This drug kept cosmonauts cool under pressure…
Phenibut is a Russian drug that helped cosmonauts stay cool under pressure in life or death situations in zero gravity. It’s a powerful anxiolytic that zaps anxiety and stress.
It’s a higher risk, yet higher reward Biohack that’s not for everyone.
History
Phenibut was synthesized by professor V. Perekalin in 1959. The Nootropic was quickly recognized as a very promising chemical compound, as it has both psychostimulating and anxiety-reducing effects.
A Social Smart Drug
The effects of Phenibut simultaneously combine mild-to-moderate sedation with mild-to-moderate stimulation, allowing one to feel physically relaxed and mentally focused at the same time. This increases sociability, lowering stress and inhibition levels, without impairing judgment when used in moderation.
It’s an anxiolytic, which means that it gives some users sensations of mild euphoria, tantamount to a mild “high”. Yet, the euphoric Phenibut high is not intense, and taking more of it doesn’t intensify the high like with MDMA.
Many lifehackers regard it as an alternative to alcohol; if you have a none-addictive personality it offers all the upsides of alcohol with almost none of the downsides.
- 250–500 milligrams will have an effect similar to two or three drinks; it will loosen you up to make new friends, do public speaking or approach someone you find attractive and flirt.
- Unless you’re doing it at really irresponsible dosages there’s no hangover or noticeable effect the next day.
- It improves your sleep quality as opposed to hurting it as alcohol does when it metabolizes into a blood sugar spike that wakes you up in the middle of the night.
- I’ve used it myself for several years on and off. I’ll use it 2–3 times a week maximum and I’ve never had problems or experienced negative side effects. But I don’t have an addictive personality. If you’re a disciplined person with healthy psychology you’ll be fine using Phenibut in moderation.
It is a great anti-anxiety agent; a quintessential social smart drug.
Effects
On-label indications:
- Emotional disorders like anxiety, fear, worry
- Asthenia/tiredness (lack of energy and motivation)
- ADHD
- Alcohol withdrawal
- Sleep disorders
- Phenibut is also popular among athletes and bodybuilders, as it increases resting and post-exercise growth-hormone secretion.
Is Phenibut a Sleep Hack?
Around the internet, you’ll hear a lot of self-quantification enthusiasts reporting that their sleep is awesomely deep and restorative on Phenibut. That’s mostly my same experience also but I’ve noticed that if I use Phenibut after dark my sleep is much better if I spend a few hours doing something mildly active; like going salsa dancing or getting dinner with friends. If I use Phenibut in the evening and just sit around reading a book or whatever and then go to bed, it doesn’t improve my sleep much and maybe even lowers my sleep quality or makes me wake up in the middle of the night.
Usage and Dosage
Usage:
- Take one or two capsules 20–30 minutes before you want to be in a social or relaxed mood.
- It has the same effect on an empty or full stomach.
- Phenibut itself has a pleasant tangy taste so you can dissolve it in a beverage.
Dosage:
- 250 milligrams is a good starter dose, for relieving chronic stress or anxiety, it can enable some people to focus better on creative tasks or projects.
- 500 milligrams is fine for those with a higher tolerance or if you need something to relax after a stressful day.
- 750 milligrams is what I consider a festival dose, I take this much very rarely and only when I’m going to be partying all night long. At this dosage, my motor control is impaired just a little; my salsa or breakdancing is not quite on point!
- Don’t exceed one gram daily.
Side Effects
- Caution: Large quantities might cause tolerance and withdrawal symptoms. It has different effects when taken in high doses.
- Irritability, lethargy, dizziness, nausea, and allergic reactions might appear at the beginning of the treatment.
Pharma Grade
Phenibut is unpatented and thus has become a bit of a victim of its own success. It’s produced by hundreds of laboratories all over the world and there is a spectrum of quality as evidenced by the abundance of reports of undesirable side effects. I think there is reason for concern with the toxicity of cheap unbranded, generic Phenibut powder. I only buy or consume powdered Phenibut if an accredited American or European lab has verified it to be >97% purity with spectroscopy.
RUPharma’s branded, pharmaceutical-grade Phenibut is a good option for quality-conscious consumers. They ship from warehouses in Moscow or the European Union in inconspicuous packages. I do recommend ordering from them securely and privately with cryptocurrency as you may not want your bank or the authorities scrutinizing your purchase of this sort of thing.
Country of origin: Russia/Latvia
Risk Grade: C-
Number of Clinical Trials: 4
- There are only 4 trials, none-recent, all in Russian with limited or poor translations into English.
- Phenibut is a popular drug amongst Biohackers and lifehackers.
- It gets a poor risk grade because it is habit-forming for a significant proportion of people that try it. It works on your Gaba receptors in a way similar to alcohol. So if you have any personal or family history with alcohol addiction Phenibut is a bad idea for you.
- Similar to alcohol if you consume too much you may act a little stupid, trip up a flight of stairs, oversleep and be a little hungover the next day.
- If you make a daily habit out of Phenibut you’ll get hooked and experience some real unpleasant withdrawals if you run out of it.
