Gaboxadol has been a compound I've been eager to try since the vatic psychopharmacological ectomorph Hamilton Morris wrote about in Harper's. Oceanic sleep has been a dream of mine since I was a child; I've been tormented by night tremors for over a decade, and bouts of insomnia have been recurrent throughout my teenag...
Gaboxadol
Encyclopedic
Encyclopedic
Typical encyclopedia coverage. Cross-reference for important decisions.
- 2 corroborating sources
- 1 ROA with full dose ladder
- duration data present
- 17 combo interactions documented
- PubChem toxicity data
- classified Research-chemical
Encyclopedic
Typical encyclopedia coverage. Cross-reference for important decisions.
- 2 corroborating sources
- 1 ROA with full dose ladder
- duration data present
- 17 combo interactions documented
- PubChem toxicity data
- classified Research-chemical
Aliases: Thip, Ov101, Mk-0928, Lu-2-030, Lu-02-030
Summary
Gaboxadol (THIP) is a direct-acting GABA-A receptor agonist developed by Lundbeck and Merck as an experimental sleep aid. Clinical trials were discontinued in 2007 due to narrow therapeutic index and psychiatric side effects at effective doses. Unlike benzodiazepines, it acts as an orthosteric agonist at the GABA binding site with preferential activity at extrasynaptic ฮด subunit-containing receptors.
Dose Information
| ROA | Light | Common | Strong | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | 10-15mg | 15-30mg | 30-45mg | 45mg+ |
Light
Common
Strong
Heavy
Onset, Duration & After-effects
| ROA | Onset | Comeup | Peak | Offset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | 15-60 min | 30-60 min | 1-3 hrs | 2-4 hrs |
Effect Profile
2 reportsScores (1–10) curated from multiple sources:
- Effect keyword matching from PsychonautWiki catalog
- Weighted by importance: core (×3), major (×2), minor (×1)
Benzodiazepine
4.3
Moderate
4/10
Strong cognitive impairment with mild anxiolysis, sedation, and euphoria
Anxiolysis
×3
5
anxiolysis
muscle relaxation
Sedation / Relaxation
×2
5
sedation
muscle relaxation
Motor / Cognitive Impairment
×1
9
motor control loss
ataxia
memory suppression
confusion
Euphoria / Mood Lift
×1
4
cognitive euphoria
Based on reports from:
Tolerance
Build-up
develops over 1โ4 weeks of daily use; hypnotic tolerance faster than anxiolytic tolerance
Reset
weeks to months depending on half-life and duration of use; taper recommended
Tolerance Decay
Full tolerance
3d
Half tolerance
14d
Baseline
~60d
Acute tolerance: develops within a single session โ the reset numbers above apply after sustained heavy use, not after one binge. Within-session tachyphylaxis usually resets largely overnight.
Evidence on tolerance kinetics in humans is sparse. Rapid tolerance is expected with daily use by analogy to other GABAergic sedatives; some animal data suggest distinct receptor populations (extrasynaptic ฮด vs. synaptic ฮณ2) which may alter cross-tolerance magnitude relative to benzodiazepines.
Cross-Tolerances
Effects
Positive
- Muscle relaxation
- Anxiolysis
- Pain relief
Negative
- Nausea
- Ataxia
- Muscle twitching
- Sedation
- Sleepiness
- Muscle twitches
- Increased salivation
Positive
- Cognitive euphoria
- Dream potentiation
- Empathy enhancement
Negative
- Memory suppression
- Dizziness
- Motor control loss
- Delirium
- Confusion
- Perspective distortions
- Consciousness disconnection
Positive
- Colour shifting
- Increased music appreciation
- Auditory hallucinations
- External hallucinations
- Internal hallucinations
- Visual distortions
- Drifting
- External hallucination
- Internal hallucination
- Spontaneous physical sensations
Combinations
Cross-Check Gaboxadol with another substanceTrip Reports
Community Trip Reports
Anecdotal first-person accounts from Reddit, Erowid, and Bluelight. Click a source to expand. Reports are harm-reduction context, not medical guidance.
Erowid 2 reports 2 neutral visit
Gaboxadol is a structural derivative of the alkaloid Muscimol, a constituent of the pharmacological cocktail in the Amanita muscaria species of mushroom. A powerful, yet non-reinforcing hypnotic agent (unlike benzodiazepines, which are often prescribed for insomnia), Gaboxadol never found its way into any pharmaceutica...
Gaboxadol's nerd page
Pharmacology, chemical data, effect profiles, and more
→
Helpful Links
Report an issue or suggest an edit
Spotted incorrect or dangerous information, have a correction, a new study, or a useful addition for Gaboxadol? Let us know. Reports are reviewed by moderators — this is not posted publicly.