Misc L-Theanine during Phenibut taper

[Joey24x18]

I'm currently tapering off of a 5 month daily phenibut addiction. I've decreased my dosage 100mg a day from 3g to 2.1g. At this point during the day I feel fine. But at night I can feel waves of anxiety come over me and this sort of pressure like feeling in my head. Its also getting harder to fall asleep.
I have kava, xanax, and L-Theanine set aside for when im completely off this shit, but I'm wondering if I take the l-Theanine at night while still tapering off the phenibut will it effect my taper? I'm hoping it'll take the edge off just enough to get asleep. I've honestly never taken l-Theanine before so I don't even know how it'll effect me.
I'm super worried about the situation I've put myself in and any lasting effects it may cause.
I read posts where people say the withdrawal is 5-7 days but could that even possibly be true with such a long habit as mine? Then I read where some people say they have PAWS from the withdrawal and that worries me even more. Fuck me and my addictive personality for putting myself in this hole.

 

[Blackout2906]

If you can find some neurontin you will be able to do a rapid taper with minimal discomfort. That's what I did with my raging phenibut addiction that I had last year. I've been on neurontin ever since but it's a med with way less side effects than whack ass phenibut.

 

[Joey24x18]

I'm really trying not to substitute this addiction for another one. I've been looking for neurontin though, it's just incredibly difficult to find on the street here. If I got hooked on it I wouldn't even be able to find it lol my docs an ass and won't prescribe me shit either.

 

[Runyamire]

Some people find that theanine actually interferes with sleep and prefer to only use it during the day. Do you take anything else for sleep? There's lots of non-prescription options: melatonin, kava, magnesium (taurate is best for sleep), valerian, chamomile, diphenhydramine. If you're doing okay during the day and just have trouble at night try some of those, they can really help.

I've been using phenibut daily as well, and I know it's going to get difficult eventually, but so far the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. I hope the rest of your taper goes well, just take it slow and try not to stress yourself worrying about what ifs.

 

[Joey24x18]

I have a pound of kava but I'm trying to save it for when I'm completely off the phenibut. I may pick up some melatonin and give it a try. DPH makes me feel like shit when I wake up though. If it gets too bad though I may resort to that.
I know what you're saying with not worrying about the what ifs. I feel like most my anxiety is because I'm worrying about the anxiety that's yet to come. Lol. Phenibut really does work wonders at first. I could of probably kept going with no problems for months. I just want to get off because I'm sure the longer you go the worst it is coming off.

 

[Runyamire]

Yeah, saving the kava may be smart. Melatonin will really help though, I've been taking it every night for years. It's commonly sold in 5mg tabs, but that may be too much if you've not taken it before. 1 or 3mg may be better to start with. Magnesium is great too, really helps the body relax.

We are our own worst enemies sometimes when it comes to anxiety. I've been there. But you can take comfort in the fact that you're making a positive choice for yourself. It's great that you chose to quit before you were forced to by other circumstances. Wish you the best with it!

 

[FIR3man]

Try to get some oxcarbazepine (Trileptal).
It is a mood stabilizer, anti-convulsant, and a great aid of coming off GABA type addictions.
It isn't replacing one addiction for another, and it is also NOT a benzo or GABAergic drug.
It's a sodium channel blocker, but the places it effects in the brain are right next to GABA subtype receptors.
I slightly fools your body into thinking you took a GABAergic, and will ease the WD effects greatly (I have experience with it for this same purpose, only mine was phenibut and benzos) IT STILL WORKED THOUGH.

I think it would greatly help taking 300mg 2xday (when you wake up, and between dinner and bedtime)
It doesn't have sedative properties so it wont make you sleep, but it may let the wd ease up so you can sleep.
You could also add OTC doxylamine at bedtime, and a Vitamin B Complex in the afternoon.
You can do this! Keep it up and it will pay off once you're free of the grasp of the drug.

Eating healthy and exercise will help immensely and they are hardly ever mentioned, people should know this!

Other things OTC or internet order that may help induce sleep and comfort you. I wont mention ones already stated.. heres a few:

-Tianeptine (dose only at bedtime and stop use when wds are over, it can have a slight addiction potential but used like I suggested will keep you in the clear)

-Calms forte..

NSFW:

-DXM (cough medicine, 60mg before bed along with 1 Doxylamine tablet, follow that with a B Complex and Vitamin C in the AM with a cup of coffee)

Goodluck!

 

[Runyamire]

Good suggestions fir3man! I wasn't familiar with oxcarbazepine, I'll have to look into that for when I quit phenibut.

One thing about tianeptine though, it can have a mild stimulating effect for people who have not taken it before, so taking it at bedtime may be counterproductive. I take it regularly and it's wonderful for easing stress and depression, but personally I would recommend using it during the day until you've adjusted to it.

 

[Joey24x18]

How would I even go about getting oxcarbazepine though? Sometimes I feel like everyone else must have awesome doctors because mine won't prescribe me anything other than citalopram and similar shitty meds like it. If I could get some baclofen, neurontin, gabapentin, or whatever this oxcarbazepine stuff is I would in a heart beat lol
I'm down to 2g at this point and it's almost 12am and my anxiety is destroying me. This is the worst it's been so far... my whole body feel hot and tingly and my head feels all fuzzy. My heart rate is super fast and I can hear it beating in my head. I'm super tempted to redose but I want to get off this shit so bad. If this is at 2g Idk how I'm supposed to make it any further down. How bad would jumping off a 6 month phenibut habit at 2g be? I'd imagine pretty fucking terrible. I work 6 days a week and I'd probably lose my mind lol fml man

 

[belfort]

neurontin was a lifesaver when it came to getting off phenibut...problem is, i went back to phenibut as it does have a few very positive effects i like..as for side effects i noticed much worse side effects while taking neurontin than i did phenibut..neurontin worked great for 3-4 days but then it turned on me and i started getting nasty side effects..

 

[ThePharmacist4925]

Yeah I just got off phenibut a few weeks back, I thought it was going to be mild as it is legal but it was one of the worst withdrawals I've ever had. I used propranolol and Intiniv at first them when I got my gabapentin script I used that to successfully get of phenibut. L-Theanine didn't seem to have an effect on the detox even in high doses. Best of luck phenibut is difficult to get off of, but show your spirit and be a trooper and you'll win the war

 

[Runyamire]

Both oxcarbazepine and gabapentin are unscheduled, so you could order them online if unable to get a script.

Jumping off cold turkey would probably be really bad, but it would be quick. Acute withdrawal would be over in about a week, of course that's a week where you'd probably be unable to fulfill any obligations. Continuing the taper would lessen the severity, but it will be weeks or months of feeling out of sorts. If by doctor you meant general practitioner, you should try to see a psychiatrist. They would be more familiar with substance dependency management and would be more willing to prescribe something that could actually help.

If it were me, I'd probably bump the phenibut back up just a little, then continue tapering down more slowly. But don't take that as advice, that's just what my (probably poor) choice would be.

 

[Joey24x18]

I feel like um just fucked at this point. I work 6 day's a week and there's no way I can take a week off to withdrawal. I'm sick as fuck now too, I think a chest infection. That combined with the anxiety is just fucking with my head.