WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ– You have heard of it before, and likely have been offered it from your closest friends: Adderall, the “limitless drug”, a stimulant prescribed to combat ADD and ADHD. When taken without a prescription, consumers are given unparalleled focus for several hours until its effects wear off and yield the individual a debilitating physical crash.
To set the scene, it is December, the semester is winding down and students everywhere are frantically attempting to get the last of their work handed in prior the start of finals week. The mental and physical demand of managing school work, a job and maintaining some sort of social stability weighs heavy on your mind, and in an attempt to get a grip, you turn to the drug to give yourself an extra boost. You try it before your big exam and wind up acing it. The next exam comes around and you do the same. Just like that, you’ve entered a self-gratifying cycling fueled by something you know next to nothing about.
What you don’t know is what it’s doing to your body.
So you continue take it fairly routinely. Until one day, immediately after that feeling of omnipotence wears off, you’re left with severe anxiety, depression and high blood pressure the likes of which you’ve never experienced before. And in that moment, overwhelmed by the come down, you decide life without the drug is too much to handle and end your life.
Though morbid, the situation above isn’t out of the ordinary. According to the Clinton Foundation, within the past decade 8 of 13 school shootings resulting in suicide were performed by individuals on Adderall. Further, the amount of prescription drug users in America has increased from 5 million to 45 million within the past 20 years.
Aware of the statistics, three young adults decided to take a stand and do something to combat prescription abuse.
The company Alternascript was founded by Lucas Siegel and Matthew Piskorz early in 2013 after a friend of theirs killed himself due to the side effects of Adderall. Inspired by the incident, the two sought to create a healthy, natural alternative the drug using various chains of vitamins and supplements. After several months of trying various combinations of vitamins on themselves, the two arrived at a functional and perfectly healthy formula they named Alleradd.
Since, their supplement has been rebranded under the name Optimind and it is now catching the attention of individuals around the country.
At its core, Optimind isn’t a stimulant at all, rather a nootropic, a series of ingredients used to replenish the brain as it burns through the endorphins and chemicals that provide focus, lasting memory and prevent exhaustion. Optimind is made up of 17 ingredients, including Gaba, a supplement that soothes the adrenal gland, Cooperzine A, a supplement prescribed to those with Alzheimer’s, and Vinpocetine, a supplement that facilitates the flow of oxygen to the brain.
Timothy West, senior at Monmouth and chief sales officer at Alternascript, stated, “My biggest problem is that intelligent people use Adderall to perform at their best. Though, it may provide a brief period of ‘enlightenment’, for lack of a better word, it doesn’t do anything but hurt the brain. Adderall won’t make you smarter or think any more creatively, but Optimind will”.
West works to expand the brand by getting its word across the country, and since beginning his work, tremendous milestones have been met. Through his work, he has partnered with various affiliate publications including Vice Magazine, Elite Daily, Art of Manliness and the Examiner (to name a few) to drive brand awareness and better spread the product. With each publication the product has been featured, sales have increased abundantly. His stress is on “organic marketing”, the act of inspiring others to write about his product without the use of traditional advertising tactics like print or television features.
To work along that line, Optimind is sold and distributed entirely online. Potential customers are urged to try the product via free trial before they make the decision to buy the supplement. This makes Optimind the first nootropic to offer a free trial.
The future of the company looks bold as ever as West suggested several plans to expand Alternascript amongst various markets: creating natural alternatives to other prescription medications and substances.
“Alternascript was built upon the pillars of self-improvement and creating the optimized, healthy human” West said, “We’ll do everything we can to promote that notion and inspire others to feel the same”.
Though the war on prescription drug abuse wages on, one can rest assured knowing that individuals like Tim West and the rest of the Alternascript team are providing their best efforts to rectify the problem. The work of the company serves to implore young adults everywhere to optimize their lives and make a difference in whatever way they can, and without a shadow of a doubt, they are doing so effectively.
For more information about Optimind, visit their website.
