Anxiolytics
Anxiolytics Review
Anxiolytics are supplements or medications which reduce the effects of anxiety. Every day, millions of people around the world suffer from anxiety. Anxiolytics help these people live normal, productive lives.
What Are Anxiolytics?
In the nootropic community, Anxiolytics have a dual purpose: they enhance cognitive function while also reducing anxiety at the same time. There are three main anxiolytic supplements available today, including Phenibut, Sulbutiamine, and L-Theanine. These supplements improve cognition in various ways while also promoting a calming, anti-stress effect.
Anxiolytics work in contrast to anxiogenic compounds, which increase anxiety. Together, supplements that affect our “anxiety” systems are known as anxiotropic compounds.
Along with the three anxiolytic nootropics listed above, there are many natural and synthetic products used as anxiolytics. You’ve probably used one before: alcohol is one of the world’s most popular anxiolytics. Some people also call anxiolytics “minor tranquilizers”, while “major tranquilizers” refers to antipsychotic drugs and other more powerful compounds.
How Do Anxiolytic Drugs Work?
There are two ways to reduce anxiety: you can suppress the anxiety through sedation, or you can counteract the anxiety by boosting certain neurotransmitters in the brain, including neurotransmitters that affect our mood, cognitive function, and perception.
Anxiolytics work by targeting two main neurotransmitters:
GABA
GABA, which stands for gamma-Aminobutyric acid, plays an important role in the central nervous system of every mammal. It’s purely an anxiolytic neurotransmitter, which means that by increasing levels of GABA, you can greatly reduce the effects of anxiety.
GABA is also considered an inhibitor neurotransmitter. Inhibitor neurotransmitters are activated when we drink alcohol or take benzodiazepines.
GABA supplements are excellent anxiolytics, but they’re poor nootropics. Yes, they calm users down and reduce anxiety, but they also have a negative effect on cognition. Phenibut, for example, is not technically a nootropic. Piracetam, which features a chemical structure derived from GABA, is similar, but affects different parts of the brain.
Serotonin
Serotonin has a wide range of roles within the human body. It plays a critical role in our mood, appetite, social behavior, and cognitive functionality, for example. Unlike GABA, Serotonin is not an inhibitor. However, there is still an intimate connection between our anxiety and serotonin levels. Furthermore, serotonin has been directly connected with a number of nootropic benefits, including enhanced cognition, better memory, and improved overall mood.
Obviously, looking at the two anxiolytic functions listed above, you’d want to choose the second one, serotonin, for your nootropic, right? Nootropics that affect our serotonin offer most of the mood-enhancing benefits of GABA-affecting supplements, but also enhance our cognition in powerful ways.
Three Most Popular Anxiolytics
If you were to create a Venn diagram featuring “Nootropics” on one side and “Anxiolytics” on the other, only three major names would appear in the middle of that diagram: Sulbutiamine, Phenibut, and L-Theanine. Here’s what you need to know about each anxiolytic:
Sulbutiamine
Sulbutiamine is a synthetic derivative of thiamine, also known as Vitamin B1. Vitamin B1 is an essential vitamin in the nootropics community due to its powerful ability to heal the brain and reduce the effects of Alzheimer’s, dementia, and various degenerative conditions. Sulbutiamine was synthesized with the goal of mimicking the benefits of Vitamin B1 while also enhancing the effects.
The end result is Sulbutiamine. Sulbutiamine works in a very similar way to Thiamine, but is thought to be more effective while also having a higher bioavailability. The main benefits of Sulbutiamine include improved memory, improved mood, better concentration and alertness, and it even acts as a brain stimulant.
Sulbutiamine does this by targeting the cholinergic, glutamatergic, and dopamine systems. By positively affecting all of these systems, Sulbutiamine unlocks some powerful cognitive benefits which make it a popular anxiolytic nootropic supplement.
Phenibut
Phenibut is a derivative of the neurotransmitter GABA. GABA produces powerful calming effects on the body and mind. However, it’s not typically classified as a nootropic neurotransmitter. In most clinical and scientific studies, GABA has demonstrated limited evidence to support cognitive benefits.
With all that being said, Phenibut is still popular in the nootropic community. Why? Because it’s an excellent supplement to add to any stack. When you add Phenibut to a racetam stack, you can enjoy powerful cognitive benefits while also enjoying mood-enhancing benefits at the same time.
The most notable benefits of Phenibut include increased relaxation, reduced anxiety and stress, improved mood, and a better sleep. So if the high energy of other nootropics leave you “wound up” and rolling around in bed all night, you may consider taking Phenibut to help you fall asleep.
L-Theanine
L-Theanine may sound like some weird synthetic chemical, but it’s not. In fact, you’ve probably already consumed L-Theanine a few times in your life. It’s commonly found in tea, which is the second most-consumed beverage in the world today (water is in first place). L-Theanine is an amino acid which has demonstrated some powerful cognitive benefits while also acting as an anxiolytic.
In clinical and laboratory testing, L-Theanine has demonstrated its ability to reduce stress and promote a calming effect. It relaxes users while also helping to control mood, improve memory, and increase your ability to learn new material.
One of the world’s most popular nootropic stacks is caffeine + L-Theanine. You don’t have to look far on any nootropic forum before you find a lot of people raving about the cognition-boosting, mood-enhancing benefits of this stack.
Anxiolytic Stacks
A “stack” simply refers to taking multiple nootropics at the same time. That doesn’t necessarily you take three nootropics every day before breakfast, it just means that you take multiple nootropics as part of your daily regimen.
Anxiolytics are typically used as part of a stack. The nootropic effects of anxiolytics are mild compared to racetams and smart drugs, but their mood-boosting effects are more powerful. Thus, combining an anxiolytic like Phenibut with a racetam like Aniracetam can enhance cognition while also boosting motivation and giving you an overall feeling of wellbeing.
Some people who take anxiolytic stacks have a chemical imbalance or are chronically depressed. Taking an anxiolytic stack can reduce these feelings. However, it’s important to note that anxiolytics do not offer a cure for depression. Like any anti-depression medication, your mileage may vary. Talk to your doctor or seek professional help before taking any anxiolytics to treat your depression.
Buying Anxiolytics Online
Buying anxiolytics online is easy and convenient. Today, many online anxiolytic retailers offer free shipping and other incentives. Plus, they avoid the high overhead costs of retail space and then pass those savings onto you. Some anxiolytics, like Xanax, require a prescription from a medical professional. However, other anxiolytics – like all of the ones listed here – can be ordered online for individual use.
Phenibut is legal and available without a prescription in most parts of the world. However, you won’t typically find it in drug and health food stores. L-Theanine, which is simply an amino acid and is also found naturally in tea, is also legal as long as it’s pure without any illegal binders.
Sulbutiamine is the only one on this list which isn’t legal in certain parts of the world. Sulbutiamine is widely available throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Africa in over 30 different countries. However, it has not yet received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and it is neither manufactured nor marketed anywhere in the United States. You can, however, import it for individual use.
No matter which anxiolytic you’re taking, you can enjoy powerful mood boosting properties and a range of cognitive benefits. Order anxiolytics online to maximize your savings and increase your selection.