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Can longterm Gaba B downregulation cause permanent brain damage?

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phenibut10

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I recently quit phenibut and was extremely out of control with my use, sometimes I was using up to 30 grams a day, 3-4 times a week for about a month or 2. Now its been 12 days since I stopped using phenibut and I feel like i'm emotionally numb. I cant laugh or feel happiness,sadness,anxiety, or really any emotion. Is this probably permanent?
 
Not at all permanent, unfortunately phenibut withdrawal is just brutal. When you use these sorts of drugs long term your brain compensates by desensitizing some receptors here and sensitizing some receptors there - then when you come off the drug your brain is messed up functioning in that compensated state without the drug in your system. It has to reach homeostasis all over again, which it will do but it will just take some time. Unfortunately 12 days is nothing, I would give it more time. Try to get some sleep in the mean time. Hang in there.
 
How about excitotoxicity? GABAb agonism acts to hold glutamate release in check, so presumably severe enough use of a GABAb agonist to develop a huge habit (although most are very poorly if at all recreational) could result in upregulation of glutamate release, and in theory at least, excitotoxicity.
 
I am actually not too familiar with phenibut in particular and there is some debate about the gabapentinoids - I'm under the impression that gabapentin/pregablin probably aren't GABA-B agonists but is this true for phenibut as well? I've heard some people say phenibut is primarily an alpha2delta antagonist.

I have just heard a lot of stories of brutal withdrawal from these drugs that seem to resolve after a couple months (similar to benzos). Apparently the primary source of excitotoxicity from withdrawal is seizures.

But OP, I would give it a couple months for things to get a lot better and then expect things to take a bit longer than that to really start getting back to normal.
 
My man, I had a shorter and much less heavy run with Phenibut and the acute withdrawals were truly hellish. Once past that stage, which you are at 12 days, I would expect something very similar to benzo recovery. Give yourself a couple months of total abstinence.
 
I recently was introduced to phenibut. I've been on Rx benzodiazepines for years for pain and anxiety. I used phenibut for 10 days straight at 2 grams per day, like a moron.

I stopped day 10 and on day 12 I experienced one of the worst withdrawals of my life. I've kicked IV dope more than once.

I feel detached, anxious, and have started having extreme panic attacks for seemingly no reason. it's been a week since last use.

First time in a long time a drug has put me in my place and scared me.

I too hope it dissipates. I can say that from onset of withdrawl to now, I am at 75% probably.

Never again will I put that in my body.
 
People quit benzodiazepines and barbiturates after years of use and with time get better. I'm not too familiar with the pharmacology of phenibut, I'm not sure if it's well understood, but it's either a GABA agonist or a gabepentionoid, or both. When I quit benzodiazepines after 9 years of daily use, I was slowly recovering for 9 to 12 months before I could say I was close to baseline, but the most intense phase lasted for around 3 months, I guess, with nightmares, extreme dissociation, anxiety, and tremors. Mentally I'm sure I still experience effects from long-term use over 3 years after quitting, but a one-two-month use is really nothing to worry about long-term, the withdrawal effects you describe are classic withdrawal effects from GABAergics that everyone experiences even after short-term use without weaning yourself off.
 
I feel that I fully bounced back from a Phenibut habit, but I agree that the WDs can be stunning.

Heroin, xanax, meth... they may have had much worse PAWS for me, but nothing has had such a terrible acute WD period for me. Truly catches a lot of us by surprise.
 
To the OP, phenibut 10, I use to be a post named "thegirwithbluehair here. I had close to 1,200 posts so I wasn't really a lurker, and was asked to apply as a position as a moderator in BDD last summer. I have intense experience with GABA B agonists and gabapentinoids like baclofen, gabapentin, pregabalin and other GABAergics.

I can personally tell you that acute (from an amnestic OD of 90 20mg baclofen) and relatively long -term (albeit medical) use has resulted for me at least in what seems to be permanent personality and behavioral changes that I believe will remain in my psyche the rest of my life.
 
There's not enough definitive research on GABA-B agonists to say at this point. There's a lot of debate over whether long-term benzo abuse can induce enduring or permanent changes, but contrastingly (AFAIK) phenibut has minimal effects on GABA-A if at all.
 
I hope this anhedonia isn't permanent, I starting taking something called nsi-189 which is helping tremendously, I can feel some happiness again, and my mind isn't a blank void/ robot brain anymore now I can hold a conversation and think. But, for the most part im still emotionally numb with empathy,love,sadness,anger, and other things. Also, I have a sexual problem. Its only been 1 month and 24 days though since I been off heavy phenibut doses, ill give it more time and see what happens.
 
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