Misc Tapering off GHB

[Lorienator]

Hey guys,

though I am careful with my own use, a friend of mine recently admitted to being addicted to GHB for over a year, and asked me if there was any evidence that tapering was effective.

Logically, I would have thought the answer would have been yes. Sedative addiction usually requires tapering, or use of other small doses of sedatives to control withdrawal symptoms.

I would be grateful for any advice I could pass along.

Also, I was so shocked, as I had no idea he even used it! He only admitted it after he found out I was using it.

Thanks in advance!

 

[DickTate]

Yes tapering is possible and very much obligated with a GHB addiction. Otherwise it could get pretty dangerous after that long time and depending on the doses.
How much did the person consume per day? Was it 24/7 with several redoses over the day beginning in the morning or more like only in the evening?

If 24/7 a slow taper is advised. Maybe with the support of other medications like Gabapentin/Lyrica or Baclofen but that should be organised with a doctor.

 

[limonov]

Tapering is not just possible- it's mandatory. Without trying to cause panic, GHB addiction is a very, very serious thing- on par with barbiturate addiction (which is why barbs are almost never used anymore).

I can't say I know a great deal about GHB addiction specifically, but I know that it's similar enough to benzo/barbiturate addiction to require careful management. If your friend was to go cold turkey I'd put money on him suffering a seizure within the first three days of withdrawal (and GHB withdrawal can last for months, like benzos/barbs).

Unless your friend has remarkable willpower or a very close friend/partner to oversee their taper- self tapering is extremely difficult which is why most people don't. This really is the sort of thing that requires proper medical attention- the best thing to do is probably to bite the bullet, accept that this is a serious problem and go talk to a doctor- GHB addiction can be treated exactly as benzo addiction, he'd probably be put on diazepam/clonazepam and then slowly tapered off under medical supervision.

The risk of seizure is no joke- literally thousand of people have died smashing their head against things while flopping round on the floor, not to mention the fact that seizures can have all sorts of very serious consequences- if his addiction is bad enough grande mal seizures can even cause brain damage.

Anyway you look at it he's gonna need a LOT of anticonvulsants just to keep his brain safe as he tries to kick- thus he's gonna need a doctor to prescribe them.

***Note: A big day for me, I managed to give advice that did not involve advocating lying to doctors...this is what personal development looks like ***