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  • Trip Reports Moderator: Xorkoth

Phenibut - 10 Years Experience - A Comprehensive Long-Term Synopsis and Usage Guide

Xorkoth

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Phenibut: A Comprehensive Long-Term Synopsis and Usage Guide
by Xorkoth

I first encountered phenibut in 2006. I was a member of a bodybuilding forum, not that I did any bodybuilding whatsoever (indeed, at the time I had virtually no upper body strength and had never been to a gym). I regularly participated in the Neuroscience section of that forum, and people were beginning to talk about the latest bodybuilding fad supplement, phenibut, or ß-phenyl-gamma-aminobutyric acid. It is a close analogue of the neurotransmitter GABA that appears to selectively bond to the GABA-B receptor types. People were claiming a wide range of effects from it, from nothing, to relaxation or varying degrees of euphoria. Being that I enjoy new avenues of altering my consciousness, and at the time it was probably my primary goal in life, I thought, hey, I'll try this. In short, I really liked it, and I began using it regularly at varying levels of usage for the past 10 years. It is now 2016, and I continue to use it. It has proven to be a tool of the greatest level, and is one of my favorite substances. I wanted to write up this report because I feel like I am as experienced with it as anyone out there, and I have a lot of information to provide when it comes to using it safely and effectively, should you be considering it. I've divided this report up into sections, which each pertain to specific aspects of phenibut use, and which in reading through will also tell my personal story with it.

Dosing

The first time I took phenibut, on that day 10 years ago, I got home from work and eagerly found my package waiting in the mailbox of my apartment complex. I went inside and tore open the package. Some buddies of mine on the forum were reporting significant levels of euphoria and relaxation, and that sounded right up my alley. People were reporting various dosages from 500mg to 5 grams or more. I thought, hey, it must not be that strong, it's just a supplement (but remember, GHB was also a bodybuilding supplement before it became illegal). So, of course, I took 3 grams. I thought it was right in the middle of dosage ranges. I shoveled 3000mg into my mouth and swallowed with water, noting for the first time its specific taste. The taste of phenibut is sharply sour, really not bitter at all, it's like chewing on a warhead candy. I always rather enjoy it, mostly the aftertaste which is pleasant to me. But consider that I am somewhat of a freak, I pour all substances on my tongue and swallow that way, and it's (rarely ever) too bad. My friend who uses it sometimes usually pours his into a beer, and he finds it to make the beer taste pleasantly sour and different.

I sat there and waited. After a while I felt relaxed, but it wasn't much to write home about. Then after a handful of hours, I suddenly found myself very intoxicated. I was lying there, feeling really glowing and pretty great, laughing, but very uncoordinated and almost uncontrollably sleepy. My limbs, especially my legs, hurt, like they were sore down to the bone... the feeling was very similar to a moderate to major alcohol hangover. I was having an alright time but I was barely able to hang out because I was so tired. The feeling was pretty overwhelming and my body felt unpleasant except for the warm glow. I remember thinking to myself that this was a lot stronger than I expected but I wasn't sure if I liked it. Eventually I passed out and woke up the next morning on the floor where I passed out, got up and got ready for work. I was very groggy, my head felt stuffed with wool, and my legs were still sore. This feeling slowly dissipated throughout the day until by the evening I was pretty much fine.

I put that anecdote in the dosing section as a way to illustrate my description of how to dose phenibut. It seems to have a narrow window where the fully ideal effects emerge. A little too little, and you just get a mild relaxation and slight anxiolysis. A little too much and you enter overdose territory, of which the above is a great example. But dose it just right, and it can be one of the nicest things. Dosing needs to be done with intent and discipline if you want to really utilize this drug effectively and safely.

My recommendation is to work your way up slowly from a low dose until you find where it develops fully for you. I know people where even 500mg produces full effects, but for most, it's higher, and for some, even quite a lot higher. Just take that one dose, and do not redose at any time during the day. Phenibut takes a long time to fully develop, and it also lasts all day long, so redosing can only be done once you understand how it affects you. The timeline of its effects are roughly as follows:

  • 0 - 1 hour: Nothing
  • 1 - 3 or 4 hours: Mild but noticeable relaxation, anxiolysis
  • 3 or 4 - 12 or so hours: The good effects

It really does take a long time to come on and it can be tempting to redose when, after 2 hours, you're not feeling much, but trust me when I say avoid this. Another thing to note about dosing phenibut is that staggering your dose supposedly makes it absorb better. So redoses will actually add a little more punch than if you had taken that total amount all at once right at the beginning. This, coupled with the very long come-up time, is why you shouldn't redose until you know what you're doing. So, that in mind, what you should do is start out trying 500mg taken all at once. Most likely it will do very little to nothing, but it may be enough for you. If it doesn't develop into much, wait at least a full day after that day, and then try it again by adding another 250mg. Keep repeating this process until you find a dose where, by the end of the day, you say to yourself, wow, that was a great day, what an awesome drug.

For me, that level is 1500mg total in the day when I have no tolerance, and when I take it every day other day, which is the most often I am willing to do, it slides up to 2500mg total in the day after a while. You should find your level by taking it all at once and not staggering the dose, and once you have found it, you can try taking all of it but 500mg at once, and then take that last 500mg around 2 hours later. I find it is just a little better that way, a smoother main phase of effects and it lasts in total for 2 hours longer. If you're able to get good effects from phenibut (some just can't seem to), this will be a good thing, trust me. I very occasionally, if mixing with a stimulant or psychedelic later in the evening, will take a second 250mg booster somewhere around 6 to 8 hours after the initial dose, which keeps it going at peak for longer but has actually on a number of occasions caused me to enter slight overdose territory so be careful. I have also had varying results from trying to take smaller amounts more times throughout the day... it's hard to hit that perfect level because each dose takes hours to come up, and for the same reason it's easy to overshoot and take too much.

I always take phenibut in the mornings when I wake up, and it lasts until I go to sleep, with a peak at right around when I normally get off work (~5-6pm, and I take it at 10-ish), through full effects usually begin around 3pm, and start to trail off around 10pm. I take all but 500mg of my dose within an hour of waking up, and then I add 500mg more 2 hours later. If I know I am going out late and want to time to peak effects for when I'm out, I take the first dose that many hours later.

Effects

The main effects of phenibut are a beautiful thing. The earlier stages of the experience feel mildly sedating, but when the main effects kick in, I am suddenly filled with warmth and my mind feels charged with inspiration. It's extremely easy to feel excited, and I find myself with a baseline wide smile and bubbly, joyous feeling. I feel relaxed still, but like I want to jump around. It is highly pro-erotic, and some of the best sex is when I'm on phenibut. I want to talk to people, any people, all people. If I go out to the grocery store, I might get into a conversation with the clerk or a random person, whereas normally I probably won't seek that out. If I'm hanging out with friends, I am really into making everyone laugh and having intense conversations and being the life of the party. When I'm writing, it inspires beautiful word combinations and stimulates my motivation to write. Its effects on music are wonderful... music will transport me much more readily and it produces extremely strong feelings of euphoria. Making music on it is one of my primary reasons for continuing to use it so regularly today. It is a tool of surpassing usefulness. It invariably puts me into a state where I catch the "music high" immediately and have the best possible time of it. Any musician will know what I mean by "music high". It's that feeling where you're in the music and you're playing with people and you're doing this intensely complex thing, and it's just flowing from your subconscious mind somewhere, and it's transporting you all together, and it's the greatest feeling in the world, and the excitement and inspiration are all wrapped up in one and just bursting out of you, and afterwards it's like a post-orgasm glow but better and longer-lasting. I get into the music immediately and new ideas just spill out. I feel adept and confident (phenibut greatly boosts my confidence socially and my belief in my capabilities) and it does not impact my coordination at all, but it does give me a lot of energy and motivation to keep playing for absurdly long periods of time. If I lay down and close my eyes and try to sleep in this state, I can paradoxically sleep pretty quickly and deeply, despite the fact that if I'm doing stuff, I am full of energy and wide awake.

I would say phenibut produces a mild to moderate hypomanic state, the sort of hypomania that feels very positive and isn't so strong as to produce delusion or self-control issues. Such a state can be very useful. It's great for if you're having a day where you just can't quite get out of a slump, like one of those cold, dark winter days where you just don't feel great. It's great for producing art of all kinds, or stage fright, or giving a speech, or going out to socialize or meet new people. It doesn't impair or intoxicate you or alter your perception so you still feel like you and you don't appear to be on a drug. In fact I don't find it to feel like being on a drug at all, it feels like just the natural way I feel. It's akin to the feeling of when you've been worrying about something, had it hanging over your head for months, and then you find out it's resolved, and you're just hit with endorphins and for the rest of the day you're on top of the world. In this way, phenibut is a very useful tool, a modifier of your confidence, motivation and inspiration, without any undesired side effects or next-day hangover. It is unparalleled as a social anxiety medication; a benzo will reduce how much you care and feel the negativity, but phenibut can make you feel fearless and confident, and actively want to socialize. I think it could even be used in therapy in a similar way as MDMA is except much more well-tolerated and less powerful/impactful. It facilitates sharing and confidence and should make facing issues easier. It can also be used to provide a nice aid to withdrawing from opiates. It may increase the soreness a bit but it can really help with the depression and anxiety.

There are a few neutral effects, neither positive nor negative (for me at least). Phenibut makes me feel very warm, and it does not seem to raise internal body temperature (except, see below, in overdose levels), but it does very measurably increase the amount of heat my skin is radiating. My girlfriend says she can feel the heat pouring off my skin when I touch her. Phenibut also tends to give me the munchies to a powerful degree. I feel like I can eat endless amounts of food, and if I'm not doing something else, I tend to want to do that very thing.

If you take too much phenibut, even just a bit above your level (which is why you should follow my dosing regimen above to find out how much you need), you will enter overdose territory. I am unaware of anyone having actual health concerns from an overdose, though it could be that someone has, so by overdose I just mean taking so much that you pass through these ideal effects into the overdose range of effects. When I've taken too much, I will first hit the ideal effects stage, but it will continue to grow stronger and I will find myself feeling a bit too manic. Then it transforms after a couple of hours into a mutated version of the ideal effects. Where earlier my skin had been emanating heat, now I am flushed and feel very hot, and my body temperature raises somewhat to very light fever level. I find that I have a slight but persistent headache. Where normally I feel nothing in my body other than a pleasant glow, in an overdose I experience limb soreness, especially in my legs, and a general body malaise. All of the euphoria goes away, replaced with a listlessness and extreme fatigue to the point that it's difficult to stay awake or even want to do anything but get in bed and pass out. I will start using "sleep logic" to come up with reasons to lay down, despite them maybe not being very rational. Where before I had felt very coordinated and capable, in an overdose I feel clumsy and stumble a bit, and my body feels heavy and unwieldy. It makes my pee smell really weird too, and it burns a little coming out. I will pass out and sleep for an absurdly long amount of time if I am not woken up, and when I do wake up, I feel sore still and kind of strange, and very fuzzy-headed and groggy. The hangover slowly fades and I have not had it last more than just the next day.

In short, taking too much phenibut, even 500mg too much, feels like being poisoned and it has no redeeming qualities except perhaps if you absolutely can't sleep and you've tried other sleep aids, it will probably knock you out hard. But it feels like a bad idea to take too much, it's not good in the body. The temperature increase alone worries me about it.

Addiction and Dependence

Phenibut is, unfortunately, physically addictive. When it came out, back when I started using it, people were raving about how it's a "new, non-addictive alternative to GHB". Of course, they said the same thing about GHB itself years before that, and that is, of course, ridiculous. GHB is addictive, and so is phenibut. I, however, chose to believe the hype (because I wanted to use it a lot and my powers of self-deception were legendary at that point in my life), so I began taking it every day for a year. I worked up to 3 grams once a day and sometimes a 500mg-1000mg booster partway through. After a year went by, I was moving and in the mad dash to pack up and move our stuff, I lost my tub of phenibut. I was like, aw man, that sucks, I really wanted to use it today. But I'll find it.

Well, I didn't find it, and I also didn't have the money, seeing as how I had just put a downpayment on my first house, to buy more. I figured, well, this sucks but I guess I'll take a break. The next morning I felt a little off, like I just had this base level of low-grade anxiety where before I had had a base level of light giddy euphoria. Throughout the day, which was moving day, that feeling got stronger, but I chalked it up to this being such a huge step for me, and undoubtedly that was making it more noticeable. But the next morning I realized I was withdrawing from phenibut. I felt very anxious to the point where I spent a fair amount of time lying down in a fetal position because the butterflies in my solar plexus were so bad. Everything in my life seemed to be reflected in a negative light. I was excited to move here (to where I live now and likely will forever, I love where I live so much), but it felt like a huge mistake, like, you idiot, what are you doing? I reflected on my addiction to kratom and the fact that I had just gotten into a very intense financial commitment. I spent the next 2 days feeling like that, just really bad. I felt uncomfortable in my skin a bit but it didn't seem to be dangerous, or physical, or cause delusions or hallucinations or anything. "Just" tremendous, crippling anxiety.

We drove back to check out of our apartment on day 3, and I checked my mailbox, hoping that some pregabalin (which I had never tried) would be there... a friend had sent me some pills, but they were very late and I had given up on them. But, lo and behold, there they were, my last chance ever to claim them. I immediately took 300mg... I think I was hoping it would ease my anxiety since it is supposed to be anxiolyic too. And boy, did it. After a couple of hours, for the rest of the day I not only felt fine, I felt amazing. Pregabalin felt like super phenibut to me, really similar feeling but with much greater intoxication and euphoria, most unmistakably a drug feeling. But it knocked my withdrawal out 100%. I had enough for 3 experiences, so I took nothing the next day, then pregabalin, then nothing, then pregabalin one last time, then nothing, and I was fine, I felt only very light residual anxiety which was understandable given I was actually in an pretty intense time in my life. So for me, the withdrawal was very unpleasant, quite awful to live through, but certainly not dangerous, and it lasted about a week, probably (though admittedly the pregabalin I used as a withdrawal aid complicated things a bit).

However I have heard stories from some Bluelight friends over the years that paint a different picture for them. I seems some people have a much more severe withdrawal syndrome that is quicker to establish and much more dangerous. I have seen people claiming that for them phenibut withdrawals are worse than GHB withdrawals and include seizure risk and delerium. So I implore you to be very careful when using phenibut. Certainly daily use will cause dependence. For me, once I stopped after that first year and got through withdrawals, I never went back to daily use, though I have, when withdrawing from opiates, used it daily for almost 2 weeks, and I did not experience any withdrawal. That was after a period of not using it for probably a year or maybe more. I have since then, when using it, followed one of two paths: on 1 day off 2 days, or on 1 day off 1 day. The former, with 2 full days off in between, does not seem to produce significant tolerance, nor does it produce physical dependence. It seems very sustainable.

Once every other day does actually slowly produce tolerance, and light dependence. For me, at this level, I slowly work up from 1500mg to 2500mg over the course of maybe 2 months, and once I am up at the higher level, I find that if I skip a day in the cycle (ie, don't take it the second day after my last dose), I will feel a bit flat, slightly anxious at times throughout the day, and I feel pretty uninspired. Basically the opposite feeling of phenibut, but it's pretty manageable. The next day will be a little better and then after that I feel fine. For me it's no big deal so I feel pretty comfortable with having that level of dependence - at the moment I have been on an every other day cycle for about 6 months, coming off of an every third day cycle for an additional 6 months before that. I time the days so they're on band/music days because I value its aid in that area so much. Occasionally I will take it 2 days in a row - very occasionally - because we have a show on an unusual day or something. I notice when I take it 2 days in a row in the midst of an every other day run, I will feel just slightly down and anxious even on the regular day off for a cycle or two, where if I just stick to strictly every other day, on my days off I just feel normal.

Please remember that some people experience a much more severe withdrawal syndrome than me, and seem to get addicted faster, so please be very cautious and build up into everything slowly, being very mindful of how you feel along the way. If you're trying to get into a schedule with it, make sure you don't just jump right into every third day and do that for a long time... take it every third day twice and then stop for a day or 2 in the cycle and make sure you don't feel bad. Go slowly.

Of course, the best option is occasional use, for special occasions, you can't go wrong there and it will be more special when you do it. I don't find it difficult to stay to my regime, but it is tempting sometimes to just take a few scoops of a powder and I know I can have a significantly better day than without it, regardless of whether my day is already good or not. Having a regular schedule with a drug is, IMO, a slippery slope, but it's one you may be able to handle. I can stay to every other day, or every third day, without cheating - I consciously chose to up to every other day from every third day because of my music schedule - but you may not be able to. It takes discipline which is something I've learned to some degree over the years, after much hardship with it.

Combining With Other Drugs

Phenibut combines really well with stimulants and psychedelics. With stimulants, it reduces the overstimulation and negative side-effects in general, while increasing the amount of euphoria and mania you're experiencing. It can make the stimulant more comfortable but it's not nearly as good at reducing side effects as benzos are, and it can lead to excessive excitement too in some cases since both are producing hypomania. With empathogens it seems really great. I've combined it with MDMA and methylone (separately) and it was wonderful with both, it made me feel even more opened up and loving and communicative. With psychedelics, it does not seem to dull the trip at all, unlike benzos, but it does carry that confidence and euphoria forward into the trip which can be great and useful. I've had wonderful results when already being on phenibut for the day, and then taking a psychedelic. It tends to steer the trip in a positive direction, but it doesn't sacrifice any of the clarity of the trip. Nothing about this has ever felt dangerous to me, they feel like they blend very well together.

It has varied effects with dissociatives. I regularly combine it with 3-MeO-PCP (which I use in low doses for the hypomanic effects) and it produces a pretty intense level of hypomania, which is what I'm going for with the combo. But you have to watch yourself, I had one day where I think I just about entered an excessively manic mode. It was an amazing day but looking back, uh, wow, that was me, huh? That guy never shuts up, and he's so loud, and strange. In general I really like the combo. When combined with MXE, it increased the euphoria but I didn't seem to get as many psychological and hole-style effects. It didn't seem dangerous but I would tread cautiously with dissociatives. I have only tried combining it with those two.

You need to be careful combining phenibut with downers, though it doesn't seem particularly dangerous if you keep in mind the phenibut will potentiate the other downers (but the phenibut does not seem potentiated in return). I regularly combine alcohol with it, and I will even get drunk, but I drink a couple less beers over the night. If I get a hangover, the hangover is more intense. A benzo will feel stronger than it normally would. But the phenibut feels the same, it doesn't make that effect stronger.

Keep in mind, these are how combinations with phenibut affect me, so it might be different for you. I've read reports where people were saying, don't drink at all on phenibut, it will make the alcohol way too strong, I blacked out and threw up with just a couple of beers. You might react differently than me so approach any combinations with caution and work up slowly.

Summary

In summary, phenibut has become one of my favorite substances of all time. It fills this little role of making me feel like I'm operating at 100% capacity, taking my natural qualities and making them better while I'm on it. It's extremely useful for the thing I spend the most of my energy on, making music. I've been using it for the past 10 years and have a lot of experience with using it different ways, so I wanted to write this up as a comprehensive guide to what it does and how to use it, since I have seen a lot of different opinions on it and confusion and misinformation regarding it, and a virtual lack of any description of the finer points of the drug. It's something I use regularly that costs very little money and is fully legally available. I hope it stays that way, I hesitated to write this so as not to draw too much attention to it, but I figured people might find it useful so the good could outweigh the potentially greater amount of attention to it, and inevitably, those who will abuse it to the extent that it will call further attention. Be smart and stay safe; despite continued and nonsensical prohibition on using drugs, we still have a lot of valuable tools at our disposal for better living through chemistry, and if we're intelligent about it, hopefully we can keep some of those tools around.

substancecode_phenibut
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_combo_
 
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Good read. Thank you. I alternate between phenibut and alprazolam to control my anxiety disorder. Of all the gabapentoids (other than pregabalin maybe) its the best. Baclofen makes me feel like shit. Gabapentin is weird and mostly makes me feel bad. Phenibut is A+
 
Ha, I remember the first time I dosed phenibut. I had read that it takes a long time to come on, but I was impatient with it. I mistook feeling some effects for feeling FULL effects which are not the same thing. I kept dosing abut 600 mgs. multiple times, adding up to 3 grams(maybe more) if I remember correctly. Bad idea, I was really high, pleasantly, but that turned to getting sick. I was loading trailers in a warehouse, and I kept having to come out of the trailer and puke in a garbage can. I was also moving very slow and they had me loading two trailers at once woth tons of freight coming down the down lines...fun times. I made it through work though then went home and was really horny.
 
Haha, sounds like my first time except I was just laying around at home, not working.

Yeah phenibut is a really good thing if you use it right. I find pregabalin to feel similar but just like way stronger and more intense, some of the best I've ever felt was from pregabalin, it was like holy shit, is this real?

Took phenibut tonight, met a BLer, and had an epic night. :) It's probably the most consistently useful tool in my chemical toolbox. Always the same effects, and they're really useful effects.

I agree baclofen is weird. I've read reports of people experiencing great highs on baclofen but it's never happened to me. I also seem to be really sensitive because the first time I took it I took 40mg (after reading of people taking a lot more to get high) and it basically felt like a phenibut overdose but worse. I will say though that if you're experiencing phenibut withdrawals, baclofen gets rid of it. One time when I found myself having used phenibut a bit too often and I had some minor withdrawals, I used baclofen for a few days, just enough to get rid of the withdrawals, and I got past it easily.
 
Good read. I can't imagine using phenibut for that long why does it seem to give me the most awful headaches? I guess its for the best that I can't get addicted to it but it feels like I'm missing out. It's such an unpredictable drug.

It's also annoying how it blocks opiates. Though if you time it right you can enhance an opiate high if you take it before you take an opiate you don't get high. It's weird.
 
Very very good write-up; your experiences match mine almost by rote, save for the duration of time using the substance (tried it 7 yrs ago, only been using it with any consistency this past year). My very first time using Phenibut was a memorable one, indeed, though not in a good way: I quite liked the initial feeling and decided to keep it going long before the base effects had even fully asserted themselves, and then some time later redosed again, and most likely at least once more after that. I think I used 7 - 10 grams in the course of a half-day, and experienced an almost superhuman proclivity toward socializing (uncommon for me); narcolepsy, which scared the shit out of my (then-future) wife because it looked like I stopped breathing; an almost-involuntary tendency toward having sex (four times in one evening), sometimes passing out and waking up in the middle of fucking; and vomiting, several times.

But nowadays, it is very useful when I do use it. This report sums up my feelings on the substance, including the dosage and consistency of use. If one doesn't use every day and keeps their dosage in check, (most of) the negatives can be avoided and the positives accentuated.

Again, good write-up, as per usual. ::insert thumbs-up emoticon::
 
It's also annoying how it blocks opiates. Though if you time it right you can enhance an opiate high if you take it before you take an opiate you don't get high. It's weird.

I haven't gotten this effect. Quite the contrary; it's done nothing but enhance the opiate high for me. Weird how subjective effects are, esp for this substance.
 
Good read. I can't imagine using phenibut for that long why does it seem to give me the most awful headaches? I guess its for the best that I can't get addicted to it but it feels like I'm missing out. It's such an unpredictable drug.

It's also annoying how it blocks opiates. Though if you time it right you can enhance an opiate high if you take it before you take an opiate you don't get high. It's weird.

I don't get headaches from phenibut unless I take too much. I also find that it doesn't block opiates per se, but it does change the high. I wouldn't say it enhances them for me though either.

Very very good write-up; your experiences match mine almost by rote, save for the duration of time using the substance (tried it 7 yrs ago, only been using it with any consistency this past year). My very first time using Phenibut was a memorable one, indeed, though not in a good way: I quite liked the initial feeling and decided to keep it going long before the base effects had even fully asserted themselves, and then some time later redosed again, and most likely at least once more after that. I think I used 7 - 10 grams in the course of a half-day, and experienced an almost superhuman proclivity toward socializing (uncommon for me); narcolepsy, which scared the shit out of my (then-future) wife because it looked like I stopped breathing; an almost-involuntary tendency toward having sex (four times in one evening), sometimes passing out and waking up in the middle of fucking; and vomiting, several times.

But nowadays, it is very useful when I do use it. This report sums up my feelings on the substance, including the dosage and consistency of use. If one doesn't use every day and keeps their dosage in check, (most of) the negatives can be avoided and the positives accentuated.

Again, good write-up, as per usual. ::insert thumbs-up emoticon::

Yeah, I get pretty manic from it in terms of socializing, especially at the high end of acceptable dosing range. Feels like words are just vomiting from my mouth sometimes, but it feels good. :) Also it massively increases libido much of the time. I've had some crazy awesome lovemaking nights on it.

Thanks. :)

Yeah phenibut is pretty unpredictable, I've met people who only get relaxation and don't get the euphoric, stimulating later stage effects. For them it just lasts a few hours but for me it lasts a long time and takes a long time to come on.
 
Thanks for this!!

The soreness is most likely not related to that from an alcohol hangover. I think the soreness from that is from endotoxins released by gut bacteria that find their way into your bloodstream since high amounts of alcohol make your gut permeable. I don't really know what can make drugs like phenibut and GHB give you soreness, whether it has to do with acidity or GABAb activity...

How similar is phenibut to pregabalin to you? Considering phenibut is believed to act similarly to gabapentinoids... and actually I'd say there are a lot of similarities that confirm it... but I'd say pregabalin is quite a bit safer.

Ugh I'm not sure if I felt poisoned from taking too much phenibut much more than once (I distinctly recall that day, I had to work) but dosing pregabaline is a lot more straightforward and not as finnicky to either OD on or get randomly dependent like I read some people getting from really not all that much phenibut use. I myself have become dependent on pregabaline but it's no surprise after 2+ years of pretty much daily use.

Earlier today I found the last scraps of my one and only 100g tub I used (I lost it quite some time ago) so I guess my lifetime use has been quite reasonable. I won't be using it that much (very little is left anyway), but it does make sense since I quit pregabaline recently and really miss it. I am quickly running out of some stashed pregabaline for occasional use and am considering asking my psychiatrist to get some to have on hand for now and then, if only because it's excellent to have as an adjunct to psychedelics.
 
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I couldn't agree more. Phenibut has changed my life. Great post.
 
Thanks for this!!

The soreness is most likely not related to that from an alcohol hangover. I think the soreness from that is from endotoxins released by gut bacteria that find their way into your bloodstream since high amounts of alcohol make your gut permeable. I don't really know what can make drugs like phenibut and GHB give you soreness, whether it has to do with acidity or GABAb activity...

How similar is phenibut to pregabalin to you? Considering phenibut is believed to act similarly to gabapentinoids... and actually I'd say there are a lot of similarities that confirm it... but I'd say pregabalin is quite a bit safer.

Ugh I'm not sure if I felt poisoned from taking too much phenibut much more than once (I distinctly recall that day, I had to work) but dosing pregabaline is a lot more straightforward and not as finnicky to either OD on or get randomly dependent like I read some people getting from really not all that much phenibut use. I myself have become dependent on pregabaline but it's no surprise after 2+ years of pretty much daily use.

Earlier today I found the last scraps of my one and only 100g tub I used (I lost it quite some time ago) so I guess my lifetime use has been quite reasonable. I won't be using it that much (very little is left anyway), but it does make sense since I quit pregabaline recently and really miss it. I am quickly running out of some stashed pregabaline for occasional use and am considering asking my psychiatrist to get some to have on hand for now and then, if only because it's excellent to have as an adjunct to psychedelics.

I find the effects quite similar to pregabalin, but pregabalin is much more drug-like. Although I've never taken a low dose of pregabalin. I find pregabalin to be significantly more "sharp" and intense in the euphoria. Phenibut feels like I'm just having an amazing day, not like I'm on drugs, whereas pregabalin was like some sort of cross between MDMA and what I imagine GHB to be like. Also pregabalin is way more intoxicating, makes me clumsy and I wouldn't want to drive on it (I did drive on it the first time because I didn't know it would be like that, my friend described it as a relaxing mildly euphoric feeling, and it kicked in during a 2.5 hour drive, and I wasn't feel too good about it, it was difficult to finish the drive). On phenibut, I feel perfectly capable of anything, like I said I don't even feel high, I just feel really damn good.
 
Have you ever experienced stomach pains on phenibut? I always take 1.5 grams on an empty stomach on phenibut days, usually with a caffeinated beverage or vyvanse if I have it. The upset stomach is not an effect I experience every time though, so wonder if it could not be related to diet and what I have eaten throughout the day after consuming phenibut? I am wondering if it is harsh on the liver, kidneys and pancreas. You have been using it for ten years consecutively pretty much with zero physical issues to note? I also have a history of pancreatitis and wonder how that might effect my body's reaction to the phenibut if it is indeed harsh on the body like I have heard many people claim, although there does not seem to be much if any scientific proof to back up these claims.
 
Amazing. You inspired me to make some lifestyle changes!

What would you suggest to "carry" you on your "off" days? I'm looking at Phenibut as a replacement for benzo therapy for generalized anxiety...
 
Amazing. You inspired me to make some lifestyle changes!

What would you suggest to "carry" you on your "off" days? I'm looking at Phenibut as a replacement for benzo therapy for generalized anxiety...

Well, I don't do anything consistently on off days, but I'm not trying to get off benzos. Do you have physical dependence on them? If so, I can't guarantee phenibut will mask that. You should certainly try, but it might not work. If you don't have physical dependence, then phenibut certainly should work to reduce anxiety.

Have you ever experienced stomach pains on phenibut? I always take 1.5 grams on an empty stomach on phenibut days, usually with a caffeinated beverage or vyvanse if I have it. The upset stomach is not an effect I experience every time though, so wonder if it could not be related to diet and what I have eaten throughout the day after consuming phenibut? I am wondering if it is harsh on the liver, kidneys and pancreas. You have been using it for ten years consecutively pretty much with zero physical issues to note? I also have a history of pancreatitis and wonder how that might effect my body's reaction to the phenibut if it is indeed harsh on the body like I have heard many people claim, although there does not seem to be much if any scientific proof to back up these claims.

I have not had stomach pains, but I have had some strange body pains. Mostly it happens in my knees and legs, but I have had it in my abdomen somewhere, right below my ribs, when taking too much. Not sure if it's related. I haven't been to the doctor in 2 years, but I am getting a physical exam soon... last one I had, I had just gotten off of opiates, and hadn't taken phenibut in a year, and the doctor was impressed with my levels of everything. I'm hoping that's still the case now that I've been taking phenibut regularly for almost 2 years straight again (every 2-3 days).
 
Well, I don't do anything consistently on off days, but I'm not trying to get off benzos. Do you have physical dependence on them? If so, I can't guarantee phenibut will mask that. You should certainly try, but it might not work. If you don't have physical dependence, then phenibut certainly should work to reduce anxiety.



I have not had stomach pains, but I have had some strange body pains. Mostly it happens in my knees and legs, but I have had it in my abdomen somewhere, right below my ribs, when taking too much. Not sure if it's related. I haven't been to the doctor in 2 years, but I am getting a physical exam soon... last one I had, I had just gotten off of opiates, and hadn't taken phenibut in a year, and the doctor was impressed with my levels of everything. I'm hoping that's still the case now that I've been taking phenibut regularly for almost 2 years straight again (every 2-3 days).

I have zero physical dependence on anything, but I just started a kratom regimen. That being said, it's too short lived, the side effects are too great, and it doesn't completely mask my anxiety like benzos do.

I'm just looking to self-medicate for anxiety.

-b
 
I have been dependent on benzos from self-medication and honestly self-medicating anxiety, including with kratom or other opioids when I was having a super rough time, has usually turned out much worse than my decision to ask my shrink for pregabaline and take a script for that for about 2+ years. It was shitty to come off it, but I could handle it. Phenibut I never used super heavily, but these days I read a lot of warnings in the OD forum about people who take it regularly. I've had withdrawals from phenibut when I took it more than once every 3 or so days, they were shitty but more on par with pregabalin (which I took 2 years daily mind you), not like the very deeply serious misery of benzo withdrawals.

It's up to you to weigh pro's and cons of self-medicating phenibut or getting a script for pregabalin - the latter is likely to cost you more I guess... but supervision is usually better if your therapist is actually cautious about dependency.

Xorkoth says pregabaline is like super-phenibut, but I only agree in the sense that it is more reliable and effective in several ways (yes it can cause loss of coordination etc), but to me it was not much heavier to come off it or anything.

Whatever you do though, with either phenibut or pregabaline do not take more than you absolutely have to - because that may be turn out to matter a lot.
 
I also get sore legs when I use Phenibut it actually puts me off doing it now. I prefer gabapentin and pregablin. I'm on methadone so I don't need a high dose. I use gabapentin as a social drug, take it before work or any stuff needs done. I also find pregablin is more of a staying in for a gouch as it goes very well with my methadone.

I still use Phenibut now and again but no more than 800mg usually alongside 400mg l-Theanine which I take every morning. When trying higher doses I found 1.5g was my perfect dose but for whatever reason I get this horrible pain in my legs. It feels like a pain right in the middle of the bones. I even tried painkillers, I wasn't taking opiates when I first took Phenibut so tried co-codamol, ibuprofen and heroin but no painkiller stops it from happening. I really enjoyed it made me feel good but not spaced out like after valium. When I take the 800mg it does improve my mood and alongside the l-Theanine it makes me get things done but I only do this now and again. I asked about this in another forum but everyone said I was getting a bad quality product. (I wasn't).
 
(β-Phenyl-GABA 4 Grams x3 daily for 3 months Phenibut

I may be atypical as well with my reaction to Phenibut. I take 4 Grams 2 or 3 times daily (depending on how long I stay up 16-18 hours a day) and have been doing so for 3 months without noticing any real negative side effects. It is encouraging to read other users long term experiences and to find out that others take what is considered mega-dosages for extended periods of time with positive results . For the record, I also take Tongkat Ali 400 mg x 5 daily, L-Theanine 2 Grams daily divided doses, 5-HTP new approx 500mg daily (will most likely discontinue it as I see no real benefit. I also use fentanyl 37.5 x72 hours patch exchange. I have used recreational (hydrocodone, Xanax, and a few others over the year though not currently), I have found that each one of us must be responsible for out own usage and find the levels that allow us to enjoy life and still be productive.

Comments welcome and encouraged.
Have fun be safe and "Try Not To Die"
 
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Have you ever tried not taking phenibut? That rate of usage is probably causing an intense physical dependence that will result in withdrawal when you stop.
 
^ I was about to ask the same question. Have you gone so much as one day without Phenibut? Two?

I agree when you say we must each be responsible for our own usage and what helps us stay healthy and productive, but I think we also need to be honest with ourselves about the sustainability of our lifestyle choices, especially when faced with the prospect of going without the substances in question. Not just the physiological effects, which are (very) important to keep in mind, but the excuses we make to ourselves and the responsibility we are or aren't taking with our lifestyle choices.
 
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