GHB

GHB (Gama Hydroxybutyric Acid) is a synthetic depressant produced in makeshift labs. While available as a prescription for sleep disorders in some countries, GHB was banned (in the U.S.) by the FDA in 1990 because of the dangers associated with its use.

However, on July 17th, 2002, GHB was approved for treatment of a rare form of narcolepsy. Most of the GHB used in the U.S. is illegally manufactured within its borders, or purchased from other countries (Canada and others) over the internet as "GHB kits." (Just add water)

Like Rohypnol, GHB and its analogs (compounds that are structurally similar but differ slightly in composition) are considered "date rape" drugs because they can be mixed with liquids (even water) and a victim wouldn't notice by smelling or looking at it. GHB, by itself, has a soapy or salty taste, but when mixed in a drink it may be difficult to detect.

GHB can be made from ingredients such as a solvent commonly used as a paint stripper, or a chemical used in the production of plastics and adhesives. Both these ingredients metabolize or "transform into " GHB in the body. They're difficult to trace because they quickly leave the body and may be difficult to detect in emergency rooms and other treatment facilities.

So not only are you taking a potentially lethal substance, you're taking one that if it does send you to the hospital, makes it extremely hard to diagnose what's wrong with you as you lay there near death or dying. The street names for GHB include “G”, Georgia-Home Boy, Liquid X, Liquid Ecstasy, Scoop, Soap, Easy Lay, and the list goes on depending on what part of North America you’re in.

A point here worth mentioning here is that GHB appears to have some valid and scientifically legitimate applications for treating a variety of problems. But we're not doctors, nor are we scientists, so we'll leave that debate to the people best equipped to argue it. Our point is that if you buy a watch off some guy on the street, you're taking a bit of a risk. And if you buy a drug off of someone on the street, you're risking a lot more than just not knowing the time. The bottom-line? This is way too heavy a drug to screw around with.

A feeling of euphoria and intoxication, increased energy, happiness, you become talkative and feel the need to socialize. You could also feel affectionate and feel less inhibited than normal. As a result, users sometimes use GHB to enhance a sexual experience, often with disastrous results. GHB will also cause you to lose muscle tension and often become physically ill (what a surprise, it’s floor cleaner!) There's difficulty in concentrating, and some users will lose their gag reflex which is definitely not a good thing.

As GHB is often combined with other substances including alcohol, users may experience headache, drowsiness, dizziness, loss of motor function, loss of consciousness, rambling incoherent speech, respiratory failure and death. Hallucinations are also frequently experienced by users. As we said, along with Rohypnol, GHB is one of the top date rape drugs. For more on date rape, go to our section on Rohypnol by clicking HERE.

Frankly, we should keep it real simple here. Because you’re putting such a horrendous poison into your system, there’s really no telling what’s going to happen to you when you take GHB, because anything is possible. This is just not something that should be experimented with even once. If you doubt that - read on.

Here's a real shocker. A huge percentage of males and females that are the victims of "date rape" either don't recall details clearly enough to know what happened and press charges, or are too ashamed to let anyone find out what happened. And in case you're wondering, yes, men can also be the victims of date rape and it's usually not women raping them. And it's pretty obvious why you don't hear guys freely admitting to being sexually assaulted by another man, particularly if they're heterosexual. Granted, it's not common, but it doesn't have to be common to be a bit of a concern.

A new kit is now available called "The Drink Detective." This new kit costs $ 7.00 (USD) and is used to determine if your beverage was spiked with any of the three main date-rape drugs which as we mentioned, are GHB, Rohypnol, (known as roofies) and Ketamine hydrochloride. ( known as Special K.) Ketamine has the longest lasting effects and can render someone unresponsive for as long as 24 hours which is obviously extremely dangerous from a variety of perspectives.

If you suspect that perhaps your drink has been contaminated by one of these drugs, you can use a small dropper to test a sample of the drink on three chemically sensitive patches on a card. The spots change color in about 30 seconds if the drink is spiked.

The Drink Detective is just one of a few new products on the market that perfrom a "litmus test" for the presence of drugs, and this particular product won Popular Science magazine's "Best of What's New Award."

We haven't actually tested this product, (or any others like like it) nor are we endorsing it. However, we are in the business of education and awareness and thought you should know. More information on these types of kits is available via a Google search.

Many people who use GHB are not physically dependent on it and as a result, they would not require inpatient care at a treatment facility. Instead they could receive proper education about the drug on an outpatient basis.

However, for those who have a longer and more frequent history of using the drug, withdrawal symptoms may be experienced and detoxification should be done under the close supervision of a medical professional. On average, most people de-toxing will require one to two weeks under hospital care and supervision. For some, the symptoms of withdrawal on their own can be unbearable and they may try to self-medicate with other substances including alcohol. Unfortunately, this only contributes with the severity and intensity of the withdrawal symptoms and can lead to respiratory depression, coma, and death.

Benzodiazepines can help ease some of the symptoms of GHB withdrawal, particularly psychotic agitation, if given in appropriate (and medically supervised) doses. Other medications (e.g., barbiturates, anticonvulsants, and antihypertensives) may be required to effectively manage GHB withdrawal and detoxification.

Another result of GHB withdrawal is amnesia or memory loss, which greatly complicates treatment at every stage and may contribute to a revolving door of treatment episodes and relapse when they don't have a proper level of awareness of the consequences of his or her GHB addiction.

On balance, this is a lousy drug to get involved with at any level, including one-time experimentation. It's classified as a date rape drug because primarily, it's used as a date rape drug. For that reason alone, why would you want to even associtate with someone involved with this drug? (For more on date rape, see our outline on Rohypnol in the Drug Index)