Gabapentin - Psychedelic and Visual potential

[bloodshed344]

What do you guys think about the psychedelic components of gabapentin? It is not a 5-ht2a agonist in anyway but it does cause psychedelic effects, at least in some. Effects I've experienced from 2400 mg - Prominent visuals , music in my head , very weird closed eye visuals.

I'm also interested in potential psychedelic effects of chemicals related to gabapentin.

The visual effects are not very strong, but they are quite vivid and beautiful.


So, is gabapentin a potential psychedelic drug? Because the mindset seems similar.

EDIT to mention the closed eye visuals are more lifelike than life itself, almost dream like. They are the best closed eyed visuals alongside 25C, clonazepam, and DXM.

 

[dingophone]

I don't get quite the extreme visuals, but yes I do agree that gabapentin definitely shares some characteristics with psychedelics. To me it feels like its a unique mix between a mild depressant and psychedelic, which makes it a really nice mellow buzz. I personally prefer it to benzos, but obviously YMMV

 

[psood0nym]

I really enjoy gabapentin's ability to produce what feels like an amplified good mood and its wonky "proprioception on stilts" effects, but I've never had any of the psychedelic effects some report despite having dosed upwards of 4 grams. As far as the psychedelic potential of similar compounds is concerned, I suppose pregabalin is your best alternative. From what I've read it doesn't produce the rapid tolerance gabapentin does, though users who have tried both are divided on which drug is more enjoyable. Be careful though, despite the liberal prescribing of these drugs by doctors forum discussion indicates withdrawal from these is especially long-lasting and vicious.

Aside from pregabalin, subjectively speaking, I find phenibut to be the closest in effects to gabapentin, though it doesn't have the same wobbly equilibrium effects of gabapentin and higher doses of it change the buzz into overstimulation that makes me want to jump out of my skin. Withdrawal effects from phenibut onset rapidly and are comparable to benzo withdrawals, though reportedly aren't as severe. I haven't experienced any psychedelic effects from phenibut either though, and find it somewhat comparable to low dose GHB. The pharmacology of gabapentin isn't fully known, but it's not thought to be a gaba b agonist like phenibut. From wiki's gabapentin page:

Gabapentin was initially synthesized to mimic the chemical structure of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), but is not believed to act on the same brain receptors. The mechanism of action that leads to its rapid[dubious – discuss] analgesic effect is simply unknown.

Some of its activity may involve interaction with voltage-gated calcium channels. Gabapentin binds to the α2δ subunit (1 and 2) and has been found to reduce calcium currents after chronic but not acute application via an effect on trafficking[44] of voltage-dependent calcium channels in the central nervous system.[45] Another possible mechanism of action, reported by Ben Barres and colleagues in Cell in 2009, is that gabapentin halts the formation of new synapses.[46]
Mechanism of action

Gabapentin interacts with cortical neurons at auxiliary subunits of voltage-sensitive calcium channels. Gabapentin increases the synaptic concentration of GABA, enhances GABA responses at non-synaptic sites in neuronal tissues, and reduces the release of mono-amine neurotransmitters. One of the mechanisms implicated in this effect of gabapentin is the reduction of the axon excitability measured as an amplitude change of the presynaptic fibre volley (FV) in the CA1 area of the hippocampus. This is mediated through its binding to presynaptic NMDA receptors. Other studies have shown that the antihyperalgesic and antiallodynic effects of gabapentin are mediated by the descending noradrenergic system, resulting in the activation of spinal alpha2-adrenergic receptors. Gabapentin has also been shown to bind and activate the adenosine A1 receptor.

From this it's hard to know what other drugs might be similar to gabapentin. From what I've read development of other related drugs has been abandoned for various reasons. Gabapentin is weird. Pregabalin, and I think gabapentin, are "transported across the blood–brain barrier by the system L neutral amino acid transporter protein." I believe this is the transporter being referred to in an Advanced Drug Discussion post I've read that attempts to explain why staggering gabapentin at low doses (200 mg) combined with light snacks every 45-60 minutes works better to get high for some people than taking high doses all at once. Apparently there's only so much of this transporter available and so high doses can saturate it, leaving all the remaining gabapentin at a higher risk of being pissed out until more transporter protein is freed up (I suspect this isn't the full story but that's all I can think of). Gabapentin's reliance on the transporter protein is why many drugs related to gabapentin that work by similar mechanisms when squirted directly on neurons in a petri dish haven't made it to market: they don't bind to the protein so they don't cross the blood brain barrier. Atagablalin and 4-methylpregabalin do bind to it, however, though the former is still in development for possible treatment of insomnia and the future of the latter is uncertain. So for now you're out of luck as far as I can tell.

 

[Toz]

Gabapentin for me is far away from psychedelics and much closer to benzos. There are no visuals are anything of the sort, although friends have gotten visuals from my pills sometimes. I used to eat 3600mg daily.