Last reviewed September 2026
A lot of people first try phenibut because they’ve read it helps with anxiety, especially social anxiety. Here’s what’s actually known.
Where it’s used for anxiety
In Russia, phenibut is a prescription medicine for anxiety and insomnia, and it has been used that way since the 1960s. Most of the research behind that use was done in Russia and the former Soviet Union. It hasn’t gone through the kind of large, controlled trials U.S. or European regulators ask for, and it isn’t approved as a medicine in the U.S. or Western Europe.
When the World Health Organization’s drug dependence experts looked at phenibut in 2021, they noted how little solid information exists on how often it’s misused and how hard it is to stop.
The problem with using it for anxiety
Many people do feel calmer on phenibut at first. The catch is how fast the body adapts. Tolerance can build within one to two weeks of regular use, and one of the main withdrawal symptoms is severe anxiety. People who start taking it to calm their nerves can end up more anxious than before, plus dependent on a drug that’s hard to quit.
It also adds to the effects of alcohol, which some people use for the same reason. In U.S. poison center reports, about 40 percent of adult phenibut cases involved other substances as well.
Other options
Anxiety is very treatable. Talk therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy works well for many people, and there are several approved medicines a doctor can go over with you. If cost or access is a barrier, the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 can point you to low-cost services near you.
If you’re already taking phenibut for anxiety and want to stop, read our withdrawal page first and talk to a doctor before cutting it out.
Sources
- World Health Organization, Pre-Review Report: Phenibut, 2021
- WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence, Phenibut
- Bonnet U. et al., Phenibut: an illegal food supplement with psychotropic effects and health risks, Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, 2024
- CDC, Notes from the Field: Phenibut Exposures Reported to Poison Centers — United States, 2009–2019, MMWR, 2020
- SAMHSA, National Helpline