Phenibut saved my life. I get that it's hard to accept that this subtle yet powerful substance can do such a thing but it did. Phenibut cured my panic disorder and I no longer have panic attacks. It makes live in the here and now only.
Phenibut
Well-documented
Well-documented
Multiple authoritative sources agree on dosing and effects.
- 6 corroborating sources
- 2 ROAs with full dose ladders
- duration data present
- 22 combo interactions documented
- toxicity data (PsychonautWiki)
- classified Research-chemical
Well-documented
Multiple authoritative sources agree on dosing and effects.
- 6 corroborating sources
- 2 ROAs with full dose ladders
- duration data present
- 22 combo interactions documented
- toxicity data (PsychonautWiki)
- classified Research-chemical
Aliases: Phgaba, Noofen, Bifren, Fenibut, Anvifen
Summary
Phenibut is a GABA-B receptor agonist and gabapentinoid with anxiolytic and sedative effects. It has a delayed onset of 1.5-3 hours which can lead to accidental overdose from redosing. Combining with other depressants can cause severe CNS depression, unconsciousness, and potentially fatal respiratory depression.
Dose Information
| ROA | Light | Common | Strong | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral BA ~65% | 0.5-1g | 1-2g | 2-3.5g | 3.5g+ |
| Rectal | 0.5-1g | 1-2g | 2-3.5g | 3.5g+ |
Light
Common
Strong
Heavy
Sources
Oral
Dose ladder — dose.wiki, PsychonautWikiRectal
Dose ladder — LightβHeavy: same as the Oral row (dose.wiki, PsychonautWiki); no source states a Rectal ladderOnset, Duration & After-effects
| ROA | Onset | Comeup | Peak | Offset | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | 1.5-3 hrs | 1.5-3 hrs | 3-4 hrs | 4-6 hrs | 4-10 hrs |
| Rectal | 30-60 min | - | 1-3 hrs | 2-3 hrs | 4-10 hrs |
Tolerance
Build-up
develops rapidly within 2β5 days of daily use; high dependence potential
Reset
Falls after you stop, at a rate that varies from person to person. If you've been using regularly, cut down gradually with medical help rather than stopping suddenly.
No tolerance chart. Our decay curves for these drugs were estimates, and a curve can make tolerance look longer-lasting than it is, which is the dangerous direction.
How fast tolerance to these drugs fades after a break has not been measured well enough to draw, so don't count on a dose you used to take still being safe: after time off, start with a much smaller amount and don't use alone. Mixing sedatives with each other, with alcohol or with opioids sharply raises the risk of a fatal overdose. If you've been using regularly, don't stop suddenly: withdrawal from benzodiazepines, alcohol or GHB/GBL can cause seizures or delirium, so get medical help to cut down gradually. Phenibut withdrawal after regular use has put people in hospital, where it is treated with the drugs used for benzodiazepine and alcohol withdrawal.
Sources: FRANK: benzodiazepines Β· Alcohol and Drug Foundation: GHB Β· FDA 2020: benzodiazepine boxed warning Β· FDA 2019: gabapentinoids and breathing Β· NHS: alcohol use disorder Β· Penzak & Bulloch 2024
Effects
Aggregated from 61 single-substance Erowid and 25 Bluelight experience reports; 59 Erowid reports where another drug was taken too are left out
Each bar shows the share of analyzed reports whose text mentions that effect — a mention is not always a first-hand experience (fear of an effect or something witnessed can count). Mentions saying the effect did not happen are left out; that check reads keywords, so it can miss some. The shaded band on a bar, and the small range after its number, is the 95% interval: where the share could plausibly be with other reports of the same kind. Fewer reports, wider band. Tap or hover any number for details. The second value is the Bluelight extractor's per-effect confidence; a dash means the row is Erowid-derived, which has no confidence measurement.
Effect glossary — · full glossary
Positive Effects 32
43.0% (95% interval 33 to 54 percent)
84%
40.7% (95% interval 31 to 51 percent)
84%
32.0% (95% interval 17 to 52 percent)
81%
31.4% (95% interval 23 to 42 percent)
87%
26.7% (95% interval 18 to 37 percent)
90%
24.0% (95% interval 12 to 43 percent)
85%
24.0% (95% interval 12 to 43 percent)
81%
24.0% (95% interval 12 to 43 percent)
85%
20.0% (95% interval 9 to 39 percent)
81%
15.1% (95% interval 9 to 24 percent)
82%
15.1% (95% interval 9 to 24 percent)
80%
12.0% (95% interval 4 to 30 percent)
87%
8.1% (95% interval 4 to 16 percent)
75%
8.0% (95% interval 2 to 25 percent)
90%
8.0% (95% interval 2 to 25 percent)
90%
8.0% (95% interval 2 to 25 percent)
75%
8.0% (95% interval 2 to 25 percent)
78%
8.0% (95% interval 2 to 25 percent)
85%
8.0% (95% interval 2 to 25 percent)
88%
8.0% (95% interval 2 to 25 percent)
92%
Show 12 more positive effects
8.0% (95% interval 2 to 25 percent)
75%
8.0% (95% interval 2 to 25 percent)
75%
5.8% (95% interval 2 to 13 percent)
95%
4.9% (95% interval 2 to 14 percent)
–
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
85%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
90%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
80%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
80%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
85%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
90%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
90%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
85%
Adverse Effects 50
24.0% (95% interval 12 to 43 percent)
85%
23.3% (95% interval 16 to 33 percent)
86%
16.3% (95% interval 10 to 26 percent)
88%
16.0% (95% interval 6 to 35 percent)
84%
16.0% (95% interval 6 to 35 percent)
79%
16.0% (95% interval 6 to 35 percent)
81%
Auditory Effects
15.1% (95% interval 9 to 24 percent)
90%
12.0% (95% interval 4 to 30 percent)
75%
12.0% (95% interval 4 to 30 percent)
92%
11.6% (95% interval 6 to 20 percent)
88%
11.6% (95% interval 6 to 20 percent)
75%
9.3% (95% interval 5 to 17 percent)
78%
8.0% (95% interval 2 to 25 percent)
80%
8.0% (95% interval 2 to 25 percent)
80%
8.0% (95% interval 2 to 25 percent)
95%
8.0% (95% interval 2 to 25 percent)
85%
8.0% (95% interval 2 to 25 percent)
95%
6.6% (95% interval 3 to 16 percent)
–
5.8% (95% interval 2 to 13 percent)
85%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
75%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
85%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
80%
Show 28 more adverse effects
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
80%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
80%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
75%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
75%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
70%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
90%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
90%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
85%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
80%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
85%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
80%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
75%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
85%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
90%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
80%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
85%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
80%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
85%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
80%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
75%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
85%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
80%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
75%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
80%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
70%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
75%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
85%
4.0% (95% interval 1 to 20 percent)
80%
Also reported in combinations. In the 59 Phenibut reports where another drug was taken too, 5 (8.5%) mention hospital, emergency services or an overdose, 2 (3.4%) a seizure and 3 (5.1%) psychosis. In the 61 single-substance reports: 18.0%, 1.6% and 1.6%. These are not in the figures above: they cannot be put down to Phenibut alone, and a mention is not always something that happened to the writer.
Combinations
Cross-Check Phenibut with another substanceCommunity Trip Reports
Anecdotal first-person accounts from Reddit, Erowid, Bluelight, and Dose.wiki. Click a source to expand. Reports are harm-reduction context, not medical guidance. Tags summarise each author's own verdict — how reports are classified.
Reddit 8 reports 1 positive 5 neutral 2 cautionary visit
I quit phenibut over a year ago. Completely. I tapered and got off and got busy with life, lots of changes.. yada yada .. Well I've been going through some other shit and decided to get some cuz my anxiety has been bad and quite honestly I just needed a little bit of magic in my...
I'd been telling my friend for a while now that he should try phenibut with me the next time I do it. Well, it had been two months and it was time for my dose, and he was ready to go too. He really enjoyed it, until he sharted all over himself in the soft drink isle at Mejier.
So I wake up this morning around 9 after receiving my lift mode package yesterday and I decide to take around a gram for my first time today before work.
I am 18M from Russia, where you can buy phenibut for like 4$ per 20 250mg tabs. By law it can be sold to you only if you have prescription, but, in fact, nobody cares and I even used to buy it when I was around 12 years old in local pharmacy.
Hi all, this is actually my first post on here. I figured that I would contribute to the Reddit community rather than just read other people's threads for advice for once.
I've noticed that this sub has a tendency to completely overstate Phenibut's effects. It can be very effective indeed for anxiety and it's a good social drug but it is NOT a cure for everything. It won't make you feel "like you're on MDMA" when taken recreationally.
Hey guys, ive been using phenibut for close to 3 years ranging from once every 2 weeks to 3 times a week. I usually do it once biweekly now. Ive taken up to 5g and even occasionally mix it with alcohol (not safe).
Erowid 8 reports 5 neutral 3 cautionary visit
Phenibut: A Beautiful Nightmare So I was bored, I wanted to experience an easier version of drinking. I researched alot into it, and I knew it was addictive, But I didnt believe the website advice.
Before I took the dose I was in a somewhat anxious mindset as it was my first time and buying stuff off the internet always makes me a little nervous about what is actually in it.
Experience Neutral I read a bit about Phenibut's anxiolytic and possible cognitive enhancing effects, so I bought 100 grams in powder form and had it delivered to my house. This is the log of my first two experiences as I experimented with doses. 11:56 am. ~500 mg mixed with orange juice, could barely taste it.
Phenibut: A Comprehensive Long-Term Synopsis and Usage Guide by Xorkoth I first encountered phenibut in 2006. I was a member of a bodybuilding forum, not that I did any bodybuilding whatsoever (indeed, at the time I had virtually no upper body strength and had never been to a gym).
A Long Extensive Look into My Journey on Peanut Butter I donΒt see too many in depth reports about the extensive use of phenibut. Even online, there are only reports about the dangers of extended use.
Introduction: This was my 5th experience with Phenibut. Over the course of me first acquiring it, I experimented with the following does: 0.25 g, 0.5 g, 1 g, 1.5 g, and then the experience being discussed today. 0.25 to 0.5 mg were therapeutic doses which helped with sleep.
[Erowid Note: After writing this experience in 2011, the author later went through a period of over use and has added a follow up warning to the end of this report. See followup below.] My prior drug experiences have included extensive psychedelic use (mushrooms, lsd, lsa, many 2cΒs, dmt, 5-meo-dmt, etc.
I read about Phenibut in a thread about Kratom (which I also use). I was interested and did some research. At first, the substance sounded pretty scary, with many users describing overdoses, addiction, and adverse effects.
Bluelight 8 threads 2 neutral 6 cautionary visit
Phenibut: A Comprehensive Long-Term Synopsis and Usage Guide by Xorkoth β I first encountered phenibut in 2006. I was a member of a bodybuilding forum, not that I did any bodybuilding whatsoever (indeed, at the time I had virtually no upper body strength and had never been to a gym).
I recently have been into the exploration of Nootropics and Smart Drugs to improve intelligence/mood. I have found Phenibut to be very interesting, and can possibly suppress nicotine cravings and help with opiate withdrawal.
I just dug up this old report when looking into phenibut for a friend: After a day of working on job applications, I had taken staggering amounts of caffeine plus a bit of pseudoephedrine that was wearing off. I was bouncing up and down at 8:30pm, but could no longer focus on my work.
This was my second time taking phenibut but the largest amount I had taken. Took 4g throughout 8 hours or so. First dose was .8g taken on an empty stomach, waited about an hour and took 5-6g of Bali plain leaf kratom. Let me say this legal and drug test free combo is very nice.
Recently recieved a package with one gram of mad hatter herbal incense it and was pretty excited to try it since I have regular drug testing due to legal issues... Note I had ingested 2.7g of Phenibut in capsules 4-5 hours prior, using an accurate milligram scale.
I'm new to this forum but read threads all the time since my searches on Google invariably lead me here. So anyways, brief history, I'm on subutex now, all legal, as I'm a recovering opiate addict. I use the term loosely because though I quit the "hard drugs", I still use legals, ethnobotanicals etc..
A couple of weeks ago I ordered some phenibut intrigued by the concept of a legal, safer alternative to benzos. Really benzos do nothing for my anxiety I just like having them around as peace of mind in case I get a panic attack.
So I hope you guys can tell me. I have had extensive drug use and when I took phenibut the very first time I must say I was expecting a euphoric high similar to what I feel when taking alrpazolam (at least 3 bars ). Or maybe even warm like an opiate high. Or perhaps drunk like everyone compares it to alcohol.
Bluelight Reference Guide
Gabapentinoids Phenibut Megathread
AKA:Fenibut, Noofen, Phenybut, Phenyl-GABA What it is: A derivative of GABA, marketed as a dietary supplement int the U.S, and as a neuropsychotropic drug in Russia for treating PTSD, anxiety, depression, insomnia etc.
Read full thread on Bluelight β
Phenibut's nerd page
Pharmacology, chemical data, effect profiles, and more
→
Helpful Links
Add missing routes to PsychonautWiki Journal
The PsychonautWiki Journal app already has Phenibut, but its built-in entry only covers Oral. Here are the other routes we have data for. You can't edit a built-in substance, but you can add a Custom Unit for any of these routes to log it.
⬇ Download import file
Import this file as custom substances
and you get "Phenibut (Substance Search)" with every
route's full dose ladder and timeline, no typing. Works on iOS and
Android (v15+); the format is confirmed by the app's
developer. The manual values below work for older
versions.
Custom Unit doses
- Rectalcommon ~ 1.5 g
Dose & duration (reference)
Phenibut: routes the PsychonautWiki Journal app is missing Source: SubstanceSearch (substancesearch.com) Rectal dose (g): threshold 0.25 Β· light 0.5-1 Β· common 1-2 Β· strong 2-3.5 Β· heavy 3.5+ Rectal duration: onset 0.5-1h Β· peak 1-3h Β· offset 2-3h Β· total 4-10h Β· after-effects 1-24h Note: ranges are harm-reduction guidance, not a prescription. Start low, go slow, and test your substances.
Custom Units carry a single dose per route, so the full ranges live in the reference above. A route's suggested dose is the midpoint of its common range. Ranges are harm-reduction guidance, not a prescription.
Report an issue or suggest an edit
Spotted incorrect or dangerous information, have a correction, a new study, or a useful addition for Phenibut? Let us know. Reports are reviewed by moderators — this is not posted publicly.