Misc PharmaGaba / Phenibut / other Gaba sups?

[Zon]

So my specific situation is... I am having serious anxiety, especially when hungover from alcohol, but in general have mild anxiety most of the time. And I believe it may be caused by upsetting my Gaba levels from drinking too much and taking the occassional benzo. I drink 2-3 nights a week and take 0.5mg of clonazepam 2-3 times as well. I honestly didn't think it was possible to get withdrawals from such low usage but I wasn't like this a few years ago and this is all I have to go on for now.

I've been researching about Gaba suppliments that I could possibly use on hangover and other anxious days instead of benzos, and hopefully also to help fix my messed up gaba long term and get me back to normal but have a few questions about them that I'm sure people on here who may have experience with them could answer.

First of all, which do you think would be best for my specific circumstances? Right now I am pretty much in the middle so any opinions would be great.

Secondly, could taking these supplements possibly make things even worse?? Or how could I avoid that? I've heard phenibut is very similar to benzos and can also cause withdrawals if taken regularly, haven't heard this about pharma gaba yet but still.

Lastly how do they interact with alcohol/benzos, and what would be the best way to take these supplements to releave the anxiety I have and also fix the problem long term?

Of course if anyone else has any experiences using these, especially for benzo type withdrawals I would love to hear them.

 

[Tranced]

If you think you've caused gaba damage then this is not the way to go, it's literally just adding extra GABAerbics to the mix and complicating your problem.

I'm sorry to say, but the only real solution is to stop using GABA drugs.

 

[Pickledlemons]

I would avoid getting in the habit of taking benzos or phenibut daily at all costs. They both are very effective at relieving hang overs.... Maybe keep them around just for hangovers or when your anxiety is unusually high. Phenibut withdrawal can be especially bad but when taken 2 or 3 times a week it is very nice. A safer alternative to try would be kava. No risk of severe withdrawal or anything like that. It would also help to talk to a counselor. Group meetings help too, and meditating. See whats available in your community.

 

[Zon]

I would avoid getting in the habit of taking benzos or phenibut daily at all costs. They both are very effective at relieving hang overs.... Maybe keep them around just for hangovers or when your anxiety is unusually high. Phenibut withdrawal can be especially bad but when taken 2 or 3 times a week it is very nice. A safer alternative to try would be kava. No risk of severe withdrawal or anything like that. It would also help to talk to a counselor. Group meetings help too, and meditating. See whats available in your community.

That is actually what I was doing with benzos, just 2-3 times a week, sometimes less. I thought I would be fine but my anxiety definitely got worse lately, and when hungover it's literally unbearable

 

[aspiringchemist]

it sounds like you're experiencing rebound anxiety from frequent low dose gabaergic use (alcohol and benzodiazepines) moreso than withdrawal syndrome.

As stated above, adding other gaba agents is only going to increase the issues you are having. Using more alcohol, benzodiazepines, or gabapentinoids will reduce your anxiety while under the influence, but will increase tolerance quickly and result in even more severe anxiety and withdrawl symptoms when without.

I've been prescribed diazepam and baclofen daily for years, use phenibut on and off, have been prescribed gabapentin and pregabalin sporadically, tried GABA, and drink alcohol regularly.

phenibut is pretty good stuff, but man it can be difficult to control use if you struggle with self regulation. IME the withdrawl is awful.

Best bet is to either get medical treatment for anxiety or SAFELY (whatever that looks like with regards to your level of use) cease consuming gabaergics IMO.

I suffer from pretty severe and chronic anxiety. I feel for ya...