By: Amy Racines, MS, Research & Development Senior Project Coordinator

Phenibut was first developed in Russia in the 1960s to relieve anxiety, insomnia, and alcohol withdrawal and as a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease¹. It is structurally similar to a naturally occurring neurotransmitter, GABA, and therefore mimics GABA in the body. Phenibut is still widely used in Russia but is banned in some European countries. In the United States, it is not scheduled, banned, nor approved by the FDA. Phenibut is readily available to be purchased online and is frequently advertised as a supplement for anxiety, sleep, and post-traumatic stress disorder². 

The desired effects of phenibut include sedation and decreased consciousness, but other reported symptoms include agitation, delirium, seizures, hallucinations, and decreased respiration³. Tolerance is observed with phenibut use, with some cases happening in less than a week, and therefore dependence can occur. Since there is no FDA regulation or guidance of this compound, it has been reported that users take far greater doses than the recommended dose of 500-1500 mg/day, further increasing their risk of dependence⁴. Withdrawal symptoms can include hallucinations, psychosis, agitation, tachycardia, hyperthermia, seizures, and myoclonus. 

The statistics on phenibut use in the United States are unknown, but the number of calls to poison control centers involving phenibut has been on the rise since 2015⁵. It is thought that the key demographic of phenibut users is males between the ages of 20-35⁶. Many users may not be aware of their addiction, especially since phenibut is advertised as a supplement, so further public awareness and education around this compound is needed.  

 References:

1. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6935a5.htm) 
2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5952553/ 
3. July21-Phenibut.pdf 
4. A Systematic Review of Phenibut Withdrawals 
5. Notes from the Field: Phenibut Exposures Reported to Poison Centers — United States, 2009–2019 | MMWR 
6.  A Systematic Review of Phenibut Withdrawals 

 Learn more about Phenibut Testing at USDTL.

Contact Us Today

Back to view all blogs posts