This "Natural Adderall" Is Sweeping Tiktok, but Does It Work?

It's normal to try and give yourself every edge and opportunity (of course within the law and without hurting others) to attain your dreams. If you're trying to be the best at your job that you can possibly be, then that's going to require a tremendous amount of focus, commitment, and will.

Many find this last bit a challenge, and that could be why this "natural" Adderall supplement is trending on TikTok.

If you aren't familiar with Adderall, it's a prescription drug that requires close monitoring from a doctor and is generally prescribed to help treat narcolepsy and ADHD.

The fact that there are so many people who take the substance with reckless abandon to do well on a test or to understand the various plot points of Tenet on their second watch doesn't change the fact that it's a lot like crystal meth, at least chemically speaking.

So how can folks get the same "Goku-level-focusing" of Adderall without all of the gnarly side effects of amphetamine abuse? Some think that going all natty could help with that.

According to Shape, L-Tyrosine isn't an amphetamine at all. It's actually a non-essential amino acid that one's body is able to create all on its own. It isn't extracted from any food or drink we consume. Tyrosine does, however, perform a very important function.

According to Keri Gans, author of The Small Change Diet, "Tyrosine may be found in all tissues of the human body and plays many roles, from producing enzymes and hormones to helping your nerve cells communicate through neurotransmitters."

Well, consider for a second that your body isn't producing as much Tyrosine as it should. It seems that TikTok logic is assuming that taking this supplement will give your body a little Tyrosine "kick" that'll help your neurotransmitters fire on all cylinders.

As Jamie Alan, Ph.D., says, the amino acid is "a precursor — or starting material — for other molecules in your body" that can ultimately be converted into dopamine, which will infuse a rush of energy into a person's body.

So Tyrosine production affects neurotransmitters, whereas Adderall is a stimulant that has a direct effect on one's central nervous system.

If Tyrosine was really a "natural Adderall," theoretically it could help to treat narcolepsy and ADHD, which according to medical experts, it cannot.

Founder of Envision Wellness Erika Martinez says, "An ADHD brain is wired differently than a non-ADHD brain. To 'resolve' it would require re-wiring the brain which, to my knowledge, there's no pill for."

So no, Tyrosine cannot "cure" ADHD, that's because there is technically no "cure" for ADHD, according to Gail Satz, M.D.

Dr. Santosh Kesari, a neurologist at St. John's Health Center, says that L-Tyrosine is "not a medication" and added that he's extremely "wary of supplements" as "it's hard to know what you're getting."

Furthermore, Kesari stated that there aren't any definitive studies that show ingesting Tyrosine supplements functions the same way in one's body as when an individual produces it naturally.

So is the "natural Adderall" on TikTok worth trying out? Only one thing is certain: It's worth doing your own research and talking to your doctor before adding any supplements like this to your regimen.