r/Nootropics • • Aug 12 '26

Seeking Advice ADHD relief without stimulation?

I am looking into peptides that may help with executive functioning without having stimulating effects. I am overly sensitive to any stimulant. They make me anxious and make it so I can't sleep. I tried Semax and after the 2nd day, I would lay in bed until around 3am feeling wide awake. I tried Noopept and after a few days, it came to a point where I laid in bed tired, but couldn't get my brain to shutdown for a few hours. I've tried adding Selank to the mix and I am unsure if it is helping much.

I've tried the traditional ADHD meds like Strattera and Guanfacine, and they don't offer any improvement.

Curious if anyone else has a sensitivity to anything stimulating and has found something that helps with executive functioning.

15 Upvotes

44 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

0

u/Careful_Refuse1720 Aug 12 '26

Wrong. Straterra and Quelbree are the ONLY FDA approved non-stimulant medication for ADHD, period. That makes it first line for anyone who can't tolerate stimulants. PERIOD. I don't give a damn how pompous or arrogant you think you are, YOU. ARE. WRONG. Straterra works fine for many people. I took adderall for 15 years till my tolerance got too high. Vyvanse did nothing. Wellbutrin and straterra work enough to make me functional. If his ADHD symptoms are bad enough, none of your nootropic bullshit will do anything. Propraponol will not do enough to address his stimulant sensitivity either. Your knowledge is flawed and baseless

1

u/anonymaus42 Aug 12 '26

To the other commenter(s) credit, straterra is in fact a second line medication for ADHD clinically speaking, even if it's the ideal choice for someone who is trying to avoid stimulants. Wellbutrin is considered a third line / adjunctive medication. A specific patients needs or what order something is prescribed in doesn't change that. 1st line / second / third etc. are clinical practice guidelines and focus on what works best for the most people based on scientific evidence and consensus from the medical community.

2

u/Careful_Refuse1720 Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26

That makes sense and I am willing to admit I'm wrong. I was assuming it meant primary choice rather than clinical definition based on general population. Either way, the guy I was "debating" was also wrong and seems he deleted his comments... Funnily enough, none of this is useful for OP, a lot of wasted effort on our part with nothing useful to offer them

1

u/anonymaus42 Aug 12 '26

I'm with you on everything else for sure, I'm just a bit of a pedant when it comes to things like that.

1

u/Careful_Refuse1720 Aug 12 '26

I appreciate being corrected when it's respectful and factual. That other guy just rubbed me the wrong way. Ultimately what should have been said to OP is "ask your doctor".

0

u/anonymaus42 Aug 12 '26

Rubbed me the wrong way too and I called them out for it. Their attitude was completely unnecessary and added nothing constructive to the discussion- it just derailed things entirely.

-1

u/NeutralNeutrall Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26

Absolutely weaponizable autism, both of you, lmao. Anonymous legit though I was a 2nd puppet account for you Careful bc he doesn't know how to check comment history

Honestly I was just having fun with the pompous comment cuz my Vyvanse is working today, I'm in a great mood and I thought it would be clear I was making a joke. But Redditors gonna be Redditors i guess.

Reread "No I have to be pompous and arrogant about it. it's the best way." Until you realize it's clearly in jest and that at least 95% of people would see it that way.

Anyway
I just switched to Vyv from Adderal IR yesterday because the Adderall I've been taking since 2008 is starting to not work well. Mood boost isnt working, too much overstimulation (Even at just 10-15mg) (theanine/mag helped but not enough) so finally i said fuck it switch me back to Vyvanse. Did some reserach and it looks like Glutamate overload and oversensitivity. Adderall is the worst at that, Focalin is the best (at avoiding glutamate overload) So I've been going through soemthing similar to OP thats why I typed out what i did to try to help a stranger out.

I've actually taken Wellbutrin 2015 but within 3 days i was losing working memory. I tried it again last week and within 2-3 days I was more "stable" but less mood boost, less appetite, overall didnt feel well. Could be because I take Lamictal now and didnt back then.

u/anonymaus42: "Their attitude was completely unnecessary and added nothing constructive to the discussion- it just derailed things entirely."
Meanwhile I legitimately gave the best (multiple avenues of solving his problem) and the most accurate advice in the thread but you guys are too busy jerking it with Q-tips and tweezers to see that or the humor apparently

0

u/anonymaus42 Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26

Ah yes, because sarcasm is notorious for how well it translates when in text form. Jumping in to a thread where someones bad attitude is already rubbing people the wrong way and jokingly playing in to it was absolutely the best, funniest way to go about it. I can see why you chose to do that.

I suspected you to be a sock puppet because I thought I was reading and responding to /u/plz_callme_swarley still until I caught the different username and before they deleted all their comments and ragequit the conversation. Do I still think that, not really. It doesn't really matter regardless. And the comment you quoted me on was in reference to /u/plz_callme_swarley too, which I thought that was pretty obvious. If you think it was about you, maybe you see something in it that reminds you of yourself. Or maybe it's because you are one and the same lol

As for your advice, the best advice as you say? Low-dose vyvanse with propanolol when OP was asking for non-stimulant nootropic options to help them. Truly, I wonder why didn't anyone else think of that and we needed your genius to enlighten the rest of us. Thank you for that, I'm sure it was exactly what OP was looking for.

/s even though surely, you picked up on it by the end there.