This message is cause for concern, according to ADHD specialists who spoke to WIRED.

“Stimulant medications have been around for almost 100 years and have been 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 medications’ effectiveness is well-studied and they have predictable side effects, he adds, but because they can be misused, they are often stigmatized online. “This style of advertising encourages that stigma.”

Leinung believes that with their pessimistic formulation of Adderall and similar pharmaceuticals, these supplement ads could lead people to stop taking their medications, which can be dangerous. “We know that untreated or undertreated ADHD carries a high risk of mortality and morbidity,” says Leinung, reducing life expectancy and doubling the risk of premature death; It is associated with factors ranging from less exercise and worse sleep to riskier driving and a greater likelihood of smoking.

U.S. pharmacies have experienced shortages of the stimulants Adderall, Vyvanse, Ritalin and Concerta since 2022. Although the DEA increased production quotas last fall, several production bottlenecks have continued to create supply problems, according to the nonprofit Understood, which supports Americans with learning and attention issues, including dyslexia and ADHD.

Difficulty accessing these medications may influence someone’s decision to try unproven alternative treatments, says Cindy Goldrich, a mental health counselor, ADHD educator and coach in Boulder, Colorado. That’s what makes supplement ads seem “exploitative” to you.

“When someone can’t get their prescription filled and doesn’t know when they will, a product that promises to fill that gap (or claims that the ‘hard’ medication isn’t needed anyway) becomes very attractive, very quickly,” he says. “It’s not just about selling to people who are curious about alternatives. It’s about selling to people in crisis, who are scared and out of options because of a system failure that has nothing to do with whether their medication works or not.”

Andrew Kahn, a psychologist and associate director of experience and behavioral health at Understood, says these supplements also lack strong regulation and suggests, without evidence, “same or similar benefits as medications.” But unlike prescription and over-the-counter medications, he explains, “supplements do not have to prove to the FDA that they are safe or effective before they are sold.”

That same fact can become a sales argument. “People are wary of big pharma, wary of side effects, and a ‘natural’ option seems safer even when it hasn’t been proven better,” Goldrich says. Some of the most common supplement ingredients, such as omega-3s, caffeinated L-theanine, and certain adaptogens, “have modest supporting research as general cognitive or mood support, and there’s nothing wrong with someone using them along with medications if their doctor knows.” But an underlying problem, he adds, is that even if a person takes medications, supplements or both, they still need to learn skills such as planning and emotional regulation.

In the MAHA era, of course, medically suspect claims often circulate without response. Kennedy, who swears by dubious supplements like the synthetic dye methylene blue, has in many ways normalized these fringe products as the top authority in America’s vast healthcare apparatus. In a statement to WIRED, HHS Press Secretary Emily G. Hilliard reiterated the department’s position that the nation faces the challenge of “overmedicalization in behavioral health care,” and patients and parents are not always informed about the potential dangers of psychiatric medications. “Under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership, HHS is incorporating informed consent, transparency, and evidence-based alternatives into federal policy and practice,” Hilliard said.

Leinung, however, believes people should think twice before making that decision based on a video they saw on social media. “I am concerned that encouraging people to stop or avoid starting prescription medications to treat their ADHD may negatively impact their quality of life,” she says. “I would caution anyone thinking about stopping prescription stimulants to have a thorough conversation with their healthcare provider.”