AUTHOR=Esposito Cecilia Maria , Mandolini Gian Mario , Delvecchio Giuseppe , Fiorentini Alessio , Brambilla Paolo 

TITLE=Psychomotor Agitation Non-responsive to Treatment: A Case Report of Phenibut Withdrawal Syndrome

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.688147

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2021.688147

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background and Objectives:</bold> Phenibut (4-amino-3-phenyl-butyric acid), acting as a GABA-B receptor agonist, has a beneficial effect on anxiety. Although its medical use is not approved in western countries, it can be easily obtained worldwide <italic>via</italic> the Internet, so it spread as a substance of abuse. In recent years, some case reports have, therefore, highlighted episodes of acute toxicity or withdrawal, but it is still a largely unknown phenomenon.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> In this case report, a 50-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency room with psychomotor agitation, psychotic symptoms, and insomnia, and was non-responsive to treatment. She was hospitalized at the psychiatry ward for 25 days and gave her consent for the publication of the present case report.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> The suspicion of phenibut withdrawal allowed to establish the appropriate management, leading to the <italic>restitutio ad integrum</italic> of the psychopathological case.</p><p><bold>Conclusions:</bold> In the face of an incoercible psychomotor agitation case, the knowledge of the so-called novel psychoactive substances allows for more appropriate clinical management of intoxication and withdrawal syndromes. This is a scientifically significant report as it provides therapeutic and outcome data concerning a syndrome that is still quite unfamiliar.</p>