Phenibut vs Saffron for mood
Short answer: For mood, users rate them about the same: 89% report improvement with Phenibut (131 reports) and 92% with Saffron (123 reports).
Phenibut has 3 meta-analyses and 1 randomized trials on PubMed; Saffron has 88 and 119.
Based on 740 reports about Phenibut and 323 about Saffron. Not medical advice.
| Phenibut Substance | Saffron Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| User score | 50 | 58 |
| Verdict | Mixed | Mostly positive |
| Positive of reports that state an outcome | 44% | 64% |
| Reports | 740 | 323 |
| Research | BResearch: Moderate | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 3 / 1 | 88 / 119 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Appetite % reporting improvement | — | 80% (10) |
| Focus % reporting improvement | 69% (36) | 80% (30) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 79% (28) | 78% (18) |
| Sleep % reporting improvement | 84% (64) | 77% (13) |
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 87% (297) | 80% (75) |
| Mood % reporting improvement | 89% (131) | 92% (123) |
| Memory % reporting improvement | 50% (4) | 50% (2) |
| Performance % reporting improvement | 100% (5) | — |
| Pain & inflammation % reporting improvement | 50% (2) | 100% (3) |
| Digestion % reporting improvement | — | 50% (2) |
| Libido % reporting improvement | 81% (16) | 75% (12) |
| Heart & lipids % reporting improvement | — | 50% (2) |
| Common side effects | withdrawal, addiction, tolerance, dependence | headache, anxiety, appetite suppression, vivid dreams |
| Typical dose reported | every 3 days | daily, morning |
Phenibut withdrawal appears to have a range of severity. It is important to recognize that patients undergoing phenibut abstinence may have progressive symptom worsening during early withdrawal. All published cases of abrupt phenibut abstinence were admitted inpatients for symptom management. Benzodiazepines or barbiturates with adjunctive baclofen appear to be the most commonly used drugs for moderate to severe withdrawal. Outpatient management via slow phenibut tapers with or without adjunctive gamma-aminobutyric acid agonist therapy may be successful. However, there is no standard treatment
Clin Toxicol (Phila), 2023 ↗“Phenibut every 3 days. Hands down most effective I've tried. Plus you wake up feeling amazing.”
Saffron demonstrates promise in improving ADHD symptoms, with an acceptable safety profile. Future well-designed multicentral studies are suggested.
J Atten Disord, 2024 ↗“I just sneak some into whatever soup we are having. I honestly think it has made a huge difference.”
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Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate