GHB addiction - night only

[Ravensight]

First of all, I decided to post this here as I realized this is one of the better forums to help with experience in many fields and drugs and addictions, though I didn't think I'd ever be one to post about coming off a drug myself let alone a first post.

So I've been using GHB, actually in GBL form to sleep for the past 3~4 months daily. I know the severity of the issue now and have decided I want to end it. I have access to alcohol, diphenhydramine and maybe some other antihistamines. in the country I reside in these things are hard to find (night aids and alcohol)

I have a big job tomorrow, so tonight I decide to take my last dose of gbl and hope to ride it out for the rest of the week. I think the first night I might not get any sleep at all so I might not even try doing any night aids. the 2nd night I'll see how tired I am and see if I should dose any night aids I probably will.


Anyone has experience with this? pregabalin (lyrica) is hard to get, and I rather do this without any addicted drugs, alcohol and anti histamines might be as far as I want to go. anyone does this before and managed to sleep their first night out no problem with/without aids?

The dose I'm taking of GBL so far is 4~5ml at night to sleep which is equal to 7~8 of ghb to induce sleep.

I'm happy to share more information as needed

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Why were you using it for sleep? Chronic insomnia? Have you any history with addiction to benzos or alcohol in the past?

 

[Jabberwocky]

Have you ever tried to stop drinking or using stuff like GHB/GBL before? The withdrawal can be very dangerous if you are tolerance to its effects to the point of dependency.

If you can't get anything like pregabalin/baclofen or better yet diazepam, get some phenibut. That is better than nothing to use to taper off, even though it is very far from ideal. I take it you don't want to deal with a professional detox?

At least please make sure people around you know what you're trying to do when you stop using. Again, this is assuming the worst, that you have a serious dependence - which may or may not be the case. We don't have enough info. But unlike opioids, coming off something like GHB/GBL can be very, very dangerous.

 

[Ravensight]

I have before, but using it at night time only the issues should be minimal.


Never had any addictions to benzos or alcohol in the past I generally dislike downers. Only reason I was using it was to wake up early for university and for exams and it just kept carrying on after that.

Can get pregabalin probably, it's widely available here in the country but I'd have to pay huge amounts for it, I'd be willing to do it for a few nights of sleep though but don't want to depend on anything else.


Edit : Last time I used it recreationally / for fun was maybe 5 months ago. So not my go-to recreational drug. actually no drug really is, in general I don't take much of anything these days. Occasional party every other week or once a month but thats it (alcohol)


How long do you reckon it'll be till I can sleep, even 2~3hours? maybe a normal 8 hours again?

 

[Ds]

There was a time in my life, where I was like 16, stole moms credit card, and ordered some 'rim cleaner', and 'transmission cleaner' on the internet. kinda,sorta knowing what was going to come in the mail. long story short, i went to rehab (this is back in '07-08') so for like 8? months, i wasn't around to check the mail. well the one time i came home from a home pass (LA-Bama) I was downstairs in the basement of my parents house and was just looking around, and found 2 sealed envelopes(the type with bubble wrap), both made out to me, un-opened. so i was like hmmmmm?? here i am like 8 months sober(ish) not workiny any program, and decided to open those packages, and out came 2 metal bottles of what i mentioned above, it included 2 plastic droppers.
I went Hmmmmm? once again, like no mental defence. 'hey maybe if i just take a little of this cleaner shit then i will get high' so i thought.
well, let me fast fowared to taking several 1-5ml caps a day(sometimes more), needless to say I was hooked on this shit, whaaaaa?? like i needed it before everything I did! before I would enter a call of duty match online I'd dose, before i took a bath i'd dose, before i'd like go blow the leaves i'd take a dose, dose dose and dose, until one day.. there was none left.
I found myself at my fathers apartment, stealing his RX ativan because I didn't know how to cope without the GBL, and I'm sure i'm the only one 'winkwink' thats stole the fams pills, that makes your family feel 'some type of way with you', I'm sure I was well over the withdrawls because I stole like 2 weeks worth of pills from my dad to 'detox', it wasn't until his fentanyl script came in the mail where I stole his fentanyl patchs and would help him look for them while high as gas.
It ended with my slicing my arms wide open and having to get like 20ish stitchs among the scars, so sitting there in the psych ward my dad came and gave me a visit, and tossed his empty box of patchs on the table in front of me, said he found these in a pair of my pants (which he was going to wash for me and bring them to me).
it struck me, what the fuck have i done? I just pissed away having spendinig time with my dad whom was (and is still sick). man what a piece of work I am.

long story short, i went south alabama to a religious rehab, stayed there for like 60 days till i got searched, they found spice, i got kicked out. a year goes by from when i took the GBL, and here there I was being woken up with Narcan from my first overdose (2009ish)

Just saying, I about died because I wanted to fix the emptiness that I felt from the GBL a year before.

Like toothpastedog said, man it's some serious shit coming off of. I suggest that you check yourself into a detox facility that will help medicate you and ween you off.

 

[aihfl]

Anyone has experience with this? pregabalin (lyrica) is hard to get, and I rather do this without any addicted drugs, alcohol and anti histamines might be as far as I want to go.

Vistaril (hydroxyzine) is a sedating antihistamine. Basically just a stronger Benadryl and doesn't have the tolerance and abuse potential of benzodiazepines. There is also an assortment of antidepressants that are sedating. My sleepytime drug cocktail includes 15mg Remeron and 900mg gabapentin (which unlike pregabalin is unscheduled in the US) and if that's not enough I'll supplement with 75mg doxepin. There's also trazodone if you can deal with the hangover the following morning.

 

[Ravensight]

Vistaril (hydroxyzine) is a sedating antihistamine. Basically just a stronger Benadryl and doesn't have the tolerance and abuse potential of benzodiazepines. There is also an assortment of antidepressants that are sedating. My sleepytime drug cocktail includes 15mg Remeron and 900mg gabapentin (which unlike pregabalin is unscheduled in the US) and if that's not enough I'll supplement with 75mg doxepin. There's also trazodone if you can deal with the hangover the following morning.

Would you say that will help sleep? how's the withdrawal/permanent effects of hydroxyzine? gabapentin, might be able to get some. Would this help overcome G at all or is it a precautionary measurement?

 

[Ravensight]

to D's reply that I can't quote for some reason, How long did it take to regain the ability to sleep after quitting G?

Edit : I'll be willing to log this as well. not sure if I can do that in these subforums

I'll be trying to sleep soon, if I can't fall asleep within 2 hours my last G dose will be taken to do this as I have a big day + high profile client ahead of me tomorrow

 

[Ds]

to D's reply that I can't quote for some reason, How long did it take to regain the ability to sleep after quitting G?

Edit : I'll be willing to log this as well. not sure if I can do that in these subforums

I'll be trying to sleep soon, if I can't fall asleep within 2 hours my last G dose will be taken to do this as I have a big day + high profile client ahead of me tomorrow

hey, it took me like 3 days before i was able to sleep, and thats also using benzos to help me sleep. is there anyway you can get some benzos to help you w/d?

 

[Captain.Heroin]

I have before, but using it at night time only the issues should be minimal.


Never had any addictions to benzos or alcohol in the past I generally dislike downers. Only reason I was using it was to wake up early for university and for exams and it just kept carrying on after that.

Can get pregabalin probably, it's widely available here in the country but I'd have to pay huge amounts for it, I'd be willing to do it for a few nights of sleep though but don't want to depend on anything else.


Edit : Last time I used it recreationally / for fun was maybe 5 months ago. So not my go-to recreational drug. actually no drug really is, in general I don't take much of anything these days. Occasional party every other week or once a month but thats it (alcohol)


How long do you reckon it'll be till I can sleep, even 2~3hours? maybe a normal 8 hours again?

GHB is a very unique downer and has stimulant properties as well at the GHB receptor. The depressant effects are due to the GABA-B receptor.

I would suggest you try to taper with your GHB/GBL. Don't try to just come off a high dosage; it will likely be very unpleasant.

 

[PriestTheyCalledHim]

Check into a hospital, or detox/rehab run by medical professionals. GHB is not a drug you want to attempt to withdrawal or get sober from on your own without medical supervision. Good luck, and stay safe.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Keep us posted on how you fair Raven. This sounds stressful as fuck!

 

[aihfl]

Would you say that will help sleep? how's the withdrawal/permanent effects of hydroxyzine? gabapentin, might be able to get some. Would this help overcome G at all or is it a precautionary measurement?

I am not aware of any withdrawals from hydroxyzine. I've heard that gabapentin can have nasty withdrawals, but I've never experienced it. My dose of 900mg is pretty low, though, and I've only abused it a handful of times because not only does it make me sleepy, it also makes me a little dizzy if I take it during the day. I don't find it particularly enjoyable. I've never abused G, nor do I personally know anyone who has, so I can't really say whether or not this will help. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience here though and if people are urging you to get a medically supervised detox, I would.

I have been a chronic insomniac for as long as I can remember, and from way before I ever even took a substance, and the combination of meds I outlined above works well for me. The Remeron really helps with sleep latency, and these meds allow me to reserve the use of benzos strictly for panic attacks so I don't have to worry about tolerance and dependence.

 

[Jabberwocky]

OP, if you haven't been using gabapentin long term, there won't be any withdrawal from it. And there won't be any withdrawal symptoms from the hydroxyzine (which frankly only sounds like it will be of, at best, limited usefulness).

 

[aihfl]

And there won't be any withdrawal symptoms from the hydroxyzine (which frankly only sounds like it will be of, at best, limited usefulness).

Actually, I think it's an underrated drug. It's my first line of defense against general anxiety lessening my need for benzos.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Really? I always did have a suspicion that I was oddly tolerant to the overall effects of antihistamines (like sedation for instance). High doses of diphenhydramine doesn't do too much for me other than quell any possible histamine reaction and hydroxyzine never seems to help with my anxiety (even with triple dosing; but then again I did/do have quite the anxiety disorder). Promethazine was the only one that ever really made me feel at all sleepy, but it still required ungodly doses.

Anyhoo, I digress.

 

[Ravensight]

Took my last dose of G last night slept for 6~7 hours and woke up to an alarm, I might be able to sleep within the first 2 days or so I hope...

I can try to get some other aid to help on day 2

 

[Captain.Heroin]

best of luck, stay safe and keep us posted.

 

[Ravensight]

I'm dosing a vitamin B complex x2 a day and I vape nicotine, does this help? Anything more I need to know?

 

[aihfl]

I'm dosing a vitamin B complex x2 a day and I vape nicotine, does this help? Anything more I need to know?

I think taking a B complex twice a day is overkill. Your body just kicks out excess vitamins it doesn't need. I smoke cigarettes so I'm biased toward saying yes for the nicotine; it probably does help. My work requires intense concentration and I find a cigarette both calms me and helps me focus.