美国卫生与公众服务部部长小罗伯特·F·甘迺迪发布报告，将儿童慢性疾病归咎于「过度医疗化」，并长期批评处方药物，包括用于治疗注意力不足过动症（ADHD）的兴奋剂药物如Adderall和Vyvanse。在政府进一步限制这些药物取得管道的同时，大量替代医学品牌正在社群媒体上投放广告，将兴奋剂描绘为有害药物，并推销含有L-茶氨酸、南非醉茄、姜黄和维生素B群等成分的保健品，声称能提供专注力、平静和情绪平衡。

这些保健品品牌——包括Graymatter Labs、Stasis、Magic Mind、Thesis和Nello——透过Instagram、TikTok和YouTube上的网红付费合作影片大肆宣传，经常将其产品与兴奋剂药物进行有利比较，同时强调后者的负面副作用。然而，与处方精神科药物不同，这些膳食补充剂在上市前无需经过美国食品药物管理局（FDA）的评估与批准。多家公司均未回应关于其科学宣称的置评请求。

ADHD专家对此现象深表忧虑。精神科护理师莱农指出，兴奋剂药物已有近百年历史，疗效经过充分研究，但这类广告加深了对药物的污名化，可能导致患者擅自停药，而未经治疗的ADHD会降低预期寿命并使早逝风险翻倍。自2022年以来美国药房持续面临兴奋剂短缺，心理健康辅导师戈德里奇认为这些广告具有「剥削性」，因为它们针对的是因系统性药物短缺而陷入危机、别无选择的患者。专家们强调，保健品缺乏严格监管，无需向FDA证明其安全性或有效性，患者在考虑停用处方药前应与医疗提供者充分讨论。

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. released a report attributing childhood chronic disease in part to the "overmedicalization" of children, while maintaining longstanding criticisms of prescription medications including ADHD stimulants like Adderall and Vyvanse. As the government moves to further restrict access to these drugs, a wave of alternative medicine brands is flooding social media with ads that disparage stimulants and promote supplement products containing ingredients such as L-theanine, ashwagandha, turmeric, and B vitamins, claiming benefits like mental clarity and emotional balance.

Brands including Graymatter Labs, Stasis, Magic Mind, Thesis, and Nello leverage influencer partnerships across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to market nootropic pills and drinks, frequently comparing them favorably to stimulants while highlighting the latter's negative side effects. Unlike prescription psychiatric medications, these dietary supplements are not required to undergo FDA evaluation and approval before being sold to consumers. None of the companies responded to requests for comment regarding their scientific claims, and while TikTok removed some brand accounts for health misinformation, YouTube found no guideline violations.

ADHD specialists warn that this advertising trend poses real dangers. Mental health nurse practitioner Kristen Leinung notes that stimulant medications have been studied for nearly a century and approved for pediatric use since the 1960s, but such ads further stigmatize these treatments and may lead people to abandon effective medication—when untreated ADHD is associated with reduced life expectancy and double the risk of premature death. Compounding the problem, U.S. pharmacies have experienced stimulant shortages since 2022, making patients more vulnerable to supplement marketing that mental health counselor Cindy Goldrich calls "exploitative," as it targets people in crisis due to systemic supply failures rather than medication inefficacy. Experts emphasize that supplements lack robust regulation, need not prove safety or efficacy to the FDA, and urge patients to consult their healthcare providers before discontinuing prescribed stimulants.