Like Ecstasy, GHB is a popular drug with club-goers and those who go to "rave parties," including teens and young adults. Its side effects can be very dangerous, especially if the drug is mixed with alcohol.
GHB causes both a euphoric high (intense rush of happy feelings) and hallucinations. GHB has caused many young people to need emergency medical care. Because the liquid is odorless and colorless, GHB diluted in drinks is virtually undetectable and sometimes is slipped unknowingly into someone else's drinks.
Side effects of GHB use include drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting (puking), and vision changes. People who take GHB may become unconscious (pass out), stop breathing, and go into a coma. Using GHB can kill you.
Because both GHB and alcohol are depressants, mixing the two is very, very dangerous and can be deadly — even if someone has only taken low doses of the drug.
Club and rave scene use
GHB is often taken because users find that it enhances their experiences of being in a club, party, or rave; small doses of GHB can act as a stimulant and aphrodisiac. GHB is sometimes referred to as G, liquid ecstasy, liquid X, lollipops or liquid E due to its tendency to produce euphoria and sociability and its use in the dance party scene. Despite this nickname, GHB has entirely separate chemical and pharmacological modes of action compared to MDMA (ecstasy).
SPORTS AND ATHELICTS
Some athletes also use GHB, as GHB has been shown to elevate human growth hormone in vivo. The growth hormone elevating effects of GHB are mediated through muscarinic acetylcholine receptors and can be prevented by prior administration of pirenzepine, a muscarinic acetylcholine receptor blocking agent.
As certain succinate salts have been shown to elevate growth hormone in vitro, and because GHB is metabolized into succinate some people have suggested this may play a role in the growth hormone elevations from GHB. There is however currently no evidence to show that succinate plays any role in the growth hormone elevations from GHB.
The effects of GHB appear to vary greatly according to the amount used – a small increase in amount can result in a dramatic increase in effect. One of the most dangerous aspects of using GHB is the small difference between an amount that produces the desired effect and the amount that results in overdose. A further risk is that there is often no way to be sure that the drug is manufactured correctly. Improperly made GHB may result in an extremely toxic mixture of GHB and the chemical sodium hydroxide.
Immediate effects Small amounts
When you have a small amount of GHB, the effects vary greatly from person to person and can last from a few minutes to a few hours. The effects become noticeable from 5 to 20 minutes after ingestion.
You may:
- feel good and confident
- feel excited or upset
- take more risks than usual
- have a heightened sense of touch
- want to have sex
- feel drowsy or sleepy
- suffer memory lapses
- feel dizzy
- get headaches
- suffer from tremors
- feel sick
- have diarrhoea or urinary incontinence
Effects on your body may include that:
- your heart beats slower
- your body temperature lowers
If you take high doses of GHB you may:
- feel dizzy
- suffer from tremors
- vomit
- get tunnel vision
- become uncoordinated (ataxia)
- become disorientated
- feel confused, irritated or agitated
- hallucinate
- have blackouts and memory lapses
- have convulsions (fits)
- have a heart attack
- overdose
- go into a coma
Long-term effects
The long-term effects of GHB use are unclear. As GHB is similar to the effects of sedative drugs, it is possible to become physically and psychologically dependent on it. There is also the potential for tolerance to develop over a period of time to achieve the same (or any) effects as first experienced.
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