6 replies to this topic

[Estimated Prophet]

Is that even possible? The reason I'm wondering is because I took it two or three times last week (I was off for the week and get anxious when I'm sitting around doing nothing) and then after a few days I was really anxious. I didn't attribute the anxiety to phenibut, so I took some phenibut to relieve it. The next couple days I was slightly anxious but it wasn't a big deal. Then Wednesday night when I was getting ready for bed I noticed some tinnitus and after two hours of trying to fall asleep I just took some phenibut. The next morning my BP was through the roof, I felt a tightness in my chest, I was short of breath, the tinnitus was still there and I was really anxious. At lunch I checked my BP and it was 173/100 so I called my doc and went to see him at 4PM. He checked my BP and it was still 160 and after talking to me he seemed kind of confused as the what could've caused it. He did ask me about alcohol consumption a few times (I only drink a handful of times a year) and that made me think that maybe it was the phenibut. Bad phenibut withdrawal would definitely explain the tinnitus, the BP spike, and the anxiety.

So, do you guys think this is all phenibut withdrawal or something else? I'm hoping it's just phenibut withdrawal because then I know it'll just go away and I'll never have to worry about it again. If it is phenibut withdrawal, is there anything I can do to lessen the symptoms until it's run its course? I've done some reading and it looks like l-theanine, l-taurine, magnesium, and bacopa might help.

[Estimated Prophet]

It's been a few days so I figured I'd update and add a little more info.

First, I'd like to add that I'd been taking ashwagandha for close to 3 months with a couple weeks off about a month and a half ago. I also had a few energy drinks the weekend before last that had taurine and beta-alanine. Could the combination of all these explain why I got addicted to phenibut so easily?

Now for the update. Today is day 5 of no GABAergics and my BP is down, but still quite high. Yesterday morning it was 157/95. The tinnitus hasn't gone away yet and it seems like the anxiety just keeps getting worse. I'm super nervous and jittery today and it just feels like nonstop adrenaline. If the anxiety gets much worse I don't know if I can handle it.

Has anybody heard about having such intense withdrawal from phenibut with such little usage? How long does the withdrawal usually last and for how long should I expect the anxiety to keep getting worse? Also, is there anything I can do to help with this? I've quit my stack for now, as well as caffeine, and I'm only taking vitamin D, magnesium, and bacopa. Cannabis is the only thing I've found that helps with the anxiety, but I've found that it either makes the tinnitus louder or just makes me focus on it more. Cannabis is also not an option for weekdays because of work.

[Raza]

My fairly extensive experience with phenibut is not that such levels of withdrawal happen after such short and non-continuous use, but that doesn't rule anything out.

Looks like you're using various GABAergics, a and b alike, but all of them of kinds that don't usually cause major changes in receptor levels. Only caffeine (when taken) and Ashwagandha and Theanine (when discontinued) would contribute to low GABA-B activity, although low a and b activity would add up interchangeably towards anxiety.

Magnesium may help a little and won't hurt regardless. Bacopa and cannabis agonize 5-HT1a, which causes anxiolysis without GABA-activity, so they may be preferable to GABAergics insofar as GABA receptor downregulation is the cause of your increased anxiety, which IMO is dubious at this point. It's always good to cycle, though.

If I were you I'd score some Kava Kava. It improves GABA-a stimulation while upregulating it's receptors, helping both immediately and on the long term. Beware that you're only buying root extracts, though, the leaves and/or stems are suspected to cause hepatotoxicity.

Edited by Raza, 27 August 2012 - 05:36 PM.

[Estimated Prophet]

Thanks for the info. I may give kava a try. I checked my BP again today and it's down to 144/92, so that's good. Also, I forgot to mention before that I had also been taking theanine and caffeine pretty regularly and I went kinda crazy with energy drinks when I was off work a couple weeks ago. I'm guessing all of this in combination is what put me in the position I'm in, because I sure as hell can't think of any other reason for it.

[kimrick]

I used too much phenibut for several weeks, although it was nice while the effect lasted. Things went south after that and I believe it had long-term damaging effects on me. That's all I want to say. Good luck to you.

[renfr]

Thanks for the info. I may give kava a try. I checked my BP again today and it's down to 144/92, so that's good. Also, I forgot to mention before that I had also been taking theanine and caffeine pretty regularly and I went kinda crazy with energy drinks when I was off work a couple weeks ago. I'm guessing all of this in combination is what put me in the position I'm in, because I sure as hell can't think of any other reason for it.

Good to hear your BP is down, it will likely go down overtime, same for jitters.
However for tinnitus there is not much to hope, it is usually permanent.

[stablemind]

Thanks for the info. I may give kava a try. I checked my BP again today and it's down to 144/92, so that's good. Also, I forgot to mention before that I had also been taking theanine and caffeine pretty regularly and I went kinda crazy with energy drinks when I was off work a couple weeks ago. I'm guessing all of this in combination is what put me in the position I'm in, because I sure as hell can't think of any other reason for it.

Good to hear your BP is down, it will likely go down overtime, same for jitters.
However for tinnitus there is not much to hope, it is usually permanent.

I've had tinnitus before and I thought it was incurable but these days I don't even notice it.