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Harm Reduction Is it safe to combine Phenibut with an SSRI (Lexapro)?

M

Mycophile

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 3, 2014
Messages
4,319
I'm just curious if it is safe to combine Phenibut with an SSRI like Lexapro?
 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19334514

It is established that a single administration of phenibut in a dose of 25 mg/kg (i.p.) produces a statistically significant increase in the content of dopamine metabolite (3,4-dioxyphenylacetic acid) and the retarding amino acid taurine in striatum. At the same time, phenibut did not significantly influence the levels of GABA, serotonin, and dopamine in various brain structures and produce a moderate decrease in the level of norepinephrine in the hippocampus.
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Phenibut doesn't have a significant interaction with serotonin, so it will be totally fine to combine with SSRIs.
 
^^^

Thanks man!

That's the first mention I've heard or Phenibut on any actual reputable health sites at all.

Do you have any more peer reviewed articles or solid evidence on the health effects of Phenibut from either WebMd or any other reputable site?

If so, pass them along.


I am curious about trying it maybe a couple time a month absolute MAX just to see what it's like but I'm concerned about the health effects.
 
There are actually quite a few resources that have information about Phenibut. You can find more articles by googling "Phenibut pubmed" (I was going to link the search but the URL was wonky) or by searching Phenibut on Google scholar.
 
Thanks, I will look through that.

In your personal opinion do you think that using Phenibut in low doses no more than once a week max can be ok?

Or do you think doing that is dangerous?

And what is the consensus regarding it's safety as far as most scientific research so far from what you've read?
 
Mycophile said:
In your personal opinion do you think that using Phenibut in low doses no more than once a week max can be ok?

Or do you think doing that is dangerous?

And what is the consensus regarding it's safety as far as most scientific research so far from what you've read?
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Once a week seems to be fine as far as avoiding withdrawal, at least. I've personally never been able to follow that regimen if I had Phenibut in the house, but I know you've heard all the warnings so I won't go into it again here. I think its relative safety depends on why you're using it, really.

For me, it was best utilized in a social setting, particularly with people I didn't know very well. There were a few times I took a reasonable dose of Phenibut before going out in the evening and it made me feel and behave extremely confident, pro-social and charming the entire time. As someone who regularly experiences social anxiety and tends to be awkward and reserved in those situations, it absolutely made an impact.

I wouldn't be exaggerating when I say it made the difference between barely being able to keep up conversation and having girls I'd just met that night be fully engaged and interested in what I was saying while distinctly sending "fuck me" vibes my way. I don't mean to brag as none of those times ever ended up with me getting anywhere, I only mention it because that kind of thing usually never happens and I fully believe Phenibut allowed me to act the way that I did.

If you're intending to keep use to once a week, try to gauge how you think and feel without taking it while having it around. If you experience any ideation or strong desire to use it within the week, it might be a sign.

I haven't read much research about Phenibut's safety in terms of using once a week, only that abuse and addiction are recognized as possible risks. Anecdotally speaking, once a week seems to be the average recommended use that I've seen, though I'm not sure if there is a pharmacological reason for this or if it's just what most have found to be effective while reducing or eliminating any side effects.
 
Mycophile said:
I'm just curious if it is safe to combine Phenibut with an SSRI like Lexapro?
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DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT take phenibut with lexapro. I just did this last night and ended up in the ER. there is a very adverse interaction between lexapro and phenibut. I had taken a lexapro for the first time last night and i couldn't sleep so I took a couple grams of phenibut and as soon as it kicked in it felt like immediate precipitated phenibut withdrawal complete with visual and auditory hallucinations as well as an excrutiating stinging sensation throughout my whole body, rapid heart palpatations, and anxiety far beyond your average panic attack. I have taken phenibut for quite a few months so I'm very familiar with its effects and its withdrawal symptoms (the worst experience I've ever had)

This is actually my first post on this forum because usually I just lurk but this is something I needed to correct. Unless you've taken them both and been fine, then don't tell someone it will be ok because I promise you it will not be ok. Don't combine phenibut with any SSRI or SSNRI. It is a living nightmare to put it lightly.
 
AMShiech said:
DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT take phenibut with lexapro. I just did this last night and ended up in the ER. there is a very adverse interaction between lexapro and phenibut. I had taken a lexapro for the first time last night and i couldn't sleep so I took a couple grams of phenibut and as soon as it kicked in it felt like immediate precipitated phenibut withdrawal complete with visual and auditory hallucinations as well as an excrutiating stinging sensation throughout my whole body, rapid heart palpatations, and anxiety far beyond your average panic attack. I have taken phenibut for quite a few months so I'm very familiar with its effects and its withdrawal symptoms (the worst experience I've ever had)

This is actually my first post on this forum because usually I just lurk but this is something I needed to correct. Unless you've taken them both and been fine, then don't tell someone it will be ok because I promise you it will not be ok. Don't combine phenibut with any SSRI or SSNRI. It is a living nightmare to put it lightly.
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This is an old thread and I totally disagree.

I'm very sorry you had this experience, but who told you there is a negative interaction?

I have taken regular and Fluro Phenibut countless times with Lexapro with ZERO negative issues.

In fact, I've NEVER taken Phenibut while NOT on Lexapro.

Phenibut works on the GABA system which in no way interacts with Serotonin to the best of my knowledge.

I think you just had a bad reaction to the Phenibut to be honest.

Like, I don't even know how many times I've taken different Phenibuts while on Lexapro. I've probably mixed with regular Phenibut like Fourty times and F-Phenibut like 30.

I've also never had Phenibut WD though, as I've been careful never to do enough, so maybe your brain was in someway altered by having been dependent? I really don't know.

There's no interaction, I just think you had some kind of negative reaction.

But I'm glad to hear you are ok.
 
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AMShiech said:
DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT take phenibut with lexapro. I just did this last night and ended up in the ER. there is a very adverse interaction between lexapro and phenibut. I had taken a lexapro for the first time last night and i couldn't sleep so I took a couple grams of phenibut and as soon as it kicked in it felt like immediate precipitated phenibut withdrawal complete with visual and auditory hallucinations as well as an excrutiating stinging sensation throughout my whole body, rapid heart palpatations, and anxiety far beyond your average panic attack. I have taken phenibut for quite a few months so I'm very familiar with its effects and its withdrawal symptoms (the worst experience I've ever had)

This is actually my first post on this forum because usually I just lurk but this is something I needed to correct. Unless you've taken them both and been fine, then don't tell someone it will be ok because I promise you it will not be ok. Don't combine phenibut with any SSRI or SSNRI. It is a living nightmare to put it lightly.
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I missed the bold part.

Dude...it takes at least 2-4 weeks for SSRIs to get into your system fully.

This was your FIRST time taking Lexapro??

You did not have enough SSRI in your system to be able to negatively interact with the Phenibut, whereas I've been on active doses of 40mgs of Lexapro for years now and combined it with Phenibut and F-Phenibut dozens of times with no issues.

I'm sorry for your experience, and I don't know what caused it, but it wasn't a negative interaction.

Harm reduction is great, but we want to be sure we rule out other factors before we start saying a certain interaction is negative.

If you had looked up SSRIs you'd realize that you are not yet really "on" Lexapro.

It hasn't fully had time to kick in for you.

You'll need a few more weeks for that.

Correlation doesn't equal causation.
 
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This should be totally safe. Always make sure you conduct thorough research (like you're doing) when mixing suspicious drugs together that you believe could potentially lead to Serotonin Syndrome, but as my colleagues have said, it should not be a problem.
 
I took 20 mg on my first dose which is as high as it gets I'm pretty sure. And its a common misconception that SSRIs take weeks to take effect. They go into effect immediately, it just takes weeks for your biochemistry to adjust to its presence. I take phenibut every day and have never had a bad reaction until I took it with 20 mg lexapro. Perhaps it would have been different if I'd been on lexapro long enough to have adjusted to it. All I know is what I experienced and it was downright awful. I couldn't take phenibut for a whole week because lexapro has such a long half life. Had to use clonazepam to curb the withdrawals all week.
 
AMShiech said:
I took 20 mg on my first dose which is as high as it gets I'm pretty sure. And its a common misconception that SSRIs take weeks to take effect. They go into effect immediately, it just takes weeks for your biochemistry to adjust to its presence. I take phenibut every day and have never had a bad reaction until I took it with 20 mg lexapro. Perhaps it would have been different if I'd been on lexapro long enough to have adjusted to it. All I know is what I experienced and it was downright awful. I couldn't take phenibut for a whole week because lexapro has such a long half life. Had to use clonazepam to curb the withdrawals all week.
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No, Lexapro goes as high as 40mgs which is what I take and like I said, I've combined it with Phenibut and F-Phenibut DOZENS of times with no bad side effects.

Who told you that SSRIs take weeks to take effect?

Because I've been told that that is the case by psychiatrists.

I think it is close to impossible to have a bad effect from your first dose of Lexapro.

You would have nearly none in your system.

Regardless, I am sorry for what you experienced, but you still have no hard science to back up the idea that Phenibut and Lexapro have a negative interaction other than the fact that when you combined the two you had a bad experience, but we don't know why, and we don't even know that there couldn't have been some other weird factor we don't even know about that caused your experience.

None of us are doctors so we can't say, but who's to say that Phenibut by itself couldn't cause a negative reaction?

Phenibut is a weird drug and it's not impossible to have a bad experience on it.

Anyways, if you didn't like combining the two then don't, but I've done it dozens of times with no problem, so you aren't going to convince me there's a negative interaction, and if you want to convince others you will need to come up with actual science to prove your claim other than just your experience because technically speaking there is no reason why combining a GABA drug like Phenibut with an SSRI should be an issue.

Klonopin is also a GABA drug and like many people I've been combining it with my SSRI (Lexapro and Prozac before that) for years.

You had a bad experience, but we don't know the cause.
 
AMShiech said:
I took 20 mg on my first dose which is as high as it gets I'm pretty sure. And its a common misconception that SSRIs take weeks to take effect. They go into effect immediately, it just takes weeks for your biochemistry to adjust to its presence. I take phenibut every day and have never had a bad reaction until I took it with 20 mg lexapro. Perhaps it would have been different if I'd been on lexapro long enough to have adjusted to it. All I know is what I experienced and it was downright awful. I couldn't take phenibut for a whole week because lexapro has such a long half life. Had to use clonazepam to curb the withdrawals all week.
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It seems *very* unlikely that your issues were the result of phenibut interacting negatively with your SSRI.

IMO, it is more likely that you are among the minority of patients who react very strongly to serotonergic antidepressants, possibly due to an undiagnosed bi-polar aspect of their condition. For these people, antidepressants can work entirely "too well", kicking them into a manic state (which can also take the form of unpleasant "dysphoric mania") more quickly than it would take for the antidepressant effects to manifest in a healthy person.
 
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