6 ms·

Reading about this venture to make anf popularize GABA tickling drug without the self limiting ill effects is worrying in the long term. Such things exist, and

Reading about this venture to make anf popularize GABA tickling drug without the self limiting ill effects is worrying in the long term. Such things exist, and sure, one is fine.. but one a day for a week and then you are heading for an undescribably hellish withdrawal. I had a brief dalliance with Phenibut for anxiety self medication. It targets GABA receptors, and boy does it work. But read about it in the forums and then you'll find the horror stories of people trying to quit, or running out and having months of nightmares and shakes and paranoia. I noped out of that in time, thankfully.

mewpmewp2 3y ago
Also used to enjoy Phenibut quite a bit. Felt a bit like Alcohol without the "stupid". Although the onset time wasn't the best to handle and there was huge difference whether I took it on empty stomach in the morning or at some point later in the day. Haven't done it for a while though. Sleep was also amazing. Easy to fall asleep and so sweet. Definitely shouldn't use very frequently like you said. Best to leave at least 2 weeks inbetween. I had periods of using it every day.
archi42 3y ago
This is also what surprises me: No hangover and no liver damage are great, but doesn't say anything about physiological or psychological addiction. Especially since the lack of any short-term negative feedback loop (alcohol poisoning, vomiting, or at least a hangover) makes forming problematic consumption patterns much more likely. OTOH, "one a day for a week" is very unspecific: Is that the equivalent of drinking a six-pack or two every day, alone; or gathering with friends to taste a literal sip (e.g. 5ml) of spirit? Do they act equally (not only in strength but also in decay and other factors - maybe the medicament has a booster or some chemical delay). Is there a selection bias among people who (self-)medicate, do they have traits or common environmental factors that make negative outcomes more likely? I don't want to overly defend this, since in my usual peer-group bringing that stuff to a gathering would feel a lot like "let's do drugs together!" (only few gatherings involve drinking any amount of alcohol) and I personally don't want to figure out empirically that instead of a hangover this triggers even a light depression (or worse) - but the comparison still seems a bit simplistic to me.

mewpmewp2 3y ago

Also used to enjoy Phenibut quite a bit. Felt a bit like Alcohol without the "stupid". Although the onset time wasn't the best to handle and there was huge difference whether I took it on empty stomach in the morning or at some point later in the day. Haven't done it for a while though. Sleep was also amazing. Easy to fall asleep and so sweet. Definitely shouldn't use very frequently like you said. Best to leave at least 2 weeks inbetween. I had periods of using it every day.

archi42 3y ago

This is also what surprises me: No hangover and no liver damage are great, but doesn't say anything about physiological or psychological addiction. Especially since the lack of any short-term negative feedback loop (alcohol poisoning, vomiting, or at least a hangover) makes forming problematic consumption patterns much more likely. OTOH, "one a day for a week" is very unspecific: Is that the equivalent of drinking a six-pack or two every day, alone; or gathering with friends to taste a literal sip (e.g. 5ml) of spirit? Do they act equally (not only in strength but also in decay and other factors - maybe the medicament has a booster or some chemical delay). Is there a selection bias among people who (self-)medicate, do they have traits or common environmental factors that make negative outcomes more likely? I don't want to overly defend this, since in my usual peer-group bringing that stuff to a gathering would feel a lot like "let's do drugs together!" (only few gatherings involve drinking any amount of alcohol) and I personally don't want to figure out empirically that instead of a hangover this triggers even a light depression (or worse) - but the comparison still seems a bit simplistic to me.