• Find All Reports by Search Term
    Find Reports
    Find Tagged Reports by Substance
    Substance Category
    Specific Substance
    Find Reports
  • Trip Reports Moderator: Cheshire_Kat

(Valproate / Memantine / Phenibut) - Anxiety!? Hmm.. what was this again?

dopamimetic

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 21, 2013
Messages
2,126
Location
abyss of sobriety
Not really a trip report but think it's nevertheless worth sharing as so many people are fighting with depression, anxiety and especially social anxiety with no real success ... also there are really few reports about valproate for anxiety overall.

Well, I've been having mental problems for my whole lifetime, with anxiety - general but very pronounced in social situations - being the most disabling symptom, depression also being severe from time to time. Tried the usual meds (too many to list them all) with no results but horrible side effects and also some unusual ones, as well as countless other drugs, RCs, supplements and whatnot. What worked were the dissociatives, MXE was like pure chemical magic but I've realized its potential a bit too late, then it was already made illegal here, difficult to obtain and all- also I feared of negative effects when using it too often. This is something I've relativized because I want to live, life is too short to spend any more time in this fucking introverted, awkward-ish shy state, but well ... the MXE era is over. I really miss it.

But now what I've discovered more or less by accident - sodium valproate. Something I'd never have tried on my own, as it's an anti-manic agent and anti-convulsive of which I'd have thought to be depressing, emotionally limiting etc. like these nasty antipsychotics, but I was wrong on this. They put me on it because I've been manic due to 3-MeO-PCP - I'm not really bipolar, unfortunately without chemical aid I only get the downs, but no ups..

So I was really surprised when I thought not to feel anything from the valproate. No bad side effects as the usual meds would come with. But wait, did I say that I don't feel anything? Yeah - the point is the absence of my usual inner tension, anxiety and all. It took some time to identify the effects and find the right dose, for me this is 900mg/d of valproate - together with memantine (a mild NMDA antagonist / 'dissociative' that's prescribed for Alzheimer's and can be used off-label for other things- I've used this one for maybe three years now to help with impulse control and anxiety) - 50mg/d but this is a hefty dosage, I do heavily suspect to have genetically predisposed over-active NMDA receptors - there is a really estimable synergy going on.

Add in some phenibut, maybe 750mg, and you have such a totally relaxed, chilled out state I'd never have imagined that it would be possible to experience while feeling cognitively totally sober, no impairment of memory or judgement at all and also no blunting or limitation of emotions, just feeling so absolutely mellow-ish normal as I've ever wished to feel and never thought it was possible. The anxiolysis is stronger than anything what you could achieve with benzodiazepines because they are too impairing and sedating.

Emotional dissociation without the dissociation at its finest. I'm in so amazing full control of myself, totally chilled and access to memory and cognition has never been easier. If this state only would last ...

Also, it's not depressing. Rather the opposite, completely unlike neuroleptics or even benzodiazepines ... maybe the best comparison would be the acute effects of a high dose of pregabalin but without the intoxication.
 
Very interesting report. I assume you are taking it daily? For how long have you been taking it? Have you observed any change in effects with time or the effects are rather constant?

Have you tried to take memantine + phenibut only, without valproate?
 
I've been taking memantine as a basic medication for at least two years now at 30-40mg/d to help with emotions, anxiety and impulse control ... to get a little dissociation in everyday life, but it makes you lethargic too. The combination of memantine + methylphenidate is nice though, and with phenibut on top of this it might be even greater.

But there's evidence for that the valproate does limit tolerance development to the NMDA antagonists.

The effects aren't really constant yet, it's always up and down but it completely changed my personality to the better, I'm much more in peace with myself and the world now, socializing has become much, much easier and all..
 
Have you tried memantine + phenibut at the same dosages, but without the valproate and memantine + valproate without the phenibut? How the effects would be comparing to the triple combo?

in the second sentence you mean that valproate will limit tolerance development to memantine?

I assume constant phenibut use will result in withdrawal post cessation, how are you going to deal with that?

Thanks for sharing, I would really love to try it.
 
I've been taking memantine as a basic medication for at least two years now at 30-40mg/d to help with emotions, anxiety and impulse control ... to get a little dissociation in everyday life, but it makes you lethargic too. The combination of memantine + methylphenidate is nice though, and with phenibut on top of this it might be even greater.

But there's evidence for that the valproate does limit tolerance development to the NMDA antagonists.

The effects aren't really constant yet, it's always up and down but it completely changed my personality to the better, I'm much more in peace with myself and the world now, socializing has become much, much easier and all..
Wow so many years, I think I finally found what I need and stabilize me. I relate to you in all aspects, and I'm taking memantine as I discovered Ketamine.
I needed to bump this because it might help another awesome alchemyst like us.
 
The only real downside with memantine is insomnia. Be prepared to need a hypnotic if you respond like me and get stimulation from ketamine. It sucks because this was why I had to discontinue it. Currently off any drugs minus caffeine and sober life is so boring. Almost 3 years sober actually. I still crave and miss the dissociative magic. Recently found a leftover bottle of DXM syrup and it was like finally coming home after years. Oh boy. I guess I will try DXM or Auvelity (DXM plus bupropion) again. You can take the man out of the dissociatives but never the dissociatives out of the man. I guess,
 
The only real downside with memantine is insomnia. Be prepared to need a hypnotic if you respond like me and get stimulation from ketamine. It sucks because this was why I had to discontinue it. Currently off any drugs minus caffeine and sober life is so boring. Almost 3 years sober actually. I still crave and miss the dissociative magic. Recently found a leftover bottle of DXM syrup and it was like finally coming home after years. Oh boy. I guess I will try DXM or Auvelity (DXM plus bupropion) again. You can take the man out of the dissociatives but never the dissociatives out of the man. I guess,
Sorry, but I don't understand why you got so much relief from memantine and then stopped.
 
Dunno, Phenibut and Memantine are generally liked.

Valproic Acid, 1-st prescribed for bipolar. Which was a wrong diagnose.
Then for Seizure s because Levetiracetam didn t prevent em,
and had horrible side effects. A even more Hellish med.

After a year orso on VPA you notice you feel zombified.
Ime, and it was subtle and slow but led to nothingness.
Never noticed any GABA-ergic effect on it.

edit: good you kept your dose so low, trouble started for me at 1500 mg.
Got better when i lowered, evt at 750 the bad shit disappeared.
 
Last edited:
The only real downside with memantine is insomnia. Be prepared to need a hypnotic if you respond like me and get stimulation from ketamine. It sucks because this was why I had to discontinue it. Currently off any drugs minus caffeine and sober life is so boring. Almost 3 years sober actually. I still crave and miss the dissociative magic. Recently found a leftover bottle of DXM syrup and it was like finally coming home after years. Oh boy. I guess I will try DXM or Auvelity (DXM plus bupropion) again. You can take the man out of the dissociatives but never the dissociatives out of the man. I guess,
Dopamimetic I have read many of your posts and your insights are a huge help for all these issues. I must say you're very educated in your beliefs, you bring science in a way I see myself as the way you "see", "feel" and "connect" everything. So I'd like to know more about what to expect from memantine in this moment, the dosage and etc. Am I in a moment of true closeness to a real healing this time?
 
Top