Wellness Influencers Are Pushing ‘Natural’ and Unproven Alternatives to Adderall
This messaging is cause for concern, according to ADHD specialists who spoke with WIRED.
“Stimulant medications have been in existence for nearly 100 years, and approved for use in children since the 1960s,” says Kristen Leinung, a mental health nurse practitioner and director of psychiatric services at the Northwest ADHD Treatment Center in Portland, Oregon. The drugs are well-studied for efficacy and have predictable side effects, she adds, but because they can be misused, they’re often stigmatized online. “This style of advertising does further that stigma.”
Leinung believes that with their pessimistic framing of Adderall and similar pharmaceuticals, these supplement ads could lead people to go off their medication, which can be dangerous. “We know untreated or under-treated ADHD carries a high mortality and morbidity risk,” Leinung says, decreasing life expectancy and doubling the risk of premature death; it’s associated with factors that range from less exercise and worse...
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