NEWS: Five hospitalised by party drug (GHB)

Five hospitalised by party drug
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,9641281%5E1702,00.html
23may04

FIVE young men are recovering in hospital after a spate of early morning overdoses of the party drug GHB in inner Melbourne today.

The first victim was taken to hospital by ambulance from a city entertainment complex just before 4am (AEST), ambulance duty manager Rob Ray said.
The four other men overdosed at nightclubs in the South Yarra area.

The last victim was picked up by ambulance in a critical condition just after 9am (AEST).

Mr Ray said it was an unusually high number of overdose victims as well as four of overdoses happening in the same area.

"That would tend to indicate there was a strong batch in that area," he said.

The drug, sometimes known as "liquid ecstasy" or "fantasy", can depress the respiratory system down to a dangerous level.

Mr Ray warned revellers it was "just not worth the risk" to take the drug.

"The drug is just so potent," he said.

"The difference between having some `party effect', for want of a better word, and having a serious overdose is in the order of one of two millilitres."

Mr Ray has my vote on this.
It is getting beyond rediculous. While there's always going to be 'resposible' users, the amount that accidently fuck themselves up on this shit is just WAY too high.

*shakes head*

its starting to become common place =/

A strong batch? Perhaps stronger than they were used to, but there also may have been someone selling it there to uneducated users, which was more likely the case I think.

Why don't we see any other "party" drug overdose in Australian Emergency Departments, as much as we do GHB, if it is as safe as some bluelighters say it is?
Sure, it might be 'safe' for those who have never over-dosed on it, but the absolute numbers, the science, and the medicine just don't support the allegation that it is 'safe'. We have to take a population approach with this, and a few individuals sying that they have never had a problem with it is a poor refutation for the regular, multiple overdoses we have to deal with in the emergency department...

Good to hear Mr Ray say "The difference between having some `party effect', for want of a better word, and having a serious overdose is in the order of one of two millilitres". I don't think that can be said enough.

I'm not sure if this was in response to my comment, but i'll clear up what I said by assuming it is. I do not think it is a safe drug, and in previous threads I have stated that even those who think they can use it safely from time to time come undone. I strongly believe that the best way to manage this problem is by an education program that is factual, and harm reduction based, which gets literature out to the target areas including clubs and rave events. (a big fat government funded project here would do wonders, but government literature itself would most likely go largely ignored).

GHB/1,4b related overdoses occur frequently simply because of the nature of the drug, and this will only be solved through a change in community attitude and education. I understand the frustration within the medical community, and it is clear what is happening, but what needs to be done to change the trend is not so clear.

Absolutely not directed at you, CM- your message has always been consistent with a harm minimisation approach, and an excellent advertisement for bluelight to the wider world. There has been an awful lot of coverage of these sort of overdoses, and still the hits keep coming. NDARCs research shows that 53% of users have overdosed and yet reckon they've just fallen asleep. I think that the recreational drug using community has a degree of responsibilty to monitor and police itself, and I am confused, if that is happening, why people continue to get sick. I repeat what I said before, the facts are irrrefutably suggesting that it cannot be used safely. It doesn't matter who is getting sick, it doesn't matter if it is just the 'inexperienced'; in a global sense, alot of people have to go to hospital after using GHB- therefore, in the group of people who choose to use drugs, it is not a safe drug. This is further supported by an article in this months edition of 'Addiction' looking at the acute toxicity of recreational drugs in overdose.
In the more formal circles in which I move, this problem of recurrent GHB overdose is being used as an example of the scene's 'irresponsibility'; not logical but gaining support among those corridors of power which could make life very difficult for your community...

Yeah, it's funny the amount of people who've never overdosed, but have "G'd out" a couple of times... like there's a distinction or something.

Maybe to "G out" is to overdose without going to hospital? Either way it's still an overdose...

^^ There's a lot of boastfully "educated" GHB users around here who talk about 'G-ing out but not overdosing' 8)

Top post drplatypus.

But i thought you could only overdose on smack 8)

I don't know if this violates the guidelines of naming events or venues but one of those overdoses on the weekend is described in an Aus Events thread; a BL'er being the one who called the ambulance.

Reading his description of how the OD'ing person's friends reacted is kind of worrying.

Check the bottom third of the following post:
http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/showthread.php?postid=1951200#post1951200

At least they didn't stick ice cubes up their ass

[Edit: Offtopic material removed. BigTrancer]

drplatypus said:

Why don't we see any other "party" drug overdose in Australian Emergency Departments, as much as we do GHB, if it is as safe as some bluelighters say it is?
Sure, it might be 'safe' for those who have never over-dosed on it, but the absolute numbers, the science, and the medicine just don't support the allegation that it is 'safe'. We have to take a population approach with this, and a few individuals sying that they have never had a problem with it is a poor refutation for the regular, multiple overdoses we have to deal with in the emergency department...

Click to expand...

Also to further Dr. Platypus's comments, the NDARC research also indicated a substantial difference in perceptions of potential overdose risk between those who had overdosed and those who had yet to overdose. It would appear that new uneducated users either are a) told they won;t overdose or b) don't think they will overdose and have little evidence to understand the real risks of the drug.

The question is: can we educated users as fast as the drug is speading? if the answer is no, then the safe alternative will have to be advocating abstinence.

Cheers,

Buck

apollo said:

^^ There's a lot of boastfully "educated" GHB users around here who talk about 'G-ing out but not overdosing' 8)

Top post drplatypus.

Click to expand...

Well, you are right, it is technically not overdosing if the intention is to knock your self out, have a seizure and stop breathing. If that was the effect you were after then you have taken exactly the right amount

can someone actually give me a definition of g-ing out - as opposed to needing ambulances called and o-ding or whether they are actually the same.
or just tell me if I can find the answer in another thread?

g-ing out is an overdose, it is an involuntary submission by your body into a comatose state which is directly due to the effect of the drug. It is a lame, misleading term which makes it sound more acceptable than overdosing. People would argue than the difference is between a sedated state, and a state where you are not conscious; they are both overdoses, one is simply less severe than the other.

remember: If you call an ambulance it is treated in medical confidentiality and the police won't be brought in so there will be no investigation why you overdosed, who you bought it from etc. etc. Please call an ambulance if someone has overdosed.

^^ can i just ask what if u were brought into the hospital with say drugs in ur sock.. and it was later found by hospital staff, what then?

^ I suppose it depends a lot on the specifics of the situation and the drug type/amount. It would be a judgement call by the hospital staff what action to take. I don't think involving the police is standard procedure.

BigTrancer