DOSE: T+ 0:00	20 mg	oral	Pharms - Citalopram	(daily)
T+ 0:00	4 g	oral	Smarts - Phenibut	(capsule)
T+ 4:00	2 g	oral	Smarts - Phenibut	(capsule)
T+ 4:15	1 cup	oral	Coffee
T+ 4:50		oral	Caffeine	(liquid)

BODY WEIGHT:

77.6 kg

I bought Phenibut off of an online vendor not really knowing anything about it. I had originally planned to purchase GABA to use as a sleep aid. I know that GABA does not cross the blood-brain barrier however, and so I became interested in Phenibut when I learnt that it did. I was also hoping that Phenibut, as a GABAergic, may be useful in eliminating alcohol related hangovers similar to Valium or low-dose Xanax. I believe it is best practice to always research new chemicals before trying them and this is when I learnt that Phenibut may have some recreational value in providing a legal high.

EXPERIENCE:

Things to note:
I consider myself to be an experienced psychonaut and although I have been predominantly clean for many years now, I believe my tolerance to many substances are substantially higher than the general population.

I am currently taking 20mg of Citalopram (SSRI) daily at approximately 0700 hrs – taken at 0820 hrs on day of report. I had a moderately full stomach when I consumed the Phenibut and this may have played a role in reducing any affect.

17:00 – I ingest 16 x 250mg caps of Phenibut.
18:10 – I am out shopping and feeling a very minimal effect, possibly pseudoeffect.
18:45 – I am definitely feeling something now, slightly light headed with an extremely minor inability to visually focus.
19:00 – I experience the onset of exceedingly mild euphoria as well as an energetic feeling very much akin to butterflies in my chest.
19:20 – I now have a slight headache with feels like it is originating from my forehead, its not too bad.
21:00 – A friend of mine has come over and I am noticing I can be a little more talkative when explaining/describing things. However, I am also feeling a bit spaced out which is making socializing a little more uncomfortable than if I was sober. I am still experiencing the butterflies in my chest.

21:00 – I ingest another 8 x 250mg Phenibut caps.
21:10 – I read that decreasing the pH of ones stomach can speed the onset of Phenibut and that caffeine can be a good potentiator.
21:15 – I drink a coffee.
21:50 – I experience the onset of minor nystagmus, apart from this I am feeling much the same and am still conversing with my friend. Effects are all very minor. My housemate has no idea I have consumed any substances and I believe this is a good indication of how minor the effects are.
21:50 – I drink a sugar-free V energy drink.

21:55 – The physical effects: nystagmus and butterflies are similar qualities to what I may experience on MDMA. However, the emotional entactogenic effects and euphoria are not there. I believe this may be why some people have likened Phenibut to MDMA. I would hardly say these physical effects are overly enjoyable. The feeling in my head is similar to what I may feel if I had consumed an excessive amount of MDMA to the point where I have severely depleted my level of serotonin. More MDMA wouldn't bring on love, and unfortunately, for me, neither does Phenibut.

[Erowid Note: Driving while intoxicated, tripping, or extremely sleep deprived is dangerous and irresponsible because it endangers other people. Don't do it!]
22:30 – My libido has dramatically increased and as I have driven my friend home and dropped him off (I had no difficultly driving at all), I decide to explore this further. Orgasming was extremely satisfying as it lasted much longer than usual, possibly twice as long. I do not feel the orgasm was more intense than usual.
23:00 – The effects of Phenibut are much the same but steadily intensifying. I note that I feel mildly pleasant but that at this stage I do not feel Phenibut is worth consuming recreationally. I have a slight head-spin, nystagmus and headache.
23:20 – I feel my appetite has increased and I eat some toast and yogurt. I believe my sensation of taste has intensified as well as my perception of colours. Colours and tastes are more vibrant.
23:30 – I feel as if I am being sedated to the point where the effects of the coffee and energy drinks are being almost totally masked.

00:15 – I have definitely plateaued. I have nystagmus and a head-spin. I feel OK but definitely not amazing. I am also feeling somewhat sedated. I note that my eyes feel as if they have shrunk and they feel sunken into my head. This feels the opposite of what one may experience on amphetamines where their eyes may swell and bulge from their head.
00:40 – I orgasm again. This time it was no-where near as enjoyable and it feels as if the experience is actually flattened somewhat. Definitely not as intense or as long lasting. My libido is definitely still increased however.
00:45 – I note that the effects of Phenibut are beginning to subside.
01:30 – I experience minor nausea which is really not overly noticeable.
02:20 – Closing my eyes feels amazing and I feel I need sleep soon. My muscles are beginning to twitch, I have slight pins and needles in my chest and I can still feel a sort of throbbing energy. The throbbing energy is what the butterflies in my chest has morphed into.

At this point I fall into a DEEP sleep marked by weird postures. For example, I woke up at one time kneeling down face first onto my head, with a lot of drool coming out of mouth and my left arm wedged under me so much that it was completely dead (from nerve compression) – I rated it as the most dead limb that I have ever woken up to. I have also never woken up to find I was sleeping on my knees.

07:30 – I wake up extremely groggy and consume a 20mg Citalopram tablet before promptly returning to sleep.
10:00 – I wake up still groggy. I notice I am still twitching a little. I feel as if I have an afterglow from taking a benzodiazepine the night previous which is a feeling I do not enjoy. I decide to get up and have a very tiny amount of nausea – an amount which is takes very little effort to ignore.

IMPRESSION:

From my initial experience with Phenibut I do not feel it is worth taking recreationally. All effects were minor and not particularly enjoyable.

I have read that euphoria can arise from repeated doses of Phenibut and so I may dose again tonight. If I experience the same again however I will likely discontinue any recreational use of this drug.

I believe the risks associated with extended use may vastly outweigh Phenibut's barely positive effects.

Exp Year: 2017	ExpID: 109872
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 33
Published: Mar 30, 2019	Views: 8,459
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Smarts - Phenibut (379) : General (1), Hangover / Days After (46), First Times (2), Small Group (2-9) (17)