Phenibut?

[kl.FS315]

Has anyone here tried Phenibut?  Supposedly it was developed by the russian for cosmonauts.  Although the whole "super soviet scientific athletic technology" bit is usually a bunch of BS.  From what I can tell though it is no joke and coming off it is like kicking a heroin habit.  It amazes me such a supplement is 100% legal to buy here but you need a prescription in russia (and elsewhere).

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=phenibut&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CFoQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FPhenibut&ei=OY93T-uLNIy3twfD3dGDDw&usg=AFQjCNG3Nbscwj1UZSEGtMnv26ZvFoWs6w

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

When my diagnosis was Fibromyalgia, I tried Gabapentin, which is a GABA analogue. The effect that I get from a strong tuday brew feels similar to me to the effect that I got from Gabapentin, including feeling groggy in the morning, so I stopped taking it. Imagine drinking tuday every day then trying to get up for work the next morning, it was rough dragging my ass out of bed, I just wanted to sleep all day. Maybe phenibut is milder, as analogues are often produced to increase their activity or target receptors more specifically.

 

[kl.FS315]

I don't know how accurate the following report is but I read one person's experience was he was a recovering heroin addict and he said the withdrawals from Phenibut were worse than those of heroin. Thats pretty extreme IMO. The manufacturer itself warns to use for 3 days followed by 3 days total cessation. Again that IMO is pretty extreme.

After the research I've done I think I'm going to stick w/ kava.  That natural route is always the best way.  Low tech will beat high tech everytime w/out fail.

 

[kl.new2kava]

I use it intermittantly for insomnia. It takes hours to take effect and is great for sleep, large doses really only seem to put you to sleep and then your all weird and out of it the next day. The threshhold to get intoxicated off it is quite high and dangerous as well, at the point the effect is more comparable to some sort of downer ie. benzo or barbituate.
Be really carefull with this stuff, your body becomes addicted to it quite quickly and the withdrawels it can produce are just as serious as benzos. It's best to use it a couple times a week and not use it for days in row without a washout period in between.

 

[kl.jjs6067]

I use it intermittantly for insomnia. It takes hours to take effect and is great for sleep, large doses really only seem to put you to sleep and then your all weird and out of it the next day. The threshhold to get intoxicated off it is quite high and dangerous as well, at the point the effect is more comparable to some sort of downer ie. benzo or barbituate.
Be really carefull with this stuff, your body becomes addicted to it quite quickly and the withdrawels it can produce are just as serious as benzos. It's best to use it a couple times a week and not use it for days in row without a washout period in between.

Thanks for the review. I was actually quite interested in this, but now that you point out these issues, I may just stick with the tried and true kava

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

I'm going to give Phenibut a try, but I am very careful to allow days between doses in general. I'm also getting some Huperzine A, Piracetam, Picamilon and DMAE. I'm playing with brain plasticity and increasing and decreasing the tendency of new connections to stick to see if it helps creativity.

 

[kl.midas]

I've read a lot about this stuff over at a Social Anxiety forum that I use. Apparently it's great for combating anxiety, but not very practical for long term use. On top of the nasty addiction/withdrawal that's already been mentioned, tolerance builds up really really fast too.

 

[Prince Philip]

Every time this post gets bumped, my brain reads the word "Phenibut" with the same musicality as the Black-Eyed Peas saying "Dirty Bit."

 

[Ozzyfan121]

Yes, I have. As others have mentioned there is a moderate to severe risk of addiction that is accompanied by physical withdrawal symptoms, although they are not even close to being in the same level of hell as heroin withdrawals. For the sake of knowledge, it does have a relatively similar effect to benzodiazepines when administered orally or when insufflated. When injected it mimics more of an opiate high, albeit without the often longed for "rush" and lasting euphoria. I certainly would not recommend using it at all, and if you find it necessary please use it sparingly.

 

[kl.Gray Owl]

Pheniinthebutt... Pheni in the butt, butt, butt...



Wow, I slept great last night, after a Fu'u session then 1 Phenibut capsule. I think it would be great as a Sunday night thing once a week. I'm betting that Picamilon is going to be similar, it's another GABA derivative but with nicotinic acid (niacin) rather than a simple phenyl ring as the substrate, it's supposed to be good for migraines.



This morning I did DMAE followed by Huperzine A, it did seem to increase alertness, but I was also feeling some sonophobia i.e. my normally Vulcan ears were even more sensitive than usual, it was a bit painful on a conference call, and I did have a somewhat loose BM.

 

[kavalover]

So I took 250mg of phenibut before dinner and that stuff was nice, reminded me a lot of a bezno effect which given the method of action I suppose isn't too surprising. I'm studying at the moment with some Fu'u and am about to pop another 250mg capsule to get down to business. Multivariable calculus and kava were crafted by god to go together, by the way.



Given the info you guys have given as well as the info I've dug up in my 3 hours spent at the library earlier on phenibut and the potential addiction, I'm surprised at the label on my bottle of phenibut. I'm actually surprised at our dietary supplement labels in general as they require one to actually understand what it is they are ingesting, as the labels are almost useless and one in the same, but you would think there would be more warning other than "allow a 2 - 3 day washout period" - you know?



Ah well. I'm off.

 

[Kojo Douglas]

Does this really belong in a forum about Kava? Hard to say. I'd rather let people talk about what they want to talk about, but I hope this place doesn't become a "legal high" forum.

 

[Ozzyfan121]

From what I've seen, most people here are just looking for alternative anxiolytics. It seems that those who take interest in kava have some excess stress or anxiety that they wish to alleviate. That being said, I do share your concern, and would recommend to everyone Bluelight as a consistently good harm reduction/experience forum, depending on your comfort level with the topics frequently discussed.

 

[kavalover]

From what I've seen, most people here are just looking for alternative anxiolytics. It seems that those who take interest in kava have some excess stress or anxiety that they wish to alleviate. That being said, I do share your concern, and would recommend to everyone Bluelight as a consistently good harm reduction/experience forum, depending on your comfort level with the topics frequently discussed.

^this. for me, it's not exactly about getting high as much as it is about trying to survive.(smiley: eyes)

i'm a regular on blughlight amongst many other harm reduction forums though, so if this is not proper conversation on your forum I will happily oblige and keep other drug topics there. just let us know. i both share and understand the potential concerns as well.

 

[Ozzyfan121]

I personally could care less what people choose to talk about; other people do, and that's understandable. I definitely get what you mean about the trying to survive; I'm on board with you there.

 

[kl.KarmaG]

I definitely see both sides of the coin here. I myself looked into phenibut back before I found kava but decided against it because if its very real potential for addiction and what sounds like horrible withdrawals. I understand where Vesuvio Cat is coming from in not wanting this to turn into a legal highs forum, but on the other hand it is nice to have a "one stop shop" so to speak for those of us who are looking for alternative solutions to stress and anxiety rather than just chasing a high like on a lot of the other forums. Those other forums are great for harm reduction advice, though, and that's where I got most of my info about the nasty side effects of phenibut if not used properly and with caution.

 

[Kojo Douglas]

Just to clarify, I am not interested in monitoring what is and isn't being discussed here. I have no interest in censoring or guiding discussions. I was just expressing my opinion. There are a lot of good places to discuss different ways of getting high. For those of you who use Kava as a medicine that helps you get by, I am very happy for you. I would recommend combining it with other mechanisms - as I did when I was younger - to combat social anxiety and stress. Up until I was around 23 or 24, I also suffered from social anxiety. Jogging, writing, meditating, initiating new hobbies are good ways to go. Smoking opiates and getting into substances as addictive as heroin? Probably not a good path. But that's your choice, not mine.