I have ADHD. I've been on a number of things, but the side effects were... scary. I've tried a lot of supplements, some good some not so good. Recently, I've been making some headway that I thought I'd share concerning an alternative treatment. Hordenine is an alternative to other herbal MAO inhibitors. Hordenine I believe was first discovered from a cactus plant and also has antibiotic properties.
I've heard Hordenine and Phenylethylamine (PEA) combo thrown around a lot on body building forums and drug forums. Some people swear by it, and others toss it under the rug. PEA gives a "in love" euphoria - the kind of jittery goodness that makes you do dumb crazy stuff in front of hot chicks. Now PEA, the love chemical, is broken down by MAO enzymes and hordenine being an MAO subtrate, temporarily occupies the enzymes, allowing PEA to slip through. That's the theory. I haven't heard anyone ODing on this combo... but it sounds a little dangerous to me.
I don't see a point to PEA for ADHD. Sure PEA raises dopamine, but WHERE does it raise it if it causes acceleration of irrational thinking? The other thing is that a typical dose of PEA is anywhere between 50mg to 2g depending on the purpose. That's a broad range of effectiveness that I haven't been able to wrap my head around. Note that PEA is also a subtrate of MAO, which would explain why its natural release raises dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels.
For MAO substrates, there is a window of opportunity in which you can release your favorite neurotransmitter while your MAO enzymes are distracted. If you're ADHD, this is norepinephrine - the mental energy and concentration transmitter. How do you get that? Why a psychostimulant of course, but it doesn't have to be a huge one.
Hordenine's effective dose is 25mg to activate the effects. If you take a cup of coffee (nodoz, yeba mate, chocamine, etc.) 30min after taking hordenine, you'll notice your coffee feels a little bit stronger than usual. The other thing you'll notice is that the stimulating effects of the coffee last twice as long. You just saved yourself a dollar on another coffee with lunch break. Hordenine HCl is cheap... like $6/gram on a "popular auction site" and cheaper in bulk.
With the only side effect being a light head, I recommend this supplement as a nootropic. Hope I'm not too out of line here in saying that, especially since more dangerous or noneffective drugs and extracts are sold as nootropics. My only problem with hordenine is it's limited effectiveness window, so a time release system is still a dream of mine.