Scott Alexander compares three gabapentinoid drugs (gabapentin, pregabalin, and phenibut), exploring their effects, mechanisms, and the mysteries surrounding their differing efficacies despite chemical similarities. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses three gabapentinoid drugs: gabapentin, pregabalin, and phenibut. He compares their effects, mechanisms, and mysteries surrounding their differing efficacies. Gabapentin is described as subtle at low doses and problematic at high doses. Pregabalin is noted for its effectiveness in anxiety treatment but its high cost. Phenibut, while not FDA-approved, is praised for its strong anti-anxiety effects but warned against due to addiction potential. The post explores possible explanations for the differences between these chemically similar drugs, including dosing discrepancies, absorption rates, and receptor interactions. Scott also touches on the broader implications for drug research and the complexities of psychopharmacology. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander presents a wide-ranging collection of links covering science, technology, politics, economics, and culture, with brief commentary on each item. Longer summary

Scott Alexander shares a collection of interesting links and news items on various topics. He discusses punding (a side effect of dopamine drugs), net neutrality in Montana, Tibetan monks' fear of death, Trump's solar panel tariffs, space exploration news, a potential tinnitus treatment, the US metric system history, NSA's core values change, a Burning Man activist's story, blockchain projects, Aristotle's puns, UK politician Jacob Rees-Mogg, arguments against open borders, new education programs, SAT score correlations, solar system geography, Amazon's entry into healthcare, pain tolerance and friendships, legal terminology origins, campus free speech issues, Twitter bots, nutrition studies, IQ test incentives, dating apps for verified Twitter users, Hitler's drug use, mindfulness research, disability insurance effects, asteroid naming conventions, and various other topics. Shorter summary