J Addict Med 2022 Feb 4. Epub 2022 Feb 4.
Grayken Center for Addiction, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA (AFP, MTHH); Section of General Internal Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA (AFP, MTHH); Clinical Addiction Research and Education (CARE) Unit, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA (AFP, MTHH); Department of Psychiatry, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA (RA); Department of Family Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA (RA).
Background: Phenibut is a non-Food and Drug Administration-approved gamma-aminobutyric acid analog marketed in the United States as an anxiolytic, cognitive enhancer, and alcohol withdrawal treatment through online supplement vendors. In this case report, we describe a woman's self-directed detoxification with phenibut used to manage withdrawal symptoms from fentanyl and benzodiazepines in March 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Case: A 38-year-old woman with severe opioid, benzodiazepine, gabapentin, stimulant use disorders developed altered mental status after oral phenibut ingestion intended to help self-manage opioid and benzodiazepine withdrawal. Read More