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Heavy sedation typically occurs at 3g and higher. Doses above 3.5g risk rapid unconsciousness. Careful measurement using calibrated equipment is essential, as even small variations can significantly alter effects. Do not redose prematurely if effects are delayed; wait at least two hours before considering additional administration.
Effects vary widely by individual, dose, and context.
The physical effects of GHB can be broken down into several components which progressively intensify proportional to dosage.
The cognitive effects of GHB can be broken down into several components which progressively intensify proportional to dosage.
GHB is classified as habit-forming with recognized addiction potential. Repeated use can disrupt brain circuits controlling rewards, memory and cognition, leading to compulsive drug-taking patterns.
Chronic high-dose consumption leads to severe physical dependence. Withdrawal symptoms include insomnia, anxiety, tremor, sweating, and muscle cramps, typically resolving within three to twenty-one days. The withdrawal syndrome can be severe, producing acute delirium that may require hospitalization in an intensive care unit. Medical supervision is strongly recommended for discontinuation.
Doses above 3500 mg tend to cause rapid unconsciousness. Single doses over 7000 mg often cause life-threatening respiratory depression, with higher doses inducing bradycardia and cardiac arrest. Taking 3-4 times a normal dose risks unconsciousness and vomiting; exceeding this carries risk of death. A study of 226 GHB-attributed deaths found postmortem blood concentrations of 18-4400 mg/L (median 347 mg/L) in cases without co-intoxicants. Most deaths result from respiratory depression, often in combination with alcohol or other depressants.
Chronic administration in animal studies has been associated with impairments in spatial memory, working memory, and learning; relevance to human recreational use at typical doses is not fully established.
Acute psychotic symptoms are not typically associated with GHB intoxication itself, but withdrawal can produce acute delirium requiring intensive care management. Benzodiazepines are the mainstay of treatment, often at higher doses than required for delirium from other causes.
Convulsions can occur at very high doses and are more likely when GHB is combined with stimulants. Severe physical withdrawal from chronic high-dose use can produce epileptic seizures. At very high doses, uncontrollable muscle twitching may occur which can progress to epileptic activity.
The chemical family to which GHB belongs was first explored by Russian chemist Alexander Zaytsev, who published work on related compounds in 1874. The compound itself was first synthesized in the 1920s, though it would remain largely unexamined for several decades.…
Scheduled as a controlled substance in 2003. Before this, the drug existed in a legal grey area following its emergence as a recreational substance in the late 1990s.
Became a scheduled controlled substance in 2000. Prior to scheduling, GHB was sold openly as a weight loss and muscle development aid during the 1980s and emerged as a recreational drug in the late 1990s.
