L-Tyrosine and Adderall: Can you take them together?

Some combinations of nootropics may have synergistic benefits, and a combination of Tyrosine and Adderall is no different.

Many people today may already use an L-Tyrosine supplement (probably in the form of N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine) to help regulate neurotransmitter levels, improve task performance and executive functions, or just to enjoy some sustained dopamine release.

Those of you not currently taking a Tyrosine supplement may want to consider it, especially if you have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and you are currently on Adderall.

Is it safe to take L-Tyrosine and Adderall together?

Should you take Adderall and Tyrosine at the same time?

Do the benefits outweigh the risks?

In this article, we will explain why you may want to consider stacking Tyrosine with Adderall. We will cover the risks, the benefits, and how you can use Tyrosine to combat Adderall withdrawals and comedowns. If you have any experience with mixing Tyrosine and Adderall, please comment at the end to share it with other readers!

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How L-Tyrosine Affects the Brain

After l-tyrosine has passed the blood brain barrier it is converted into L-DOPA using the enzyme Tyrosine hydroxylase. L-DOPA is an immediate precursor to dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for motivating behavior, stabilizing mood, and several general cognitive functions like muscle control and working memory (as well as being involved in digestion).

Tyrosine is converted into DOPA, then to dopamine which is converted back to norepinephrine. Dopamine and norepinephrine both are neurotransmitters in biological terms.

Benefits of Tyrosine

The main benefit of Tyrosine is its ability to support good cognitive performance during times of acute stress and anxiety.

A rodent study in 2016 found that tyrosine plays a role in the body’s stress response; researchers found that it restores normal levels noradrenaline in the brain. This is extremely useful to anyone who constantly feels under intense stress or pressure. It also makes Tyrosine a great supplement to take for Adderall comedowns and withdrawals (more on this later).

Human studies have only corroborated these findings. In one clinical trial, people were given Tyrosine or a placebo and subjected to cognitive tests in various stressful situations (e.g. after sleep deprivation). Tyrosine was found to drastically improve scores on those cognitive tests.

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How Adderall Affects the Brain

We have seen that Tyrosine primarily affects the brain by stimulanting the synthesis and release of dopamine. Adderall, by contrast, is a catecholamine-releasing agent. This means it is a catecholaminergic type of drug that induces the release of norepinephrine (noradrenaline) from the pre-synaptic neuron into the synapse.

The release of norepinephrine is responsible for all of Adderall’s most obvious and immediate effects: increased energy, faster reaction times, sharper focus, etc.

Benefits of Adderall

The main benefits of Adderall are to be had by people who have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and some related conditions. For these people, Adderall is not just beneficial, but it can be absolutely life-changing.

If you have ADHD, the benefits of Adderall include:

• Better focus
• Ability to concentrate on one thing for a prolonged period of time
• Reduced stress and anxiety
• Better compulsive behavior and fidget control

Some of these benefits may seem counterintuitive as Adderall is such a powerful stimulant, but people with ADHD respond very differently to such stimulants.

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Is Tyrosine Like Adderall?

No, L-Tyrosine is nothing like Adderall.

Tyrosine is an amino acid. It is found in many protein-rich foods highly prevalent in the average human diet. Adderall, by contrast, is a collection of amphetamine salts that rank among the strongest stimulants cleared for human consumption. Tyrosine is therefore never going to be closely comparable to Adderall, either in its effects or in how it works.

That said, there are some ways in which Tyrosine and Adderall overlap. These are largely down to each substance’s pharmacology and pharmacokinetics.

For example, both substances increase both dopamine and norepinephrine.

Tyrosine is converted into DOPA in the brain. L-DOPA is then converted to dopamine, which is converted back to norepinephrine by the enzyme dopamine β-hydroxylase. The relationship is indirect and separated by at least two steps, but Tyrosine can be said to increase norepinephrine (just nowhere near to the same extent as Adderall).

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Why not take L-DOPA?

One common question we get asked is, why take Tyrosine when you can take L-DOPA?

Tyrosine is an indirect precursor because tyrosine is converted to L-DOPA (also known as levodopa) before being turned into dopamine. So instead, why not get to the point and take L-DOPA?

There are a few good reasonw hy you might take L-Tyrosine instead of L-DOPA.

For starters, L-DOPA is not available to purchase over the counter in many places. L-DOPA is actually an FDA-approved treatment to treat Parkinson’s disease (when taken in combination with other substances). Parkinson’s patients use L-DOPA to replace dopamine and assuage some of their symptoms. It is rtherefore not normally possible to simply purchase and consume L-DOPA.

L-DOPA can also be neurotoxic. Because they are so metabolically active, dopaminergic neurons can be very sensitive to oxidative stresses. Dopamine can be increased by taking l-tyrosine, which is gentler and less toxic than traditional methods. In simple terms, instead of overloading your brain with L-DOPA, taking Tyrosine supplements provides your brain with all the raw materials it needs to make all the dopamine it wants to operate at maximum capacity. So it does not stress your neurons.

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Should You Mix L-Tyrosine with Adderall?

Is it possible to mix L-Tyrosine with Adderall?

It is possible to think that mixing the two could cause harm as both increase brain synaptic dopamine.

Dopamine can be increased via multiple mechanisms . However, l-tyrosine is very weak and inadvertently increases dopamine.

It is safe to mix Adderall with l-tyrosine. However, co-administration will not be beneficial.

Instead, it’s better to take Tyrosine at night or before bed after Adderall has worn down. This is because Adderall usage during the day will cause a decrease in dopamine (norepinephrine), and other catecholamines (dopamine) to be depleted.

Because L-Tyrosine can be used as a dopamine precursor, it is theoretically possible to take it at night to replenish the dopamine lost from daytime Adderall.

L-Tyrosine for Adderall Comedown

Some of you will have heard that L-Tyrosine is a great supplement for Adderall comedowns. This is indeed true; Adderall comedowns can be made to be a lot less intense and a lot quicker to subside.

Amphetamines deplete dopamine stores. Amphetamines, which are dopamine-releasing drugs, cause this. Adderall can completely eliminate your dopamine levels, and you will have a serious Adderall comedown’ after the drug has worn off.

L-tyrosine, which is precursor to L-DOPA (which is precursor to dopamine), is an L-tyrosine. Adderall’s comedown is caused by dopamine depletion. Supplemental ltyrosine can be a great way for your brain to recover and replenish dopamine. Because it helps keep dopamine levels at normal, healthy levels while you use Adderall, Tyrosine is also great for slowing the onset of Adderall tolerance.

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When to take L-Tyrosine with Adderall

When is the best time to take L-Tyrosine with Adderall?

If you’re taking Tyrosine to make Adderall more effective, or to help deal with the effects of Adderall comedown or withdrawal, then it doesn’t really matter when you take it. So long as you take a good dose of high-quality, highly-bioavailable Tyrosine, you will enjoy the benefits it gives when combining with Adderall.

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How much Tyrosine should you take with Adderall?

If you’re going to mix Adderall and L-Tyrosine, how much should you be taking?

The correct dose of Tyrosine to take with Adderall varies person to person, and depends on numerous things such as Adderall prescription dose, tolerance to Tyrosine, and other nootropics you may be taking.

But generally speaking, you should take 300-1,000mg of Tyrosine per day while taking Adderall. This dose should potentiate Adderall’s benefits while also minimizing the effects of Adderall withdrawal.

L-Tyrosine Dosage for ADHD

How much Tyrosine should you take for ADHD?

The ususal dose of Tyrosine recommended for ADHD symptoms is 500mg to 2g daily. The exact amount of Tyrosine you should take to help with ADD/ADHD symptoms depends on the severity of your symptoms, your tolerance to Tyrosine and what other nootropics for ADHD you are taking. We always recommend starting with a lower dose of Tyrosine and increasing over time depending on your respond. Combining Tyrosine with other nootropics such as Citicoline and Caffeine will produce bettr relief from ADHD symptoms.

N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine and Adderall: Does the dosage change?

What about if you’re using N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine (NALT) instead of L-Tyrosine? Does the type of Tyrosine you use change how much you need to take with Adderall?

The short answer to this question is no, using NALT instead of Tyrosine does not make a meaningful difference when stacking with Adderall, Vyvanse or Ritalin. NALT is slightly more bioavailable than L-Tyrosine, but the difference is slight. It is certainly not enough to make a difference to the benefits you will feel when taking Tyrosine and Adderall together. The only meaningful difference is that NALT is much more expensive than L-Tyrosine.

What about Tyrosine and Vyvanse?

Vyvanse is another popular ADHD medication. While many people assume that it is a different drug to Adderall, it is actually just a different brand of the same underlying chemicals as Adderall. In other words, Vyvanse is made of the same amphetamine salts as Adderall, but it is made by a different pharmaceutical company. What does this mean for stacking Tyrosine and Vyvanse?

Because Vyvanse and Adderall are made of the same stimulant drugs, the drugs behave in exactly the same way in the body. As such, both drugs interact the same way with Tyrosine. Therefore, if you’re taking Vyvanse, you could benefit a lot from stacking it with a high-quality Tyrosine supplement.

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Tyrosine As Part of an Adderall Alternative Stack

Clearly, Tyrosine and Adderall make for a fantastic supplement combination.

Adderall rapidly depletes levels of dopamine and norepinephrine. This means that once Adderall wears off, your cognitive function, mood, and overall mental performance will suffer. Tyrosine is able to both prevent this from happening and rectify it when it does.

Tyrosine has its own nootropic benefits independent of Adderall. But when used alongside Adderall, Tyrosine is extremely effective and can ultimately make Adderall more effective for you.It is easily one of the best supplements to take alongside Adderall if you have ADHD.

For those looking for a natural Adderall alternative, or an Adderall substitute you can buy over the counter, we highly recommend using a comprehensive nootropic stack which contains Tyrosine and a handful of other nootropics which – together – replicate the effects of Adderall, Vyvanse, etc. We believe the best option right now is Vyvamind.