Benzos Etizolam for Phenibut Withdrawal

[vinny123]

Hi,

I really hope somebody can help me. I messed up with phenibut and took between 1-3 g a day for the past week with only one 2 day break. Obviously, I'm going to suffer withdrawals. I've read online that some people recommend kava and others recommend a benzo since benzos affect the GABAa receptors while phenibut primarily acts on the GABAb receptors. Would anybody be able to tell me if I can use etizolam to get me through the next week? Will this just prolong withdrawals?

I've only been through phenibut withdrawal once before and that was after a week of very high dosage. I've taken phenibut for maybe 4 days in a row and didn't have withdrawals but I believe that I will likely go thorough them this time. If anybody could please give me some direction, I would really appreciate it! Thanks.

 

[muskolo]

I've read of others casually mentioning the benefits of using benzos for phenibut withdrawal, effectively numbing out any withdrawal from phenibut. I would imagine etizolam to do the same. Wish I would have thought of it when I had my phenibut withdrawal experience a month ago! My advice, FWIW, is to just maintain for a few days on low a dose as possible and ride out. I would think you'd be fine but hopefully someone else can give their own experience or a more educated answer.

Also, consider adding some kratom as that was a God-send for me but I use kratom daily.

Welcome to Bluelight!

 

[Pill__Head]

1-3g a day only, for 2 weeks, of phenibut (OTC drug), yes it may be addcting, but I think you will be fine.. I doubt phenibut stimulates anywhere near the amount in the GABA receptors than you phenibut...so unless you actully start getting bad WD symptoms, then maybe come back for advise on etizolam, but as of now it is only going to extend the WDs (if they even are to come)...

EDIT:I'd like to add this may be very psychological ( up in your head ); Did you by chance read the warning on the label of your phenibut container, and now your freaked out..maybe im wrong though, im always up to be proved wrong

 

[vinny123]

Thanks guys. IDK, the last time this happened I took a lot of phenibut but within a short period of time. Anyway, it was absolutely terrible I thought I was literally breaking from reality. Opiate withdrawal is nothing compared to that. Maybe I am just freaking out because I do not want to go through that again. I can't take phenibut, I don't have the discipline. It's also too unpredictable for me.

In any case, I think what I am going to do is wait it out and see if any withdrawal symptoms manifest themselves and if they do, take small doses of etizolam. I don't have a previous benzo addiction so it's not as though I am currently on anything other than this last week of phenibut.

Musk, thanks for the suggestion for kratom. I've only tried it once and it made me violently ill so I doubt I'll try that again!

 

[pinpoint]

1-3g a day only, for 2 weeks, of phenibut (OTC drug), yes it may be addcting, but I think you will be fine..

That may be true of a lot of other drugs but not when it comes to Phenibut. It causes real dependence in less than a week. I can't use it more than 2 days in a row without significant withdrawal symptoms.

 

[Pill__Head]

That may be true of a lot of other drugs but not when it comes to Phenibut. It causes real dependence in less than a week. I can't use it more than 2 days in a row without significant withdrawal symptoms.

Ive used up to a week straight , high doses, like 4x what the OP was using, and I never felt any W/D...obviously its individualistic, but still.

 

[vinny123]

Ive used up to a week straight , high doses, like 4x what the OP was using, and I never felt any W/D...obviously its individualistic, but still.

That's interesting. I've read of people using it for up to two weeks straight with no problems but then others use it for 3 days straight and suffer severe withdrawal. I've had times where after using for a few days I start to feel like complete shit so I take a small dose and that fixes it with no withdrawal later. Again, it's very, very unpredictable.

 

[Thanatos9]

Etizolam is far more addictive than phenibut.

 

[vinny123]

Etizolam is far more addictive than phenibut.

I disagree only because you can take etizolam for a week and feel 'off' for a week or two but phenibut does far far worse after a few days of use. I still haven't been able to find much on my original question but the few people that did post their experiences say it got them through the week pretty much unscathed. I really don't have a choice, I just wanted to know if others had done this. Anyway, I think this is my last dance with phenibut although I always say that in the face of withdrawal.

 

[liftedgift]

Just take GABAPENTIN. I got off of a 6month daily phenibut binge by tapering down and then using 900-1200mg of gabapentin each day for 4 days. You can eat benzos too though, I wouldn't recommend more than a couple days but they hit different receptors. On day 6 or 7 of no phenibut I ate some etizolam and was fine, not like it brought back the phenibut WD or anything they hit different parts of your brain.

 

[HdoubleODeezy]

^ +! i agree..
It also works the other way around for those of you who are like me who are forced stop to gabapentin.
They seem to be very much alike, i switched over to phenibut and keep my last rx of gabapentin around for when it's time to take a phenibut break.
A few days of it and that's all i need. I take benzos daily also.
Gabapentin for a few days would be best for stopping phenibut IMO/IME for sure.
But if you are unable to get any, etizolam will help the shitty feeling but not mask it completely or rid you of wd's like gabapentin would.

Note i only take 1.5grams phenibut a day ~500mg 3xday (used to be much more until i realized it works just as well in lower doses for me in combo with my benzos).

Good luck OP.

-HOOD

 

[vinny123]

^ +! i agree..
It also works the other way around for those of you who are like me who are forced stop to gabapentin.
They seem to be very much alike, i switched over to phenibut and keep my last rx of gabapentin around for when it's time to take a phenibut break.
A few days of it and that's all i need. I take benzos daily also.
Gabapentin for a few days would be best for stopping phenibut IMO/IME for sure.
But if you are unable to get any, etizolam will help the shitty feeling but not mask it completely or rid you of wd's like gabapentin would.

Note i only take 1.5grams phenibut a day ~500mg 3xday (used to be much more until i realized it works just as well in lower doses for me in combo with my benzos).

Good luck OP.

-HOOD

Thanks a lot! Unfortunately, I do not have any access to gabapentin but I think having the etizolam as well as metoprolol should get me through it. I've also taken 1 gram of Phenibut today and will take 500mg tomorrow so the jump isn't as bad.

 

[HdoubleODeezy]

Any way you could get something like clonidine or guanfacine instead of a betablocker like metoprolol?
I've just found IME that beta blockers wont help much but high blood pressure and tachycardia.
The alpha ones are the ones that can help with things other than just regulation of your heart so to speak.
Clonidine in combo with the etizolam would help a lot. Rather easy to get rx'd or (if you need to) its commonly prescribed to many people.. you know what im getting at.
No i dont usually condone people getting meds from other people for whom they are prescribed.
But isn't that pretty much how we buy rx drugs off the street? lol.
Anyways, see if you can grab some somehow just enough for maybe .1mg (100mcg) 2-3xday WITHOUT taking the metoprolol (could cause dangerously low BP).
If you can't do that either tho than i guess make the best outta what you got .
Could you maybe stabilize at the 500mg for a few days before jumping off? and maybe start taking 1mg etiz at bed time while at 500mg phenibut if your body starts punishing you for needing more.. than you could lower to 250mg/day and take 1mg etiz AM and 1mg PM for a couple days.
Then make the jump off it completely and take the etiz however you had planned to use it dosing wise.
You may find that a low dose of etiz a couple times a day with low dose phenibut is actually quite manageable and works well combined.
Then once your body is used to having both and you feel "stable" stop the phenibut and keep on the etiz until wd stops and then taper etiz to nothing..
That would be like lowering one usage while building up a different substance and than slowly taking one away while upping the other (hopefully at least painful as possible when lowering the phenibut) and then after, just taper off the etiz.
That is my suggestion for a longer less painful taper. Just depends on whether you like longer less serious wds or shorter more harsh ones, completely your call.
And i also wanna mention and ill put it in bold so others know im not advocating trading one addiction for another for an extended period of time: etizolam can be addicting too Maybe do this all within 3weeks-1 month tops and you should be safe.
Please dont start a benzo addiction tho because of my suggestions on dosing. Only do what im suggesting if you think you can take etiz for 3 weeks (without crazy high dosing) and not become dependent on it.
Some people will disagree with what im saying.
I am aware we all have different views on coming off certain drugs and i agree with the people saying watch out for benzo addiction, because in MY case.. i DONT need to stop the benzos, ive already mentioned i take them daily (i cant stop them, its the only addiction i can't beat lol).

Again good luck and feel free to message me if you need to.
Hope you can beat this. Positive vibes sent your way.. you can do it! %)

-HOOD

 

[vinny123]

Hey, thanks HdoubleODeezy. Everything I have read says Gabapentin will totally eliminate withdrawals so I very much wish I had some. Since I know no one who is prescribed it and don't want to go to the doctor and explain to them what phenibut is and then try to explain why gabapentin will help only to be prescribed SSRIs (my doctor does that for everything), I am going to have to rely on the etizolam and also some l-theanine (which I've read seems to work? Doubt that). Thanks for your input on the metoprolol, too. I only planned on using that since I have access to it and took one during the last and only other time I've w/d from phenibut and it stopped the tachycardia. However, if I have to use it I will be very careful and conservative with its dosage.

Your post is going to help me a lot and I thank you for taking the time to give me a detailed response. My etizolam should arrive tomorrow so today I just took a 500mg dose of phenibut to hold the w/d off. I've read a lot of conflicting information such as people using for 2 weeks at doses such as mine and being fine with only some depression and lethargy. Others, thought they were going to die. Big difference!! There is no doubt in my mind that this time will be easier, though. I didn't know what I was doing last time and was on pretty high doses. I can't imagine this time will compare to that, but who knows.

 

[pinpoint]

Actually, l-theanine is excellent for stopping a withdrawal-induced panic attack. It didn't do shit when I went through GABA-A withdrawal, but for some reason was great at calming down GABA-B withdrawals. YMMV. Kava is great for GABA-A withdrawal and l-theanine is great for GABA-B withdrawal IME.

 

[vinny123]

Actually, l-theanine is excellent for stopping a withdrawal-induced panic attack. It didn't do shit when I went through GABA-A withdrawal, but for some reason was great at calming down GABA-B withdrawals. YMMV. Kava is great for GABA-A withdrawal and l-theanine is great for GABA-B withdrawal IME.

I'll be damned, after doing a little more research you're right. I had no idea that doses of 600mg+ it has psychoactive potential. I don't raise this point to say I am just going to try and get a buzz, obviously not. I'm just surprised it has that potential. Definitely going to add that to my arsenal!

EDIT: You guys have made me feel much more comfortable with what's approaching. I never would have thought to look into L-theanine if not for the above post. I have the terrible and ignorant habit of "If Rite-Aid sells it, it's not any good". Thank You.

 

[Jktm]

It might help, but you shouldn't have any severe withdrawals seeing as you only used for a week, unless you've been SEVERELY GABA-dependent in the past. You also took a break. You might have some breakthrough anxiety/insomnia, but that's the most you should experience.

As you said Phenibut primarily agonizes GABA-b receptors while Benzo's primarily agonize GABA-a receptors, so don't expect complete relief. I advise against this though, because you could start abusing the etizolam (which is just poor man's Xanax from what I've gathered), get dependent on it, and then have some SERIOUS issues.

 

[muskolo]

I actually used metoprolol during phenibut withdrawal a couple of months ago as well. It worked and helped me get through a few panic attacks or prevented them because there was no rapid heart beat.

Why not go to the doctor and explain you were taking phenibut which affects the GABAb receptor and you didn't realize that this OTC supplement can cause w/d symptoms from a few days of use? Let them know that gabapentin will stop the more serious symptoms. Just a suggestion. Again, I have to recommend kratom as it made a world of difference in how I felt for that week even if I didn't have anything else.

EDIT: Get it capsulized or capsule it yourself if it makes you sick!

 

[pinpoint]

I'll be damned, after doing a little more research you're right. I had no idea that doses of 600mg+ it has psychoactive potential. I don't raise this point to say I am just going to try and get a buzz, obviously not. I'm just surprised it has that potential. Definitely going to add that to my arsenal!

EDIT: You guys have made me feel much more comfortable with what's approaching. I never would have thought to look into L-theanine if not for the above post. I have the terrible and ignorant habit of "If Rite-Aid sells it, it's not any good". Thank You.

Yep, it won't get you buzzed for sure (it's a non-essential amino acid), but it will give a feeling of serene calm - it's found naturally in tea. I use the liftmode brand & highly recommend it for cost & effectiveness.

 

[vinny123]

So, just a little update. From what I understand, it takes appox 24-36 hours before phenibut withdrawl actually begins. I'm currently at 32 hours since last dose of 500mg and have had only minor anxiety and depression much like Jtkm predicted. I would expect by now that if I was going to be in full blown withdrawal, it would be by now. I took 3mg of etizolam today because I could feel some minor anxiety and depression but nothing ridiculous.

So, I'm starting to feel pretty confident that I might be free from the more serious aspects of phenibut withdrawal. Perhaps I really was working myself into a frenzies because my last experience was so horrid. I guess the best explanation I could come up with is that, the last time I was taking huge doses up to 8g a day over the course of a week which threw me into full blown withdrawal. I hope I'm not being premature but by most accounts, if I was going to be in the throws of withdrawal, it would be now peaking at day 5. What do you all think? Still to early to make that call or am I most likely in the clear?

EDIT: I've used etizolam in the past sparingly but did not develop a dependence on it., so I am aware of the high addiction potential. Have no desire to take more than needed if any serious problems arise.