Phenibut for Anxiety: Benefits of Phenibut and Theanine

Stress and anxiety plague many people on a day to day basis, often for what may seem like no reason at all.  Worse still, with the increase of fast paced life styles it seems like more and more of us are suffering from some form of these conditions and finding relief can be a major issue. To further complicate matters, finding effective all-natural supplements to help combat these issues can be quite a challenge. Fortunately, the supplements Phenibut and Theanine may be good choices to help fight the lingering anxiety caused by stressful lifestyles.

What is Phenibut?

Phenibut is a specially-designed derivative of GABA, a powerful neurotransmitter that is effective at reducing levels of stress and anxiety. Interestingly, the most important function of GABA elsewhere in your body is the regulation of muscle tone. Phenibut is capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and is particularly fast-acting, making its effect quickly known once it is released.

These are just some of the reasons behind phenibut’s popularity. In fact, “Phenibut is widely used in Russia to relieve tension, anxiety, and fear, to improve sleep in psychosomatic or neurotic patients; as well as a pre- or post-operative medication. It is also used in the therapy of disorders characterized by asthenia and depression, as well as in post-traumatic stress, stuttering and vestibular disorders.” [1]

What is Theanine?

Theanine in teaL-Theanine is a non-protein free amino acid that is found primarily in the leaves of certain types of tea, particularly black and green teas. This ingredient is also thought to be one of the key reasons why tea has such a subtle calming effect on people despite the caffeine content.

More of an herbal remedy than a supplement, theanine is believed by many researchers to counter the stimulant effects of caffeine by increasing the production of alpha brain waves, producing a mild calming effect. Much like phenibut, theanine is a great way to boost your GABA levels and calm some of the body’s more stimulating neurotransmitters.

Phenibut for Anxiety

As previously mentioned, the primary benefit of Phenibut is to reduce the levels of stress and anxiety. This is done because the supplement is actually a precursor of GABA. The specific role of GABA is to act as an inhibitor that slows down neuron firing, a very different function than that of other neurotransmitters. This helps to induce a feeling of quiet and calm which relaxes muscles and reduces anxiety. [3]

Phenibut also boasts a range of neuroprotective and nootropic-like effects. These include helping to protect neurons from oxidative stress and removing toxins from the brain. Additionally, there is some evidence to suggest that the supplement also acts to help improve memory, learning ability, attention, and focus. [1]

Theanine for Anxiety

Supplements for anxiety

Since the Theanine supplement also works by modulating GABA receptor sites within the brain, by itself it should usually be enough to decrease levels of stress and anxiety.

However, the supplement is thought to also exert an influence on dopamine and serotonin. This is why it may also help to increase focus, improve learning, and aid memory. Generally speaking, theanine is one of the most benign types of anxiety easing supplements, but it’s also one of the most mild. [4]

Phenibut Dosage

When starting supplementation with phenibut, a good dosage is 200 mg. This way you can verify that it has some degree of effect without having to worry about overdoing it. Afterwards doses can be increased up to 500 mg and possibly beyond based on personal preferences. A higher dose may help in conjunction with a stimulant supplement to help combat late day sleepiness.

L-Theanine Dosage

A good starting dosage of theanine would be 100 mg. This should be enough to see the effects and judge whether or not they’re strong enough. This can easily be doubled to 200 mg, but it’s best to keep in mind that theanine isn’t a cure for anxiety, but more of a helper. [4]

L-Theanine vs Phenibut for Anxiety

While both supplements seem to have similar benefits, their effectiveness does vary from person to person. Therefore, the best way to decide which is a better option would be to try them both and pay careful attention to the benefits received as well as how they make you feel. Anxiety and stress are complicated afflictions and there is no easy cure as their causes differ greatly. With that said, there are many ways to help you cope with them and experimenting with these two supplements may be a good place to start.

Sources

  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11830761
  2. https://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2011/mar2011_The-Chemistry-of-Calm_01.htm
  3. https://overcomingyouranxiety.net/naturalanxietyremedies/gaba-for-anxiety/
  4. https://overcomingyouranxiety.net/naturalanxietyremedies/theanine-for-anxiety/