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GHB putting teens in hospital
By Clare Masters
January 05, 2008 12:00am
TEENAGERS as young as 17 are overdosing on the drug known as fantasy or GHB with one Sydney hospital treating more than 13 overdoses on New Year's Day - five from one dance party.
Ambulances rushed 10 people from the popular New Year's Day dance event Field Day to St Vincent's Hospital.
Eight party-goers had taken drugs, five collapsed after taking GHB. At least three were teenagers.
Drug experts believe party-goers are being sold the drug as "liquid ecstasy" - not realising they are taking the same lethal substance that killed cruise ship drug victim Dianne Brimble.
"GHB has quite a bad name amongst some groups, but when the name changes and they think they've been given something different is when things can go horribly wrong," Paul Dillon, from Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia, said.
"When you start to see very young people using this drug with little knowledge of how dangerous it is, it is only a matter of time before we see more deaths occurring."
The Daily Telegraph was told three of the party-goers were admitted to intensive care and remain in hospital with one suffering a cardiac arrest.
A spokeswoman for St Vincent's Hospital said she was unable to comment directly on the matters.
"We did have around 13 GHB related overdoses on New Year's Day and more GHB-related presentations with less dangerous levels, and we still saw some coming in on the 2nd and the 3rd (of January)," she said.
Three of the overdoses from Field Day were teenagers, including a 17-year-old boy and others 18 and 19.
The rash of overdoses has shocked party organisers and drug experts.
Adelle Robinson from event promoter Fuzzy, which runs Field Day, said there have been no GHB incidents at any of their recent dance events.
"We haven't had any GHB overdoses at any of our other events for the last couple of years so this was an increase," she said.
"Our medical team consisted of 35 medical officers, two ambulances, four paramedics, two doctors and 15 volunteers from the Red Cross."
Mr Dillon said he was concerned about the reports and said some party-goers believe the liquid substance is similar to the stimulant ecstasy.
"GHB is a very powerful depressant, you take a little more than intended and you'll find yourself in a hospital bed on life support," he said.
GHB is an anaesthetic drug with sedative properties.
Ms Brimble, 42, died in 2002 from an overdose of GHB on the P&O cruise liner.
Generally known as a drink-spiking drug, GHB usually comes as a colourless or bright blue liquid.
Daily Telegraph