Last reviewed September 2026
If you’ve been taking phenibut regularly, your body has probably adjusted to it. When you stop or cut back, the nervous system is left without the calming effect it has gotten used to, and that’s withdrawal. For some people it’s rough but manageable. For others it’s dangerous.
Symptoms
Symptoms reported in medical case reports and reviews include:
- strong anxiety and restlessness
- trouble sleeping
- agitation and irritability
- body pain or a burning feeling under the skin
- hallucinations or psychosis
- seizures and delirium, especially after stopping suddenly
Some people also have thoughts of suicide during withdrawal. If that happens, call or text 988 right away.
Withdrawal doesn’t always pass quickly. In one published case, symptoms came and went for several months and led to multiple emergency room visits.
Why stopping suddenly is risky
Doctors compare phenibut dependence to dependence on benzodiazepines. With those drugs, stopping all at once after heavy use can trigger seizures and delirium, and case reports show the same thing with phenibut. If you’ve been using it every day, don’t stop on your own. Talk to a doctor first so the process can be planned and watched.
How doctors treat it
There isn’t a standard treatment protocol yet. A 2023 review in Clinical Toxicology looked at 25 published cases of phenibut withdrawal:
- 17 patients were given benzodiazepines
- 14 were given baclofen, a prescription drug that acts on the same receptor as phenibut
- 10 were given antipsychotics, and 10 were given barbiturates
- three out of four needed at least two medicines
Some people have been taken off phenibut as outpatients with a slow, doctor-supervised baclofen taper. Others with severe symptoms needed hospital care. Which approach fits depends on how much and how long someone has used, what else they take, and their health, so it’s a decision to make with a clinician.
What to tell your doctor
It helps to be specific. Doctors see this, and the details change how they treat it.
- the product name, or bring the package
- how long you’ve been using it and how often
- roughly how much you take
- any alcohol, kratom, opioids, sleep aids or other drugs you use
- any past seizures or withdrawal problems
If you don’t have a doctor, the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 can refer you to local treatment. It’s free, confidential and open 24/7. More options are on our getting help page.
Get emergency care for
- a seizure
- hallucinations, severe confusion or not knowing where you are
- thoughts of harming yourself
Sources
- Feldman et al., A systematic review of phenibut withdrawal focusing on complications, therapeutic approaches, and single substance versus polysubstance withdrawal, Clinical Toxicology, 2023
- Sethi R. et al., Phenibut Dependence and Withdrawal, Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders, 2021
- DiFiore et al., A Case of Phenibut Withdrawal Management and Detoxification Using Baclofen in the Outpatient Setting, Case Reports in Psychiatry, 2024
- Bonnet U. et al., Phenibut: an illegal food supplement with psychotropic effects and health risks, Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, 2024
- World Health Organization, Pre-Review Report: Phenibut, 2021
- SAMHSA, National Helpline