Nootropic expert Alex Whybrow takes a look to see if there is any comparison between a popular nootropic and prescription medication for ADHD as examines Mind Lab Pro Vs Adderall. Discover what he found out below…
It’s a common complaint in the modern world – our brains just aren’t quite working how we want them to work. There is so much out there that is vying for our attention – social media, streaming services, 24-hour news, mobile phones – not forgetting, of course – work and family life. Is it any wonder that we feel sluggish, tired, anxious, and lacking focus?
The result of all of this is that we are reduced to ‘just about managing’. Each day is a struggle to get done what we need to do done, and then to switch off at the end of the day. There are so many people stuck in a spiral – feeling tired, struggling to focus, so we end up working longer hours to make up time and then end up being tired…
On top of that, more and more people are being diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder) – there has been a 123.3% increase in diagnosis amongst adults in the US, and it is still thought to be under diagnosed.
These conditions are closely linked, but the main difference is that people that feel burned out from their lives can take measures to regain control. A few changes to our lifestyles can help us stop the cycle – eating well, getting better sleep and the use of a good nootropic can make all the difference. You’ve got to control what you can control.
ADHD is usually treated with medication – often Adderall, which is made up of amphetamine salts – only available with a prescription.
I thought it would be helpful to dedicate an article to comparing the two different solutions – can a nootropic offer a similar benefit to a prescription drug? I am going to be looking at one of my favorite nootropics – Mind Lab Pro and putting it up against Adderall to see what they both offer and who might benefit from taking each one.
Let’s get into it as we pit Mind Lab Pro Vs Adderall.
What Is Mind Lab Pro?
The beauty of Mind Lab Pro is that it is a natural, nootropic supplement. This means that it is made up of natural ingredients, and it is designed to improve your cognitive performance.
It’s sometimes referred to as a ‘smart drug’, which I think actually puts some people off using it. It’s not really a drug, it’s more like a vitamin supplement, but solely focused on natural ingredients that aim to get your brain working better.
The reason that I chose Mind Lab Pro for this article is because I know it works – I have tried it, and I loved it. Or rather, I loved the effect it had on me.
It’s made by a company called Opti Nutra Ltd, a company based in Leamington Spa in the UK. They are a company with a real thirst for research and development – they are constantly reevaluating their products. In fact, Mind Lab Pro has undergone three upgrades since its first release in 2015. As the science improves, so do their products.
Mind Lab Pro is made up of just 11 ingredients. Each of these, you can be sure, will have been meticulously researched in order to justify their inclusion in the final formula.
These ingredients are:
- Citicoline (as Cognizin)
- Bacopa Monnieri (45% bacosides)
- Lion’s Mane Mushroom (Full-Spectrum)
- Phosphatidylserine (PS) (from sunflower lecithin)
- N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine (NALT)
- L-Theanine (as Suntheanine)
- Rhodiola Rosea (3% rosavins, 1% salidroside)
- Maritime Pine Bark Extract (95% proanthocyanidins)
- Bacognize Bacopa Monnieri Extract (standardized for 9 bioactives)
- Organic Whole Blueberry
- Huperzine A (from Huperzia Serrata)
You’ll find a lot of these ingredients in other nootropic supplements and there’s a good reason for that – it’s because they tend to work! The great thing about the ever-growing nootropic industry is that you can find a stack that suits you, and many people have found that MindLab Pro is the best around.
It has a broad range of benefits, rather than focusing on one aspect of cognitive performance, like some nootropics. You get a bit of everything here – improved mood, better focus and concentration, improved memory, more mental energy and a boost to your long term brain health. It’s a great all-round nootropic.
It’s also available to all adults. Anyone can buy and start taking MindLab Pro – no prescription necessary.
What Is Adderall?
Adderall is a prescription drug that is mainly used to treat ADHD, although it is occasionally used to treat narcolepsy as well. It is a substance that is banned in many sports – the NFL, Major League Baseball and the NBA all include Adderall on their lists of banned substances.
Adderall, as I mentioned in the introduction, is made up from amphetamine salts. Just the mention of the word ‘amphetamine’ should tell you that nobody should take Adderall lightly – this is a strong prescription drug. It usually comes in the form of a pill, but there are also time-release capsules available as well.
The goal of the salts is to trigger the production of dopamine and other neurotransmitters in our brains. The increased activity here should help us focus and improve our mood – the same sort of theory as with most nootropics.
Where Adderall really differs from nootropics is the fact that you need a diagnosis from a doctor and a prescription in order to obtain Adderall. We’ll go into why in more detail later in this piece, but suffice to say that you should never take Adderall without being told to by a medical professional.
Addrerall targets your central nervous system and releases chemicals into your brain – this improves your attention span and reduces hyperactivity, but there are plenty of risks attached to that too, and plenty of potential side effects.
Mind Lab Pro Vs Adderall: How They Are Used
Both MidLab Pro and Adderall are designed for oral consumption, usually in the form of a pill or a capsule. They both target our central nervous systems in the hope of eliciting a positive impact on our cognitive function to help us focus more, have more control over our mood and work for longer.
However, that is really where the similarity ends – they are both used in different circumstances, and aimed at people with different needs.
Adderall is aimed at people with ADHD. This is an increasingly diagnosed condition, but it is something that can only be diagnosed by a medical professional. There is a risk that people will self-diagnose ADHD, much like OCD or dyslexia. It is a serious condition that needs to be examined by people that know what they are doing, it’s not just a case of people struggling to focus at work and concluding that they must have ADHD.
If you suspect you might have ADHD, speak to your doctor and they will be able to help you.
On the other hand, Mind Lab Pro is for everyone. It’s made from natural ingredients, and available online to everyone. It is to be taken daily, and you start to notice the benefits as the days and weeks pass. It’s not a ‘drug’ as such, it is a supplement made from natural ingredients.
So in conclusion, Mind Lab Pro and Adderall are used in very different ways, even though they both have similar aims – to improve your cognitive function. Adderall is used to combat a very specific medical condition, whereas Mind Lab Pro can be used by anyone that wants to improve their focus, memory, mood and general brain health.
Adderall Vs Mind Lab Pro: Benefits
As you would probably expect, given that they both set out with similar aims, Mind Lab Pro and Adderall both have similar benefits – all geared around cognitive function. There is a definite overlap here, even if how they achieve their goals is very different.
Improved brain energy, concentration, focus are the reported benefits from people that take both Adderall and Mind Lab Pro – but that’s the end of their similarity for this section.
To start with Mind Lab Pro – the all-natural ingredients are there to stimulate various parts of your brain to elicit the desired reaction. This involves improving the blood flow to the brain, brain energy levels, stabilizing the chemicals in our brain, and preventing neuro-degeneration.
Each of the eleven different ingredients within Mind Lab Pro are there to help with these brain functions. The result is that we get a better memory, we can focus for longer, our mood is lifted and we have more energy.
By protecting our brains, and ensuring our bodies have all the right nutrients and vitamins, we improve our brain’s performance. That’s the theory behind most nootropic supplements.
At some point, our brains can get into a positive loop – so a small improvement in one aspect of our brains, let’s say for example, the length of time we can focus, can have knock-on effects to other aspects.
In practical terms, if you are getting more done at work, you might feel less stressed and anxious about what you have to do. You might also find you have more ‘down time’ so your brains have a chance to relax, and the next day you have more energy.
Just like it’s very easy to slip into a negative spiral, a small change can lead to big benefits. That’s the beauty of nootropics like Mind Lab Pro – they can make a huge difference to how our brains work.
Adderall is very different. It’s a stimulant, a form of methamphetamine, that directly targets your neurotransmitters in order to give you better focus. People that suffer from ADHD really struggle to concentrate for long periods, so Adderall is designed to help them with that. It helps them organize their thoughts and be able to pay attention to things for longer.
It is not thought to help to protect our brains in the same way that Mind Lab Pro does, nor does it help with memory. It’s mainly just focus and concentration that it helps with.
Adderall is much more powerful than any nootropic, which is why it is a prescription-only drug – it should only be taken under the advice of a doctor.
Pros & Cons of Mind Lab Pro
Pros of Mind Lab Pro:
- It’s completely natural: For me, this can’t be overstated, particularly when we’re (sort of) comparing it to Adderall. Mind Lab Pro is completely safe to use, and every ingredient is legal all over the world. There is nothing to worry about when you start taking Mind Lab Pro – it is very unlikely that you will experience any side effects, and certainly no serious ones. It’s a good, clean supplement.
- It is the “world’s cleanest nootropic supplement”: Basically, this means that every ingredient is safe, pure and of premium quality. There are no hidden ingredients, and Mind Lab Pro contains no fish, egg, dairy, tree nut, wheat or peanut. It’s vegan, non-GMO and caffeine-free.
- Its effectiveness has been independently verified: An independent study, conducted by Leeds University in the UK, showed that people that took Mind Lab Pro performed considerably better at memory tests, and were able to process information better, than a placebo-controlled group.
- Transparency: There is nothing hidden about Mind Lab Pro – no ‘proprietary blend’ or secret recipes. All of their research is published on their website for anyone to see. If you need to know anything about Mind Lab Pro, you will be able to find it out. That’s reassuring to us as customers.
- Money back guarantee: If you aren’t happy with the impact of Mind Lab Pro, you can get your money back after 30 days. Not only is this a nice little safety net for customers, but it also shows the confidence that the company has in their product.
Cons of Mind Lab Pro:
- Can be slower to ‘kick in’ than Adderall: It’s unfair to make a direct comparison between Mind Lab Pro and Adderall, because they ultimately have very different functions, but it’s worth noting that you may have to wait a bit longer to feel the effect of Mind Lab Pro compared to Adderall. They recommend that you try it for 30 days to feel the full impact, although many people report that they feel something after around 30 minutes.
- It’s expensive for a nootropic: Mind Lab Pro is one of the more expensive nootropics on the market, which may make people think twice about it. All I will say, though, is that there is a money back guarantee if you don’t think it is worth it after trying it for a month, and if it does give you the same boost that so many others have felt, then the price is certainly worth it.
Adderall
I have decided against doing a Pros and Cons list for Adderall, because I don’t think that it’s appropriate. Adderall is a treatment for a medical condition, and if a doctor recommends that you take it, pros and cons don’t come into it – you should follow their instructions.
It needs to be managed carefully – it can be addictive, and there can be some quite severe side effects, so it is so important that you speak to your doctor regularly.
Ultimately, Adderall is completely different to Mind Lab Pro because it is not a supplement, it is a medication and should be treated as such.
Verdict
The question isn’t “which is better: Mind Lab Pro or Adderall”. They’re completely different things, and can’t be compared. Mind Lab Pro is like a gentle distant cousin of Adderall, there are some similarities, but far more differences.
As such, you shouldn’t see Mind Lab Pro as an alternative to Adderall – it isn’t, and if you are worried that you might be suffering from ADHD, then you should speak to your doctor and take it from there. Mind Lab Pro won’t be able to help you.
However, for so many of us, problems of focus, concentration, memory and brain energy are not related to a medical condition, it is just a factor of modern life. So many of us are struggling to find that edge that we need to push on, to fulfill our full potential.
This is precisely what Mind Lab Pro can help with. Helping our minds reorganize, naturally, to help us think a bit more clearly, for longer, and with greater accuracy. On top of that, it can also help us protect our brains against age-related decline, which is becoming an increasing problem as people live longer. We need to look after our brains better.
Addrerall can have a wonderful impact on people that suffer from ADHD, but there are risks attached to that as well. It can increase blood pressure and heart rate, with potential serious consequences. Sometimes you have to take additional medication to try to balance it out, which can bring its own side effects – it’s a tricky balancing act.
If there are just two things to take away from this article, let them be these:
- If you think you might have ADHD, please seek advice from a doctor. They will be able to diagnose you and help you find the correct treatment, which may include Adderall.
- If you would like to help improve your cognitive function in your day-to-day life, consider taking a nootropic. Mind Lab Pro is one of the best around, and with a money back guarantee, it is basically risk free.