So, I've been dealing with chronic anxiety, depression, anhedonia and brain fog for about two and a half years. I think it might have had to do with a heavy dose of cortisol that caused a cascade of neurotoxicity. It's a long story that I'm still trying to piece together and understand.
Fast forward. This last month I started dosing Memantine along with NSI-189 and 9 methyl beta carboline. I think, actually, this has really helped me turn a corner...at least cognitively. I felt like the anxiety was subsiding and I was getting my intellect back. I was able to sit down and write a lengthy blog article...something I had really been unable to do if I wasn't all there and not able to organize my thoughts. This was Tuesday. Wednesday I had an emotional trigger that brought on some pretty bad depression and anxiety. That night I had an IPA at my local beer joint, and took a gram of Phenibut. The next day I was really out of it. Low mood, no energy...that spaced out dissociative feeling. I continued to dose the Mematine and the other two, and felt a little better Friday. Still suffered the anxiety from that emotional trigger, but was mentally there somewhat.
Had a couple of drinks that night,and had a lot of trouble sleeping. Woke up pretty hungover from just those couple of drinks and felt really out of it. Dosed 500 mg Phenibut that afternoon. I don't really think it helped all that much with the anxiety. In fact, I've never gotten that euphoric feeling that some people report here. So, I still felt out of it that afternoon and evening, and today, I just feel totally brain fogged....or really in my head and dissociated from the world basically. I used to feel this way when I was younger the day after smoking weed, and especially the next couple of days after doing acid for the first and only time about fifteen years ago.
I don't know if it's a rebound from the Phenibut or not, but even in the absence of chronic usage that causes tolerance, I don't think it agrees with me, or so it might seem. I rarely use it.
I'm still trying to figure out my individual neurochemistry, but something is definitely different than earlier in the week. Does Phenibut cause short term issues such as this, or is it good to cycle off Memantine. Is it a little risky to play around with Glutamate/GABA balance with this stuff? I read this thread with some interest, as I think the symptoms and possible etiology are similar to my situation.