What Is Phenibut?

Phenibut is a mild tranquilizer commonly used to treat anxiety. It targets GABA neurotransmitters, which the body uses to naturally decrease anxiety levels and promote a feeling of calmness. At the same time, GABA has been connected to some mild nootropic effects.

The chemical name of Phenibut is Phenyl-y-aminobutyric acid. In some countries, it’s known as fenibut or phenybut. Chemically speaking, it’s a derivative of GABA with a phenyl ring added on, allowing Phenibut to easily cross the blood-brain barrier.

Today, Phenibut is commonly used to treat psychological symptoms and conditions. Although it’s featured on many nootropic websites, it doesn’t offer powerful cognitive benefits when taken on its own. But when stacked with other nootropics – like racetams or smart drugs – users can experience improved mood and stronger cognition.

Phenibut is typically sold under brand names like Noofen. After ingesting Phenibut, it enters the bloodstream and raises GABA levels, promoting a feeling of anti-anxiety and calmness. These effects are important, because your body cannot raise GABA levels on its own.

History of Phenibut

Phenibut was first synthesized in the 1960s by a scientist named Professor V. V. Perkekalin and his team of researchers at the Academy of Medical Sciences in Leningrad in the former Soviet Union.

Russian scientists developed Phenibut as a way to lower stress levels among Russian cosmonauts before they were sent into space. Standard tranquilizers were thought to be too powerful for cosmonauts to use. Phenibut, on the other hand, provided the right mixture of anti-stress benefits and cognition enhancements. As a result, Phenibut was (and still is today) mandatory equipment in a Russian cosmonaut’s medical equipment.

Today, Phenibut is a very common pharmaceutical product throughout the Soviet Union, where it’s used to treat everything from post-traumatic stress disorder to anxiety to insomnia. The powerful anxiolytic effects also make it popular for non-prescription use as a mild tranquilizer.

Phenibut has not been studied nearly as much as other nootropic supplements – at least outside of Russian medical journals. However, the limited studies performed on Phenibut have been largely positive.

In one study, published in 2006, researchers compared Phenibut (‘PB’) to the diazepam and Piracetam. That study concluded by saying that “PB was classified as an atypical tranquilizer, or “day-tranquilizer.” It has antistress, thymoleptic (activating), and nootropic (cognition enhancing) components of action.”

How Does Phenibut Work?

The main mechanism behind Phenibut is its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. Phenibut, as you learned above, is simply a derived form of GABA. However, Phenibut has a nifty little thing called a “phenyl ring” that allows it to travel through your digestive system, be absorbed by your intestinal tract, enter the bloodstream, and finally cross the blood-brain barrier.

After crossing the blood-brain barrier, Phenibut simply goes to work as a GABA neurotransmitter. Phenibut is thought to stimulate both GABA-A and GABA-B receptors. What we do know is that it targets GABA receptor sites in significant ways.

The main role of GABA is to balance out the effects of chemical that stimulate neurons. These chemicals, in large doses, can “overstimulate” certain neurons, which leads to feelings of anxiety and restlessness. By restoring balance to your brain, GABA balances out your mood and promotes feelings of restfulness and calmness.

At the same time, Phenibut stimulates dopamine receptors. Dopamine is our “feel good” neurotransmitter that gets activated when we eat good food or have sex. It’s a natural process, and promoting this natural process leads to a more positive mood. Some also believe this improves your motivation, helping to inspire a feeling of productiveness.

Phenibut Benefits

Phenibut comes with a number of powerful benefits. It’s been clinically shown to both improve your mood and enhance cognitive functionality in various ways. However, the main benefit of Phenibut is its mood-boosting properties. If you’re only using it for its nootropic effects, you’re likely going to be disappointed.

However, if you’re interested in the following benefits, then Phenibut is an excellent choice:

Reduce Stress Levels: Phenibut is a powerful anxiolytic compound, which means it actively reduces anxiety within your brain. It does this by targeting your GABA receptors, which promotes a feeling of mental calmness while also reducing stress. Anyone who has been stressed knows that you can’t simply “turn off” being stressed. But Phenibut’s anti-stress effects may be the closest you’ll ever get to finding that coveted “anti-stress” button.

Improve Cognition: Many people do not consider Phenibut to be a nootropic. Although it’s been shown to improve cognition, it hasn’t been shown to greatly improve cognition – at least when compared to racetams, smart drugs, and other more powerful nootropics. That being said, Phenibut has demonstrated some cognitive benefits in various studies, and it may facilitate communication between your two brain hemispheres while also enhancing problem solving skills.

Improve Sleep Quality And Fall Asleep More Easily: If you have trouble falling asleep and feeling rested, then Phenibut may be your new best friend. Phenibut is prized for its ability to encourage a deep, well-rested sleep.

Increased Neuroprotection: Phenibut protects your neuron cells from being damaged. When we’re stressed, we often do irreversible damage to our neuron cells. Phenibut helps prevent this damage. Interestingly enough, this same stress can also strain your heart’s ventricles, which means Phenibut can help improve your overall cardiovascular health.

Promote A Positive And Controlled Mood: If you feel irritable or angry on a regular basis, it may be due to a chemical imbalance in your brain. These chemical imbalances are caused by external factors – like the things that stress you out. Phenibut increases dopamine, neutralizing the effects of these chemicals and balancing out your mood. This has also been attributed to higher levels of motivation.

Ultimately, Phenibut is first and foremost a mood booster. If you’re looking for nootropic benefits, your best option is to stack Phenibut with a smart drug or racetam.

How to Use Phenibut

Phenibut is typically taken orally as a water-soluble powder or capsule. Although some medical professionals inject Phenibut, this is not typically recommended for individual use.

If you’re using Phenibut for the first time, you should start with a dosage of 250mg before working your way up to 1000mg per day if necessary. Most people take a single dose per day because Phenibut has a relatively long half-life. – it typically lasts for between 6 to 10 hours, and some users even report feeling the effects for up to 24 hours after taking a single dose
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A word of warning: if you buy the powdered form of Phenibut, you may want to mix it with orange juice or another strong-tasting water-based beverage. The taste is very bitter due to the high pH. As a result, many users choose to take capsules instead. Some experienced users will even buy their own powder and then encapsulate it, allowing them to customize the dose. This can also be useful for traveling.

Whether you take it in the form of a powder or capsule, you should not take exceed the recommended dosage. Start off with a small dose – like 250mg – and gradually work your way up once you’ve grown accustomed to the effects.

Phenibut Side Effects

Phenibut is typically safe to use and has been well-tolerated by virtually all patients in studies performed to date. However, like anything, Phenibut can become dangerous when users exceed the recommended dosage. This is particularly true because Phenibut induces a state of relaxation. In higher doses, this can lead to unconsciousness.

Think of Phenibut like alcohol and benzodiazepines: when staying within the recommended dosage, you’ll be fine. But when exceeding that dosage, you could be in trouble.

Although mild, Phenibut has shown some negative interactions with certain other compounds. You should not drink while taking Phenibut, as it increases your chances of becoming unconscious. You should also not mix Phenibut with other GABAergics (supplements that target your GABA system), like GHB and Benzodiazepines.

Please consult with a physician before using Phenibut. This is especially true if you already take medications, or if you have pre-existing health conditions. You should also not take Phenibut if you have Parkinson’s disease.

Buying Phenibut Online

Phenibut is not currently approved for use as a pharmaceutical in the United States or in Europe, although it can be imported for individual use. Phenibut is uncontrolled in both the United States and Europe, which basically means that it’s not illegal, but also not regulated by organizational bodies. You can order it without a prescription. In Canada, Phenibut is unscheduled and available without a prescription.

The most popular brand of Phenibut on the market today is Noofen, which can be purchased without a prescription in the United States and most other parts of the world.

If you’re buying Noofen or any other brand of Phenibut, I strongly recommend ordering online, where plenty of online stores offer great deals and package discounts – which is an excellent bargain if you’re stacking Phenibut with other nootropics. In many countries, buying Phenibut online is your only option, as you won’t find it at local drugstores or pharmacies.