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Can Gaba or Phenibut assist with alcohol withdrawal

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FormerFatman

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Joined
Oct 17, 2018
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I'm a former member from the bluelight.ru days I seem to have let my alcoholism get out of hand again and was wondering if gaba or Phenibut were suitable substitutes for benzodiazepines in relieving withdrawal symptoms. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
GABA does not metabolise/cross the blood brain barrier.

Phenibut should work. You might end up addicted to phenibut, mind.

It works on the same receptors but I guess there could still be some kind of odd quirk/issue, so wait for some other offerings.
 
Tranced.is right with his last line there. Phenibut's a strange one. I used it sporatically for workouts/runs when I was on sober streaks and got tremendous amounts of clean energy. Never had any benzo or drink do that to me. it's considered a nootropic; what benzo helps you concentrate better??

So just because it's working on the same receptors, doesn't necessarilly mean it's a proper substitute for Ativan. I wouldn't mess around with the drink brother. I'm assuming your drinking a lot. Don't go on a whim unless you're able to titrate down to a few servings a day for a while. Psychosis, seizures, and possibly death, on top of all the other fun stuff? Nah. Just do it proper at the hospital. I'm pretty sure they must take you because it is considered life threatening.
Good luck
 
I was severely alcoholic for upwards of a decade and I would strongly recommend avoiding phenibut. You're already at an increased risk of seizures during alcohol withdrawal and phenibut can lower the seizure threshold. As Trip mentioned, Ativan is the superior anticonvulsant and also used for those with impaired liver function, however it has a shorter half-life than the benzos of choice, diazepam and chlordiazepoxide (Librium). A lot of hospitals won't admit you for detox, but I've rarely left a hospital without a short script for Librium. A dedicated detox facility is the best way to go. You can always try just tapering yourself off if you think you have the willpower to do it. This is a good resource for tapering: http://hams.cc/taper/
 
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I'm in the process of tapering, over the past two weeks I've cut my consumption in half. I'm trying to avoid inpatient detox as my healthcare is through the VA and all of their treatment programs have an annoying tendency to shove religion down your throat.
 
Great resource, A! I'm bookmarking and sending to a couple of friends of mine that I think could benefit from this! Thank you!
 
Can you get in to see a phychiatrist? They will set up an outpatient benzo taper for you most of the time. A normal doctor may do the same if it's all you can do. You really need some professional guidance. Alcohol withdrawal is nothing to play with.

Welcome back to the site I hope you stick around. I miss the .ru days. Hell I remember the .nu days
 
I have an appointment l, but it's not until December so if I can get this done solo that would be ideal. I'm also running for local office so keeping this off the books would be ideal.
 
Fatman, If you've cut your consumption in half (as long you're not down to a litre per day), and you're able to do slowly onwards, than you're doing really well on your own. Some people can do it, some can't. I used to be able to kick on my own, until I couldn't.Just be careful and do A LOT of research online e.g. the link above. Are you planning on staying sober long term?
 
Doctor patient confidentiality will keep it "off the books" no matter what but I understand the concern. The biggest concern is a siezure. Which is unlikely to be deadly on it's on however if your driving or doing something else with heavy machinery can be really bad. So I suggest you really limit situations like that. Otherwise it's like tapering any other gaba drug take half life into account and don't drop too fast. Keep in mind the lower you taper the more each drop is going to effect you.
 
Almost down to zero, broke down and bought 2 Colt 45 high gravities tonight. But I think I'm gonna be ok. Payday is soon and I'll cop some trees to keep me from drinking.
 
TripMcnealy said:
Fatman, If you've cut your consumption in half (as long you're not down to a litre per day), and you're able to do slowly onwards, than you're doing really well on your own. Some people can do it, some can't. I used to be able to kick on my own, until I couldn't.Just be careful and do A LOT of research online e.g. the link above. Are you planning on staying sober long term?
Click to expand...

I plan on cutting myself off from alcohol completely, Its been a problem since my Army days but cannabis has a net positive effect on my life, just not my bank account.
 
When I first heard of Phenibut, I was interested in trying it. Until I read a few threads from BL members trying to get off it.

That cured my inquisition. It seems like such a benign substance. But it's not. Just as people think Neurontin (gabapentin) is harmless, the w/d symptoms from it, for me, are worse than opiates. And I've been through severe opiate w/d.

Just adding my 2? and wishing you the best of luck w your taper.
 
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