting the supplements, unlike psychiatric drugs, don’t require FDA approval before marketing.
– Many online testimonials, such as one from a father using Graymatter Labs’ Bright Mind, claim the supplements reduce side effects like mood swings and crashes associated with Adderall.
– None of the supplement companies commented on their scientific claims or the risk of steering people away from ADHD medications, while Meta and TikTok removed some brand accounts for health misinformation.
In May 2025, the “Make America Healthy Again” Commission, led by Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., released a report identifying key drivers of childhood chronic disease. The final point sparked the most controversy: “The Overmedicalization of Our Kids.” Kennedy, known for his anti-vaccine stance, has a history of inflammatory remarks about common prescription drugs. He has linked the national epidemic of mass shootings to antidepressants and has claimed that psychiatric drugs, including ADHD stimulants like Adderall and Vyvanse, have “poisoned” people.
As the HHS moves to tighten restrictions on these stimulants, a wave of alternative medicine brands is flooding social media with advertisements that cast them in a negative light. These companies, including Graymatter Labs, Stasis, Magic Mind, Thesis, and Nello, market supplements promising mental clarity, calmness, and emotional balance. Their products often feature ingredients like the amino acid L-theanine, the herb ashwagandha, turmeric, and B vitamins, which they claim offer cognitive benefits without the side effects of prescription drugs.
Across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, influencers promote these nootropic pills and drinks in paid partnership videos, frequently comparing them favorably to stimulants. They characterize prescription medications as having disruptive negative side effects, while the gray-market dietary supplements they offer as alternatives bypass the FDA’s pre-market evaluation and approval process. Unlike psychiatric medications, these supplements do not require regulatory clearance before being sold.
In a March video endorsing Thesis, content creator Katie Silbar shares her personal experience: “I was on Adderall from college to my late twenties. And somewhere in there, I decided I didn’t want to be on a stimulant anymore.” She claims that after several weeks on Thesis, she feels “way less jittery” and “focused” in a way that “isn’t forced.” Despite the steep price of $59 per jar, she says she would gladly pay double for the results she has seen.
Magic Mind, which features comedian Pete Holmes and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford as spokesmen, shares video clips that describe Adderall as addictive. While stimulants can be misused (Adderall and Vyvanse are federally classified as Schedule II controlled substances), medical experts stress they are safe and effective when taken under medical supervision. On Graymatter Labs’ social media, a father claims that its Bright Mind drink mix, containing 27 plant-based nootropics and adaptogens, helped him overcome mood swings caused by Adderall and made him more patient with his young son.
None of the companies mentioned responded to requests for comment on their scientific claims or the risk of steering people away from ADHD medications. Meta declined to comment, and TikTok did not provide an on-record response, though a US spokesperson noted that several brand accounts were removed for violating guidelines against health-related misinformation. YouTube spokesperson Boot Bullwinkle stated that the same brand accounts on that platform did not violate guidelines.
A spokesperson from Takeda Pharmaceuticals, which manufactures Vyvanse and extended-release Adderall, told WIRED: “As with any medication, decisions regarding the management of individual patients and their treatment must be made by the treating health care provider.”
Many online testimonials highlight an “afternoon crash” from stimulants, leading to irritability and brain fog. An Instagram post from Stasis reads: “Gentle reminder that if Adderall has you crashing at 3:47 pm, snapping at your kids, and feeling guilty and ashamed for it, scientists at Yale created Stasis.” The company offers pill subscription bundles for up to $79 per month and markets its supplements as a complement to ADHD medications rather than a replacement, yet consistently portrays those drugs as insufficient.
(Source: Wired)