There's a class of drugs called nootropics that supposedly offer a wide range of benefits from short-term memory improvements to increased energy and much more while having minimal side effects.

A nice list of them here:
http://www.smart-publications.com/articles/spu118-topsmart2.html

I came across a site that offers many of them. I just ordered Piracetam, Rhodiola Rosea, and acetyl-l-carnitine (ALCAR) to see if they actually do work or not. The site is www.bulknutrition.com and you can find them in the bulk nootropics or neural enhancement section. The reviews on them look good, so I'm looking forward to trying them out. Many of these products also have effects similar to stimulants, while having a decreased side effect risk.

http://www.bulknutrition.com/?products_id=784
http://www.bulknutrition.com/?products_id=669
http://www.bulknutrition.com/?products_id=912

I'd be interested to hear about your experiences, especially with Piracetam. I tried both Rhodiola and acetyl-l-carnitine and found them worthless. I was hoping to find a "natural" solution, but did not.

That's really disappointing, rhodiola and the ALCAR got really good reviews on the site. Maybe it was a quality or quantity issue. Oh well, we'll see and I'll post about them as soon as I receive the package

Regardless whether you get any cognitive benefits from l-acetyl-carnitine, it does have some proven anti-aging benefits. So, it's still worth taking.

alright so I tried about a 2000 mg dosage of piracetam, didn't feel too much. But then I did some more research and it says that the first time a very high "attack" dosage should be used . This should be safe as it has no reported side effects . I'm going to go all out and take around 8000 mg. If you're going to try the same thing make sure you supplement with some sort of choline source. This is a must, a lot of people have been reporting headaches and such when they take the piracetam without the choline because piracetam does something to choline cycles

anyway i'll update once I can obtain the empty gel capsules to stick the piracetam in as it tastes quite nasty.

You can buy piracetam tablets from Anti-Aging Systems, which would solve the horrible taste problem. I have ordered from them before and they are reliable, although it takes a bit of time to get here since they ship from England.

http://www.antiaging-systems.com/a2z/nootropics.htm

I'll be interested to hear about your experiences.

Alright sorry for the late update. What happened was I realized that my supplements were too nasty to take in. The first day I got it I grabbed some really sweet soft drink and tried to chase the piracetam and others with it. It didn't really work out that well and it got kind of messy. So then I look for capping kits. On the site where I got the stuff from they offer one but reviews of it seem to say that it is sort of flimsy and not worth the money.

So then I find this:
http://www.wonderlabs.com/itemleft.php?itemnum=CN19
It's the largest capping machine they offer. My thoughts on it (they arrived today) are that it works well and efficiently. I'm glad that I got it. So I capped a whole bunch of piracetam and acetyl l carnitine and rhodiola rosea.

I was feeling a bit stressed today but I think I'm feeling better and more relaxed now. But I can't be sure yet because I haven't isolated any of the supplements yet. At first I took the piracetam and wasn't too sure of anything from that. But then I realized I forgot to take a choline supplement. Doh!

But I've read other reviews saying that acetyl-l-carnitine, rather than making you more focused, makes you think more creatively ( i think i need this i'm kind of gullible and think in a rut sometimes). Indeed, I was noticing that in my table tennis game today I was thinking of new ways to perfect my stroke to make it more efficient while more effective.
I think I've made a good investment, but I still have to do a few more tests, including adding some more supplemtsn like gingko bibloba.
I'll keep updating

Rhodiola Rosea is a VERY good supplement! I've taken it before, and waiting to get some money to buy another bottle.
Maybe the recommended dosage is too low for you, or it's a weak supplement -- if I'm correct, my supplement had 3% standardized rosavin in it, and took 200mg three times a day, though my mother (who doesn't have ADD, but is actually OVERFOCUSED, kinda like on a too high dose of dexedrine) found 100mg to be enough.
Rhodiola has several mechanisms of optimizing your body&brain functioning, including raising neurotransmitter levels of dopamine, noradrenalin and serotonin.
If you can't focus, it increases focus; both because you CAN, and because it's more fun/rewarding.
If you overfocus, it helps pragmatism -- you get more of a bird's eye view, instead of the navel-gazing situation.

It lessens stress and the effects of stress (especially when on meds, stress-reactivity increases for me), and decreases fatigue but helps sleep (less stress = less insomnia, plus there are more transm available for a good night's sleep).

I'm glad to hear the success stories, however, NONE of those has been found to work for ADHD.