Wellness Influencers Are Pushing ‘Natural’ and Unproven Alternatives to Adderall

Beyond his anti-vaccine position, Kennedy has a history of inflammatory opinions on common prescription drugs. He has sought to blame the national epidemic of mass shootings on antidepressants, for example, and claims that people have been “poisoned” by psychiatric drugs, including stimulants used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, such as Adderall and Vyvanse.

It so happens that as the HHS moves to further restrict access to these stimulants, a host of alternative medicine brands are flooding social media with advertisements that cast them in a negative light—and suggest they can be replaced with, or at least aided by, supplements that promise mental clarity, calmness, and emotional balance. The companies include Graymatter Labs, Stasis, Magic Mind, Thesis, and Nello, and they tout the supposed cognitive benefits of nootropic pills and drinks containing the amino acid L-theanine, the herb ashwagandha, turmeric, B vitamins, and much more.